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Ex-Facebook staffers on how Facebook's focus on growth metrics in performance reviews prodded staff to game the system and ignore other impacts of their work

former PM at FB https://www.buzzfeednews.com/ ... Matt Navarra / @mattnavarra : “...When business page admins did something with FB's tools, they'd count as active. So the team would keep sending notifications — about anything — so that they'd sign back in, helping the team hit the metric, even if they knew it would annoy users” https://www.buzzfeednews.com/ ... Andy Burrows / @_andyburrows : 'It's hard to believe that you could get humans to override all of their values'. Stunning piece from ⁦@Kantrowitz⁩ on how Facebook continues to prioritise growth over safety. The prize for regulation is to change this corporate culture https://www.buzzfeednews.com/ ... Cory Weinberg / @coryweinberg : “Any system that can be gamed, will be gamed.” Facebook rewards its highest performing product managers with big raises. It often evaluates them based on internal growth, rather external consequences. @Kantrowitz lays it out. https://www.buzzfeednews.com/ ... Lainna Fader / @lainnafader : “Any system that can be gamed, will be gamed. If you tell me my rating is attached to my pay and it's attached to my promotion, eventually people are going to start doing work strictly based upon getting good ratings.” https://www.buzzfeednews.com/ ... Ryan Mac / @rmac18 : “And still we connect people” https://www.buzzfeednews.com/ ... Josh Constine / @joshconstine : Facebook's growth at all costs mentality & bonuses + headcount weakening accountability for secondary consequences is what I'd heard led to scandals. @Kantrowitz nails that here https://www.buzzfeednews.com/ ... @buzzfeednews : “Working at Facebook made me aware of how you can reprogram humans,” one former employee said. “It's hard to believe that you could get humans to override all of their values that they came in with.” https://www.buzzfeednews.com/ ...

BuzzFeed News Alex Kantrowitz

Discussion

  • @kantrowitz Alex Kantrowitz on x
    New: Facebook has worked to clean up its problems over the past few years. But insiders tell me the growth-first ideology behind its scandals remains in place today. https://www.buzzfeednews.com/ ...
  • @lainnafader Lainna Fader on x
    “Working at Facebook made me aware of how you can reprogram humans. It's hard to believe that you could get humans to override all of their values that they came in with. But with a system like this, you can. I found that a bit terrifying.”—former PM at FB https://www.buzzfeednew…
  • @mattnavarra Matt Navarra on x
    “...When business page admins did something with FB's tools, they'd count as active. So the team would keep sending notifications — about anything — so that they'd sign back in, helping the team hit the metric, even if they knew it would annoy users” https://www.buzzfeednews.com/…
  • @_andyburrows Andy Burrows on x
    'It's hard to believe that you could get humans to override all of their values'. Stunning piece from ⁦@Kantrowitz⁩ on how Facebook continues to prioritise growth over safety. The prize for regulation is to change this corporate culture https://www.buzzfeednews.com/ ...
  • @coryweinberg Cory Weinberg on x
    “Any system that can be gamed, will be gamed.” Facebook rewards its highest performing product managers with big raises. It often evaluates them based on internal growth, rather external consequences. @Kantrowitz lays it out. https://www.buzzfeednews.com/ ...
  • @lainnafader Lainna Fader on x
    “Any system that can be gamed, will be gamed. If you tell me my rating is attached to my pay and it's attached to my promotion, eventually people are going to start doing work strictly based upon getting good ratings.” https://www.buzzfeednews.com/ ...
  • @rmac18 Ryan Mac on x
    “And still we connect people” https://www.buzzfeednews.com/ ...
  • @joshconstine Josh Constine on x
    Facebook's growth at all costs mentality & bonuses + headcount weakening accountability for secondary consequences is what I'd heard led to scandals. @Kantrowitz nails that here https://www.buzzfeednews.com/ ...
  • @buzzfeednews @buzzfeednews on x
    “Working at Facebook made me aware of how you can reprogram humans,” one former employee said. “It's hard to believe that you could get humans to override all of their values that they came in with.” https://www.buzzfeednews.com/ ...