His original post , titled I can’t sleep, is some brilliant writing. When we talk about the chilling effect that criticism of Israel creates in industries everywhere (including ours) this is what that looks like.
I don’t know what to do, but I know these are not my people. Who can work with people whitewashing genocide. Are we supposed to pretend it’s business as usual as we send our friends’ intros, frolic at conferences, discuss monetization strategy.
To Ed Sim, Erica Brescia, Michael Dearing, and especially Matt Ocko, we’re done [47]. I’ll never pitch you again, never ask for help, never send intros or recommend you. I’m done with Boldstart, and DCVC, and Harrison Metal, and Redpoint. (I’m also done with Bessemer [48] and Sequoia [49] and First Round [50].)
Damn, the balls on this guy. Very inspiring
When you read about the Holocaust and the Nazis, you like to imagine you’d be the good guy. You’d fight the Nazis, you’d free the concentration camps. But apparently I wouldn’t. Apparently I would have just sat there paralyzed, incapable of doing anything about the genocide I see every day. Unable to think of any way to help. All I can do is retweet and protest and write a stupid blog post. I feel so stupid…
I wasn’t ready to see that my friends are Brownshirts [34]. That they actively cheer on the genocide…I wasn’t ready for my friends being [concentration] camp guards, party officials, propagandists.
Fuck, such an accurate picture
I wasn’t ready to see that my friends are Brownshirts [34]. That they actively cheer on the genocide…I wasn’t ready for my friends being [concentration] camp guards, party officials, propagandists.
Yeah that’d do it
Actions have consequences, and that’s ok.
That is, sincerely, such a hugely refreshing statement in any current affair. I don’t mean to distract from his more specific points, but that key insight really shows integrity in a way that I wish didn’t seem so rare.
What is the insight from your perspective?
Most people who find themselves fired for their viewpoints decry “cancel culture”. To be clear, booting him of the board was an act of censorship. This acceptance of (the existence of) consequences helps to indicate how strongly one holds to their values.
He addresses related notions in his essay. Why he chose to accept the consequences in advance and why some others may not be able to. It makes it real.
