Following on from a great post by @hunterwalk that discussed a slightly flippant argument I made about stock options, I decided to go into more detail about how I feel about them. I still maintain: the great majority of startup employees should think very, very carefully before exercising their options. https://werd.io/2024/think-twice-before-exercising-your-stock-options
I'm really excited about these updates to ShareOpenly, my tool that lets you add a "share to social media" button to your website that understands the fediverse, Bluesky, and more: https://werd.io/2024/some-shareopenly-updates
Something it’s taken me years to really understand:
A lot of the people with power in tech - investors and founders alike - already come from money. Both their networks and cultural norms are at least partially pre-formed.
You can sometimes shortcut this by making lots of money, eg by being early at a Google - but even then, hiring is largely network-based. It’s about who you know. And if you’re not from those circles or that world, you likely don’t know anyone.
Some work news. The most important thing is the impact of these pieces (and all our pieces) - hopefully the result is, in turn, a Supreme Court that better fulfills its role in our democracy, and both schools and a police force that better protect children. That's the kind of thing that makes it a real privilege to work here and support these journalists. https://www.propublica.org/article/pulitzer-prize-announcement-propublica-supreme-court
I think it's unfortunate because while Substack is making their network a closed one, Ghost and Buttondown are going to enable Fediverse Threads, Mastodon, and numerous other platforms to subscribe directly to their newsletter.
Substack is fine for short-term wins but will stunt growth long-term.
The internet is a global network with the potential to grow empathy and reduce our ability to dehumanize each other. That's why I love it: because I've seen what happens when we build a world where everyone is out for themselves. https://werd.io/2024/where-im-coming-from