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It's abhorrent that VCs and board members do not push their companies to at minimum involve behavioral specialists in their decision-making. Yes, I understand t

It's abhorrent that VCs and board members do not push their companies to at minimum involve behavioral specialists in their decision-making. Yes, I understand they are driven by profits, but they are humans too, many self-proclaimed to be "mission-driven" and wanting to "move humanity forward," yet they pour billions of dollars into literally engineering addiction under the guise of "retention" and "engagement" by "growth PMs," with no one in the process concerned for the effects of these products on users' mental health. They lower the threshold for addiction then quickly abdicate all responsibility by blaming users for not exhibiting adequate self-control and discipline. It is Evil and that is not an exaggeration.

themagician 3y ago
That mission has always been bull!@#$ though. Always. A big part of startup culture has always been doing something exploitative, but finding a way to sell it to the workforce as "changing the world". That's how you make unicorns. If Uber or Facebook told employees what they'd actual be doing and what the actual goal was no one would want to work for them. If you can make people feel good about what they are doing, they will do whatever you want no matter how abhorrent it is.
SV_BubbleTime 3y ago
>It's abhorrent that VCs and board members do not push their companies to at minimum involve behavioral specialists in their decision-making. Hang on. You have to know this is absolutely being done, if not demanded by VCs. There is absolutely a ton of work done on behavioral and decision making practices. It’s just being done to the opposite goal you want. I’m this case, you can’t ask the peddler to peddle. It’s what they do. You restrict yourself and your kids. The issue I think it’s we aren’t yet ready to understand that it is “doing drugs”, the difference is we aren’t buying it off the street corner, the dealer in in our brains.

themagician 3y ago

That mission has always been bull!@#$ though. Always. A big part of startup culture has always been doing something exploitative, but finding a way to sell it to the workforce as "changing the world". That's how you make unicorns. If Uber or Facebook told employees what they'd actual be doing and what the actual goal was no one would want to work for them. If you can make people feel good about what they are doing, they will do whatever you want no matter how abhorrent it is.

SV_BubbleTime 3y ago

>It's abhorrent that VCs and board members do not push their companies to at minimum involve behavioral specialists in their decision-making. Hang on. You have to know this is absolutely being done, if not demanded by VCs. There is absolutely a ton of work done on behavioral and decision making practices. It’s just being done to the opposite goal you want. I’m this case, you can’t ask the peddler to peddle. It’s what they do. You restrict yourself and your kids. The issue I think it’s we aren’t yet ready to understand that it is “doing drugs”, the difference is we aren’t buying it off the street corner, the dealer in in our brains.