Connie’s Reviews > Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism > Status Update

“Unhappy workplaces are conspiracies of silence. But once you get outside the sycophantic leadership bubble, this place is rolling with discontent.”

“When you have so many people doing things for you professionally and personally, you stop taking responsibility for any of it. Max Weber said that dealing with unintended consequences of your actions is what political responsibility is.”

"Instead of helping figure out how to do everything possible to get [Facebook vice president in Brazil, Diego Dzodan] out of jail, Mark wants to turn this into a teachable moment for users and governments around the world [about protecting our community, our culture and our technology]."

"There's no fear in the room. No uncomfortable power dynamics. No tension. Probably because the structure of the company gives Mark complete and utter control, dual class shares, and a voting majority, making him basically untouchable. Mark and Sheryl speak to the board the same way they speak to me. They're the ones in charge here."

"More and more politicians are explicitly requesting that Facebook put its thumb on the scale. The causes range from reelection to indigenous broadcasting content, but the expectation is clear. Some are less delicate than others and accompany the quest with a threat to regulate if the request is refused. All the requests speak to the changing power dynamic."

"Sheryl emails the leadership team from Davos breathlessly highlighting how terrorism is working to Facebook's advantage: "Terrorism means the conversation on privacy is 'basically dead' as policymakers are more concerned about intelligence/security." In other words, this is a moment when governments are more interested in surveillance than people's privacy. Which is good for Facebook's business."