Adulting Is Hard and Tech Companies May Lose Their Children
June 15, 2021
For years, I have compared the management methods of high flying technology companies to high school science clubs. I think I remain the lone supporter of this comparison. That is perfectly okay with me. I did spot several interesting examples of management “actions” which have produced some interesting knock on effects.
First, take a look at this write up: “Does What Happens at YC Stay at YC?” The Silicon Valley real news write up reports:
The two founders, Dark CEO Paul Biggar and Prolific CEO and co-founder Katia Damer, say they were removed from YC after publicly critiquing YC — for very different reasons. Biggar had noted on social media back in March that another YC founder was tipping off people on how to cut the vaccine lines to get an early jab, while Damer expressed worry and frustration more recently about the alumni community’s support of a now-controversial alum, Antonio García Martínez. Y Combinator says that the two founders were removed from Bookface because they broke community guidelines, namely the rule to never externally post any internal information from Bookface.
The method: Have rules, enforce them, and attract media attention. I find this interesting because Y Combinator has been around since 2005 and now we have the rule breaking thing.
Second, the newly awakened real journalists at the New York Times wrote in “In Leak Investigation, Tech giants Are Caught Between Courts and Customers”:
Without knowing it, Apple said, it had handed over the data of congressional staff members, their families and at least two members of Congress…
Yep, without knowing. Does this sound like the president of the high school science club explaining why the chem lab caught fire by pointing out that she knew nothing about the event. Yes, fire trucks responded to the scene of the blaze. Oh, the pres of that high school science club is wearing a T shirt with the word “Privacy” in big and bold Roboto.
Third, the much loved online ad vendor (Google in case you did not know) used a classic high school science club maneuver. “UK Competition Regulator Gets a Say in Google’s Plan to Remove Browser Cookies” reveals:
Google is committed to involve the CMA and the Information Commissioner’s Office, the U.K.’s privacy watchdog, in the development of its Privacy Sandbox proposals. The company promised to publicly disclose results of any tests of the effectiveness of alternatives and said it wouldn’t give preferential treatment to Google’s advertising products or sites.
I noted the operative word “promised.” Isn’t the UK a member of a multi national intelligence consortium. What happens if the UK wants to make some specific suggestions. Will that mean that Google can implement these suggestions and end up with a digital banana split with chocolate, whipped cream, and a cherry on top. Who wants to blemish the record of a high school valedictorian who is a member of the science club and the quick recall team? My hunch is that the outfits in Cheltenham want data from the old and new Google methods. But that’s just my view of how a science club exerts magnetic pull and uses a “yep, we promise” to move along its chosen path.
Net net: Each of these examples illustrate that the effort of some high profile outfits to operate as adults. But I am thinking, “What if those adults are sophomoric and science club coping mechanisms?”
The answer seems to be what the five bipartisan bills offered by House democrats. A fine way to kick off their weekend.
Stephen E Arnold, June 15, 2021
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