Discussion

• @paulg Paul Graham on x

  Yet again, @brian_armstrong leads the way. I predict most successful companies will follow Coinbase's lead. If only because those who don't are less likely to succeed. https://blog.coinbase.com/...

• @ericajoy Erica Joy on x

  so tl;dr coinbase engineers walked off because brian wouldn't say “Black Lives Matter,” he posted it so they'd get back to work, now he's having an executive “YOU AREN'T THE BOSS OF ME!” meltdown* about it. 🙄 *executive meltdowns come in many flavors https://twitter.com/...

• @caseynewton Casey Newton on x

  Hearing that Coinbase is now deleting internal Slack messages about The Post. DM me if your Slacks were deleted or you've got anything to say about it 🗣

• @coindesk @coindesk on x

  OPINION: Taking a public stance isn't easy. @Coinbase CEO @brian_armstrong's decision to eschew broad corporate activism isn't just a move to turn back the clock on “wokeness,” writes @petepachal. https://www.coindesk.com/...

• @esaagar Saagar Enjeti on x

  Major props to Coinbase CEO @brian_armstrong. One of the few SV CEO's with courage in these times who declares his company will not engage in any issue discourse unless it is directly related to his business https://blog.coinbase.com/... https://twitter.com/...

• @kieranmch Kieran McHugh on x

  Companies are inherently political entities that have a duty to not only minimise their own negative externalities, but to use their power to make society more equal and fair. Brian's abdication of responsibility is an embarrassment to the whole technology industry. https://twitt…

• @nandoodles Nandini Jammi on x

  NEW: @Coinbase announces new commitment to a white supremacist workplace. https://twitter.com/...

• @bramanathan Reuben Bramanathan on x

  @brian_armstrong Brian, I was disappointed to read this Even with a narrow scope of the mission, why can't Coinbase acknowledge the injustice and inequality that affects many current and future Coinbase users? Coinbase can't solve all these problems, but also shouldn't ignore tha…

• @arrington Michael Arrington on x

  Coinbase appears to be taking the unpopular position of allowing (even encouraging) diversity of thought in the workplace. Good for them. https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...

• @wongmjane Jane Manchun Wong on x

  It's ironic because this blog in itself is also politics https://twitter.com/...

• @rachelsklar @rachelsklar on x

  Genuinely saddened that this is PG's choice in this moment. What a chance to show leadership, wisdom, empathy and vision. Blown. (Also it's really something to look at Facebook and thinking, man, all this could have been averted if they'd just quelled unrest internally. Mmhmm.) h…

• @balajis @balajis on x

  “What's also clear is that Armstrong believes he's far from alone among his C-Suite peers - not just at Coinbase or in the crypto industry, but among executive teams across corporate America... And Armstrong is probably right to think so.” https://www.coindesk.com/...

• @jtlonsdale Joe Lonsdale on x

  More CEOs should do this (vs giving in to squeaky wheels and taking sides in political disagreements). This is what a strong company leader focused on a mission-driven company looks like in 2020. Bravo. https://twitter.com/...

• @vgr Venkatesh Rao on x

  This was inevitable. It's already the de facto direction in most companies. Nobody can seriously run an already high-risk business while also seriously pursuing a big tent political agenda of any sort. And energy wasted on political theater serves neither business nor politics. h…

• @nandoodles Nandini Jammi on x

  I request that you google “Hootsuite ICE” and see what comes up. You don't know shit about the future. https://twitter.com/...

• @yashkaf Putanumonit Jacob on x

  I work for a software company where, like Coinbase, all the employees have the resources to do whatever political activism they wish for from 5-9 because we do none of that from 9-5. It is the sane choice, the democratic choice, and it's the choice that makes a company succeed. h…

• @katekendall Kate Kendall on x

  My take on this: I'd rather a company be honest and authentic in its company culture, mission, and direction than ticking boxes for social causes just because of marketing. So many companies pretend to care and support every cause with the depth of posting about it on Instagram. …

• @mira404 Amira on x

  This is the most mainstream thing I have read from a CEO. History is filled with them. To everyone who feels defeated reading this. There will be a world where you can make profit without sacrificing being on the right side of History. The challenge is worth it 💪🏽 #buildright htt…

• @martinsfp Martin Sfp Bryant on x

  Hmm. In normal times, it's fine for companies not to get involved in political issues. But we're not in normal times and the stakes are much higher than usual. So companies benefit from knowing where they stand and being clear on where that is. https://twitter.com/...

