4 ms·

I think your writing style is totally fine. If something feels icky and sounds like a fraud, it's fine to call it out, and use whatever words you want to do so.

clnq 3y ago
I don’t want my criticism to be misinterpreted. The issue with the article is that it is lacking in factual substance compared to strong condemning language and speculation. This makes it seem less credible. The choice of language in an isolated sense is fine. Unique writing styles can be more interesting to read, overall.
fsckboy 3y ago
> sounds like a fraud it doesn't sound like a fraud, unless you or OP have expertise or information that you're not sharing? Fraud is a crime, you should have a basis for declaring it. it might be a poor investment, it could be seen as signs of a shaky company, but accusing a people of fraud should have a basis. disclaimer: i have no relationship to this company whatsoever, including I'm not a customer. i just don't like seeing facially ill-informed piling on
- newaccount74 3y ago
  > you should have a basis for declaring it This is not a court where we need to prove anything, it's just a discussion about a blog post. It's perfectly fine to say something sounds like a fraud based on limited knowledge. We shouldn't trust companies by default, just because they promise things that we want. If a company makes an investment offer that sounds a bit questionable, it's fine to say it sounds like fraud, even if we don't have any concrete evidence for it. It's on the company to provide information that makes them trustworthy. If their marketing materials are contradictive, or elude important info, that's more than enough to call them out for it. Did you read the Brydge story [1]? They started selling preorders for some product as recently as January, when they already ran out of cash. Judging from the "investor email", it sounds like Purism is doing the same thing, except they aren't selling preorders anymore, but just asking for cash instead. [1]: https://9to5mac.com/2023/05/04/brydge-keyboards-out-of-business-update/ https://9to5mac.com/2023/05/04/brydge-keyboards-out-of-busin...
  - clnq 3y ago
    By that definition of fraud (asking investors for cash repeatedly to not run out before turning a profit), many unicorn-status companies are fraud. It takes a long time to become profitable and I don’t see a problem if it’s not said that the company is.
    - gjsman-1000 3y ago
      Original writer here again. There is a difference here though, which is that those companies openly tell investors, "we're not profitable," and even have projections in their documentation for when they will be profitable assuming current growth continues. For example, Disney+ warns investors that it is not a profitable business but is trying to get to the point of profitability by the end of 2024. They also have regular public financial statements clearly outlining exactly how much revenue they received, expenses they paid for, and profits received if any. Now, sometimes these projections are... very optimistic like Spotify; but they are still there and check many legal boxes. Unprofitability is not a concern if it is disclosed. Basically anything is OK if there is clear and full disclosure. Purism does not have a disclosure anywhere saying whether this is, or is not, true. You are just left to assume that the company is solid, happy, and solvent without much substance that I could find (not even the most basic Profit/Loss statement), unless I missed some obvious documentation.
      - clnq 3y ago
        Hmm, that assumption or expectation can be very disappointing. Perhaps that is a part of why you feel so negatively about Librem? I would assume that most companies of that size have some sort of financial concerns, challenges or problems in the near to mid future. Do they publish financial statements to their investors or prospective investors? Perhaps it would be useful to ask for those and see for yourself. If they mislead investors through not providing statements or playing games with the numbers, then you have evidence (!) — something that would strengthen your article a lot.
        deleted 3y ago
        [deleted]
- NotYourLawyer 3y ago
  How about “unregistered securities offering”?

clnq 3y ago

I don’t want my criticism to be misinterpreted. The issue with the article is that it is lacking in factual substance compared to strong condemning language and speculation. This makes it seem less credible. The choice of language in an isolated sense is fine. Unique writing styles can be more interesting to read, overall.

fsckboy 3y ago

> sounds like a fraud it doesn't sound like a fraud, unless you or OP have expertise or information that you're not sharing? Fraud is a crime, you should have a basis for declaring it. it might be a poor investment, it could be seen as signs of a shaky company, but accusing a people of fraud should have a basis. disclaimer: i have no relationship to this company whatsoever, including I'm not a customer. i just don't like seeing facially ill-informed piling on

newaccount74 3y ago
> you should have a basis for declaring it This is not a court where we need to prove anything, it's just a discussion about a blog post. It's perfectly fine to say something sounds like a fraud based on limited knowledge. We shouldn't trust companies by default, just because they promise things that we want. If a company makes an investment offer that sounds a bit questionable, it's fine to say it sounds like fraud, even if we don't have any concrete evidence for it. It's on the company to provide information that makes them trustworthy. If their marketing materials are contradictive, or elude important info, that's more than enough to call them out for it. Did you read the Brydge story [1]? They started selling preorders for some product as recently as January, when they already ran out of cash. Judging from the "investor email", it sounds like Purism is doing the same thing, except they aren't selling preorders anymore, but just asking for cash instead. [1]: https://9to5mac.com/2023/05/04/brydge-keyboards-out-of-business-update/ https://9to5mac.com/2023/05/04/brydge-keyboards-out-of-busin...
- clnq 3y ago
  By that definition of fraud (asking investors for cash repeatedly to not run out before turning a profit), many unicorn-status companies are fraud. It takes a long time to become profitable and I don’t see a problem if it’s not said that the company is.
  - gjsman-1000 3y ago
    Original writer here again. There is a difference here though, which is that those companies openly tell investors, "we're not profitable," and even have projections in their documentation for when they will be profitable assuming current growth continues. For example, Disney+ warns investors that it is not a profitable business but is trying to get to the point of profitability by the end of 2024. They also have regular public financial statements clearly outlining exactly how much revenue they received, expenses they paid for, and profits received if any. Now, sometimes these projections are... very optimistic like Spotify; but they are still there and check many legal boxes. Unprofitability is not a concern if it is disclosed. Basically anything is OK if there is clear and full disclosure. Purism does not have a disclosure anywhere saying whether this is, or is not, true. You are just left to assume that the company is solid, happy, and solvent without much substance that I could find (not even the most basic Profit/Loss statement), unless I missed some obvious documentation.
    - clnq 3y ago
      Hmm, that assumption or expectation can be very disappointing. Perhaps that is a part of why you feel so negatively about Librem? I would assume that most companies of that size have some sort of financial concerns, challenges or problems in the near to mid future. Do they publish financial statements to their investors or prospective investors? Perhaps it would be useful to ask for those and see for yourself. If they mislead investors through not providing statements or playing games with the numbers, then you have evidence (!) — something that would strengthen your article a lot.
      - deleted 3y ago
        [deleted]
NotYourLawyer 3y ago
How about “unregistered securities offering”?