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Given that Brian Acton apparently "left over a dispute with Facebook regarding monetization of WhatsApp, and voluntarily left $850 million in unvested options o
by lelandbatey 5y ago
Given that Brian Acton apparently "left over a dispute with Facebook regarding monetization of WhatsApp, and voluntarily left $850 million in unvested options on the table by leaving a few months before vesting was completed"[0] and that he went on to found the Signal Foundation one year later with Moxie Marlinspike in 2018, I feel it's not a super clear signal that Acton or Marlinspike are trying to "sell" Signal.
[0] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Acton#WhatsApp https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Acton#WhatsApp
- lovecg 5y agoJust for context, that’s after vesting a few billions already.
- Hasu 5y agoOkay, but still. It seems like a stretch that the guy is secretly evil but voluntarily gave up almost $1 billion to deceptively prove he's not actually a bad guy. You can claim to be a good guy and wait a few months to cash out - leaving money on the table IS a real signal, even if he's already rich.
- avarun 5y agoYou're the only one that has used the word "evil" here.
- anonporridge 5y agoDepends on if he actually left money on the table or if he speculated that there would be more money coming to him if he publicly left FB when he did. Social/public good will is a kind of money itself that can't easily be measured in dollars. That's a big part of the reason extremely wealthy people engage in philanthropy. Good will is a currency that opens some doors that no amount of raw dollars can open.