Stephanie Silver

“My conclusion: It was just that Joel, Elliot, Sheryl, and Mark didn’t give a fuck. Joel was a veteran of George W. Bush’s White House. An issue in Syria would be met by a wave of his hand and, “Drop a bomb on it. I don’t care.” A joke, but also who he was. He was the man in charge of those countries for Facebook. And when it came to Myanmar, those people just didn’t matter to him. He couldn’t be bothered. There was no greater principle ever offered. People outside big companies sometimes wonder and speculate about how these sorts of decisions happen. This is how it happened at Facebook. And it wasn’t just Joel. None of the senior leaders—Elliot or Sheryl or Mark—thought about this enough to put in place the kinds of systems we’d need, in Myanmar or other countries. They apparently didn’t care. These were sins of omission. It wasn’t the things they did; it was the things they didn’t do.”
― Sarah Wynn-Williams, Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism

“Power gained through bloodshed will drown its wielder in its own river. Those who play God forget they too are mortal until death knocks, unmerciful and unstoppable, reminding them that no throne can shield a decaying soul.”
― Pierre Lagrenat

“television in virtually every living room. Apparently some quirk in human nature allows even the most unspeakable acts of evil to become banal within minutes, provided only that they occur far enough away to pose no personal threat.”
― Iris Chang, The Rape of Nanking: The Forgotten Holocaust Of World War II

“Maybe fearing that Vaughan won’t understand why Debbie’s correct, Elliot chimes in: Debbie is 100% right here. Vaughan, you need to appreciate that “respecting the rule of law” only goes so far to explain or justify government behavior. To many people who follow human rights issues and international law, the foundation of international law is the rejection of the so-called Nuremberg defense—the claim by Nazi’s that they “were just following orders” and respecting the laws and policies of the Nazi state. Vaughan simply thanks Elliot for “the articulate background.” I can’t tell if he’s being brazen or genuine. There is simply no putting this man off his putt. Either way, I think the point at which you have to explain Nuremberg to the head of the team leading your China entry is probably a red flag.”
― Sarah Wynn-Williams, Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism