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Board of directors are like courtiers of old in a monarch's court. They are there for the proximity to power. They scheme, connive, and work to improve their o
by heymijo 6y ago
Board of directors are like courtiers of old in a monarch's court.
They are there for the proximity to power. They scheme, connive, and work to improve their own position.
In the court of Zuckerberg, the courtiers exist at his behest, and his only. The directors who forget this are banished.
In other courts, the courtiers have more power because they can remove the CEO.
But even in courts where all of the power isn't concentrated in the CEO, heads can roll, and sycophants can be installed. Steve Jobs' return to Apple comes to mind.
- loceng 6y agoIt's too bad Zuckerberg didn't host a very public annual roast like having jesters of the court calling him out on issues over the years.
- Lammy 6y agoThey had that but actively shut it down to silence employees with "unacceptable" political opinions: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/facebook-shut-down-anonymous-group-211638238.html https://finance.yahoo.com/news/facebook-shut-down-anonymous-...
- loceng 6y agoNot exactly the same though similar - I think part of the reveal would be seeing Mark's reaction to what would be said in real-time, and then later if he addresses any of it.
- news_hacker 6y agoZuckerberg also has connections via Sheryl and her extensive repertoire. I doubt it's just him running the ship, he's mostly there for the hacker-kid personality cult.
- koheripbal 6y agoI mean... this is an extremely negative connotation. What is it based on. More generally, you could say that board members are just representatives of blocks of shareholders (sometimes representing themselves). ...and that all of them are in the same financial boat, and so work towards a common goal. We can use all the same facts to paint a much more collaborative and friendly picture. Which is more correct? Well, I suppose we'd need some facts, right? It's emotionally easier to imagine a sinister group if you're not part of that club, right?
- claudiawerner 6y ago> I mean... this is an extremely negative connotation. What is it based on. It is a negative connotation, but that could be because it is negative[0]. [0] https://ndpr.nd.edu/news/private-government-how-employers-rule-our-lives-and-why-we-dont-talk-about-it/ https://ndpr.nd.edu/news/private-government-how-employers-ru...
- koheripbal 6y agoThis philosophy article doesn't even mention the board in question. You seem to be making the assertion now that ALL boards are evil. wow.