• @sriramk Sriram Krishnan on x

  Super interesting to see Coinbase's stance on clarifying their mission ( see -> https://t.co/...). Since this has been an active discussion in many places, setting up a poll on whether people want to see other companies do this.

• @stubailo Sashko Stubailo on x

  I care about my work because I want to improve people's lives and bring benefit to others. Products exist in context w/ the impact they have on people + communities. You can't put blinders on and ignore the context like this post does, if you care about actually helping people. h…

• @justkelly_ok Kelly Ellis on x

  Wait why are people I know following this person? https://twitter.com/...

• @adamdraper @adamdraper on x

  @brian_armstrong This is thought leadership. We get things done when we are all focused on a unified mission. Brian is Jordan in his prime right now. If anyone is selling shares of Coinbase, I'll buy.

• @allenholub Allen Holub on x

  This is pretty appalling. @brian_armstrong is essentially saying, just sit down, shut up, and make money for me. Things like social justice are a distraction from making money for me, so do that on your own time. Coinbase is a mission focused company by https://blog.coinbase.com/…

• @stevegraham Stevie Graham on x

  Magnetic for people you want. Repellent for those you don't. https://blog.coinbase.com/...

• @mikeisaac Rat King on x

  the inverse of corporate social responsibility https://twitter.com/...

• @jasonpjason Jason B. Prado on x

  here at the dole banana company, we're not interested in politics. we're just interested in growing great bananas.

• @cpen Carolyn Penner on x

  I'm terrified of a world in which brian and coinbase are leading the way. https://twitter.com/...

• @aweary Brandon Dail on x

  We'd Like To Keep Making Money Without Worrying About Social Issues That Don't Affect Us Because We Can Ignore Them https://twitter.com/...

• @gaberivera Gabe Rivera on x

  My favorite thing about this post is their very decision to write and publish it is...taking on activism outside Coinbase's focus! https://twitter.com/...

• @maxkeiser Max Keiser on x

  A 4-word summary: “Get woke. Go broke” This message (from Brian) is popping up more and more in corporate America. What started out in the PR dept. as a way to brand-differentiate supporting political activism has become expensive vanity projects dragging down profits. https://tw…

• @suhail @suhail on x

  The movement from the-woke-startup to centrist-startup begins—fueled by a major shift in hiring distributed, remote teams from all over the world.

• @zamosta Aaron Zamost on x

  @MikeIsaac It's very naive. He says engaging in social activism has “the potential to destroy a lot of value at most companies, both by being a distraction, and by creating internal division.” Newsflash: NOT engaging can also create distraction and division. See: Facebook

• @joshconstine Josh Constine -SignalFire on x

  Eye-opening to see which tech leaders support a politics-free workplace to promote productivity & team unity, and which see engaging in politics as corporate responsibility & key to diverse recruiting https://www.techmeme.com/... https://twitter.com/...

• @pt Parker on x

  @thecla923 @MikeIsaac You don't have to agree, but this is the thesis. Personally I wish we took it seriously because this is hard on employees, and then had a serious conversation about what it even means to be non-political vs dunking on the dude. https://twitter.com/...

• @themoko Jessica Powell on x

  I'd rather work for a place that has values, and screws things up now and then, than one that from the very start decides to have none. https://blog.coinbase.com/...

• @nivi @nivi on x

  Recruiting is marketing and every other CEO just missed the chance to say this first. https://twitter.com/...

• @isosteph Stephanie on x

  @HipCityReg if they really wanted to just focus on crypto and ignore politics they should just say nothing. putting the statement out is an equally bullshit kind of corporate cultural advertising just directed at a diff set of people but disguised as contrarianism

• @pt Parker on x

  @MikeIsaac @thecla923 I'd really like to read a thoughtful 5k word post on the inherently political nature of massive tech corporations, but I'd also like to see it acknowledge that orgs like FB and Google are eating themselves alive and it is impacting their workers negatively.

• @yoda Drew Olanoff on x

  the bottom line is that these types of leaders (who are also somehow pro-work from home?) have lost control of their workforce due to lack of proximity. can't have bro-beers and bug-bashes or in-person all-hands rah-rah with high-fives. so we get garbage like this. https://twitte…

• @caseynewton Casey Newton on x

  My favorite new contrarian Silicon Valley theory is that you can remove politics from your workplace by wishing it in a Medium post https://blog.coinbase.com/...

