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Wait a minute. What just a damn minute, here. Are you telling me that a company that cheerfully built itself on shady shit like un-removable browser toolbars
by danilocampos 15y ago
Wait a minute.
What just a damn minute, here.
Are you telling me that a company that cheerfully built itself on shady shit like un-removable browser toolbars might continue screwing anyone it wants in the furtherance of its leaders' avarice?
I am shocked.
Look, it's endearing when people have scrappy stories about their origins. We all act out of desperate vigor when we're up against the wall and far from our goals. But there's a difference between being scrappy and being a swindler. Scrappiness transmutes into strength and informs your company's values. Swindling, on the other hand, is almost always forever, and informs values in a much more negative way.
A swindler will knife you at the first lucrative opportunity. Avoid them. Do not work with them or for them. They are Aesop's scorpion. Deal with honest men and women instead. Perhaps their purses are marginally smaller – but that's because they won't go rummaging through yours when your back is turned.
- raganwald 15y ago> I am shocked. Don’t you mean “Shocked, shocked to find shady business going on in here?” Your winnings, sir.
- danilocampos 15y agoIt's surely a testament to the quality of Casablanca's writing that its resulting cliches are still so satisfying after all this time.
- sliverstorm 15y agoI'm sure the actors had a hand in making them resonate.
- tomkarlo 15y agoA few years back I showed that movie to someone who hadn't seen it before. They were utterly floored at how many catchphrases they already knew came out of that one screenplay.
- rhizome 15y agoYou may be interested to learn that the Epstein brothers' names were given to Joseph McCarthy's HUAC by Warner Brothers themselves.
- Androsynth 15y agoIs it ever that simple? How can you know a person's moral character just through a job interview? What about if you were Zynga employee #50 and Pincus didn't even interview you, but the company wasn't big enough for TC to post about it's shadiness? What if an honest man gets tempted by 9 figures in a once in a lifetime situation?
- danilocampos 15y agoIt may be more simple than you guess! If dishonesty has infused a company's DNA, that's often something you can feel. Values cluster people together, so a founder with... shall we say, ethical flexibilities, will often surround him or herself with others of similar persuasions. So I'd say it trickles down. You get a vibe. I've met people who I'd never want to work with only because of the spidey sense tingling, you know? Nothing I could put my finger on. But unsettling enough to be a deal breaker. You gotta trust these things. I'm not saying it's easy, or even fair. Plenty of these guys are honest folk getting screwed, I'm sure. But you must be vigilant to work with those who share your values. On the other hand, anyone who joined Zynga after their dishonesty was laid bare should not be surprised at the outcome. Again, still not right or fair. But there was the warning.
- forensic 15y agoIt reminds me of a cult. "They seemed like such nice people!"
- Tichy 15y agoJust playing some of Zyngas games might provide a hint.
- barefoot 15y agoThis was really well written, thanks.