The tech industry has largely rushed to defend its business relationships with Peter Thiel by citing its commitment to “diversity”. This simplistic defense both conceals and exacerbates the very problems that the diversity rationale purports to solve.
Though it’s easy to understand the current protests at Yale as a debate over free speech, this simplification belies a more complex discussion that standard free speech positions fail to address.
Many have recently condemned the unrest in Baltimore as “counterproductive.” At best, this standard narrative inadvertently diverts attention from the crux of the situation, and at worst it deliberately undermines any effort to seek redress and reform.
Stephen Kim’s story has no redeeming qualities.
Organizational culture, properly constructed, isn’t merely aspirational: it must recognize and restrain unproductive inclinations.
I'm currently working on some digital health ideas. I was previously a product manager at LinkedIn, where I built products that helped companies hire, and have also worked in tech policy and conducted research in molecular biology. I like running, hiking, and the St. Louis Cardinals.
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