this post was submitted on 16 Aug 2023
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I don't think they're beyond redemption. My hope is that Linus can take a step back and let the CEO work on improving the workplace culture. No idea if he's up to the challenge but time will tell
Beyond redemption, no, but refusing to acknowledge any wrongdoing doesn't paint a pretty picture for the future. In the days since I've heard "we couldn't have done any better", "yes we messed up but it wouldn't have made any difference if the numbers were right", "no one could expect us to spend 500 dollars to redo a messed up review"
Not once did I hear a mea culpa or we'll try harder to do better in the future. Not a good look.
Linus:
That didn't happen.
And if it did, it wasn't that bad.
And if it was, that's not a big deal.
And if it is, that's not my fault.
And if it was, I didn't mean it.
And if I did, you deserved it.
After digging into this whole fiasco and it’s various aspects, I’m coming to think that this is a leadership problem, pure and simple, and that the leader that allowed these pretty egregious situations to exist and metastasize is Linus. So sure, good for him for basically bootstrapping a company up to a ~$100M valuation… but that is absolutely not an excuse for, and in no way justifies the internal and external ethical lapses.
The best case here is if the new LMG CEO forces a sharp, top-down culture shift that enables more sustainable working practices, better employee treatment and culture, increased rigor in the data they present, and an explicit public acknowledgement that their previous high-handed interactions with some creators and brands - and ethical conflicts of interest with others - did, in fact, occur, and will be seriously investigated in the interest of not repeating those failures in the future. But given Linus’s continued “woe is me”/borderline gaslighting, I’ll believe change is coming when I actually see it. For now, I’ve unsubscribed.