• @can Can Duruk on x

  This rubs me the wrong way partly because “no politics” is practically endorsing a conservative agenda but if you want to pursue some intellectual purity, why not go all out and say “we want to make money from crypto”. That would be focus. This feels...not genuine. https://twitte…

• @mikeisaac Rat King on x

  @zamosta it does read to me like an inexperienced person's view of pure libertarianism and waht the world should be, which is why i think it is taking off in a number of circles

• @nitashatiku Nitasha Tiku on x

  by all means let's keep politics and broader societal issues out of a mission to *squints* “bring economic freedom to people all over the world”

• @caseynewton Casey Newton on x

  @danprimack Coinbase announced that it stands for nothing beyond profits and if you've got a problem with that you should go work somewhere else

• @sandofsky Ben Sandofsky on x

  If you've ever wanted to embarrass your employees, take notes on this spineless corporate drivel from the CEO of Coinbase. https://blog.coinbase.com/...

• @cathyreisenwitz @cathyreisenwitz on x

  Here's the CEO tweet that Coinbase retweeted: https://twitter.com/...

• @jennschiffer Jenn on x

  “leads the way?” employers campaigning worker silence using the chicago bulls as an example is not new lmaoooo https://twitter.com/...

• @micsolana Mike Solana on x

  @MikeIsaac there's a difference between respectfully talking over politics at lunch, which people already struggle with, and zero opt-out, company-wide political activism with turbo-charged slack chats that cripple productivity and make everyone other than activists miserable

• @dwr Dan Romero on x

  More companies should publicly clarify what is in and out of scope for their respective missions and company values. Allows current and future employees to self-select into missions and cultures that work best for them. https://twitter.com/...

• @prestonjbyrne Preston Byrne on x

  Purging politics from the workplace is a competitive advantage. https://twitter.com/...

• @adii @adii on x

  1/ If most successful companies follow this lead, the future is not a great one. I'm all for the focus and clarity of mission. That attracts like-minded people and efficiently makes progress. But that's not the only (or best) thing we need right now. https://twitter.com/...

• @vkhosla Vinod Khosla on x

  Passion for a vision always helps a company get through the inevitable setbacks, twists and turns while those just trying to make money move easily to the next seemingly attractive money grab. https://twitter.com/...

• @venikunche Veni Kunche on x

  wow this blog post 🤯 If you want a mostly white and male company (which may be what some CEOs want), go for it and follow this company's lead. But if you are looking to be a company that includes underrepresented people in tech, this is not the way. https://blog.coinbase.com/...

• @jonst0kes Jon Stokes on x

  Letting employees debate politics in a remote workplace is incredibly corrosive. There's a straightforward reason for this related to chatroom dynamics. 1/n https://twitter.com/...

• @spakhm Slava Akhmechet on x

  Congratulations to Coinbase for formally implementing what most are discussing in private. In June I felt terrified because everyone was marching to the same tune— not a voice of dissent. Now I'm relieved. A huge number of smart, reasonable people are pushing back on wokism. http…

• @davidsacks David Sacks on x

  This is a startup that takes its mission seriously. Focusing and keeping the team united around why they wanted to join in the first place is how you build a movement and change the world. 💪 leadership @brian_armstrong. https://twitter.com/...

• @beautyon_ Beautyon on x

  Political Correctness, Virtue Signalling, “Csncrl Culture” and anti-Americanism is in full retreat. No one believes in it, and companies were compelled to go along with it as part of the mass hysteria and Cultural Revolution style purges. Now all companies will behave correctly. …

• @cyantist Cyan on x

  This makes me very bullish on Coinbase! It's about damn time a company took a stance like this. https://twitter.com/...

• @fdestin Fred Destin on x

  On company culture and mission from coinbase founder @brian_armstrong . Explicit effort to keep politics and activism out of the workplace - viewing it as a place of respite from all the outrage and the fracturing of the world. https://twitter.com/...

• @jasonwbade Jason Bade on x

  Sorry but...this is not leadership. A distraction? No one is asking us to litigate civil rights cases. There is always room for business leaders to... *lead*. To push forward the cause of civil rights, climate change, and social justice when and how we can is all our duty. https:…