4 ms·

Paul Biggar removed from CircleCI board

71 points by flurly 3y ago

Aliabid94 3y ago
For those missing context, Paul Biggar released a blog (https://blog.paulbiggar.com/i-cant-sleep/ https://blog.paulbiggar.com/i-cant-sleep/) decrying what he saw as a massacre of Palestinians conducted by Israel, and supported by what he considered the overwhelmingly pro-zionist tech VC industry. He called out some of his own investors by name. Paul Graham has tweeted similarly, and also called out collusion in the tech/VC industry to silence Palestinian voices.
- Qem 3y ago
  There was some discussion here on his original blog post, but it was flagged: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38645523 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38645523
Qem 3y ago
Another person punished for expressing solidarity for Palestinians. See https://blog.paulbiggar.com/i-cant-sleep/ https://blog.paulbiggar.com/i-cant-sleep/
- unimpeccable 3y ago
  And that from an industry that was super high on social justice not too long ago... to the point of changing "master" branch names to "main" because of racist connotations. Yet, genocide is perfectly fine.
p-e-w 3y ago
Never fails to amaze me how someone who grew up in the society that has emerged over the past 15 years or so can believe that they can just make controversial political statements without having their life ripped apart by an army of moral imperialists. The illusion of freedom is strong, I guess.
- aqme28 3y ago
  I dont think you are accurately describing his views about his political statement. “Actions have consequences, and that’s ok” - Paul tweeted this a few hours ago.
  - p-e-w 3y ago
    Reading that tweet makes me cringe. "It's ok to lose your job if you post a personal opinion in your personal time on your personal blog." That sounds like something a Soviet dissident might say into the cameras, while some state-employed thug is holding a gun to their spouse's head just out of view.
    - aqme28 3y ago
      I see it as someone making a statement that he knows will get him in trouble, but he feels like it's a moral imperative. I really don't see how you read it another way.
      - zogrodea 3y ago
        I think so too. His courage reminds of Luther's, standing for his pro-human principles whatever the consequences. "I cannot recant and I will not recant anything, for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe. Here I stand, I cannot do otherwise."
smashah 3y ago
Unabated affirmative action for zionists has been terrible for freedom of speech in the tech industry. You can't even call out a genocide with references and empathy without being fired from the board of a company you founded? Tech's relationship with the genociding apartheid state is a stain on this, usually, forward thinking freedom loving industry.
- inemesitaffia 3y ago
  Affirmative action? The country, not the industry
velvetundergr 3y ago
[flagged]
velvetundergr 3y ago
[flagged]
deleted 3y ago
[deleted]
__blockcipher__ 3y ago
I suppose I shouldn't be surprised, but was he really fired just for writing that blog post? (https://blog.paulbiggar.com/i-cant-sleep/ https://blog.paulbiggar.com/i-cant-sleep/) That seems pretty crazy, although I suppose to play devil's advocate the ongoing, erm, 'conflict', was clearly interfering with his ability to output work ("I can't work. I code for 5 minutes before their bodies come back")
- asalahli 3y ago
  Companies don't usually announce performance related firings publicly on Linkedin.
Shinno 3y ago
[flagged]
sheff_ne 3y ago
Sorry to break the echo chamber here, but I have to. Israel is native people returning to their land, which was stolen from them by various imperial entities by force (most recently by the islamic colonial empire of Abu Bakr). Now the jews return home, thousands of years of pogroms for made up reasons in Christian and Muslim lands, and all they ask for is a small piece of land. The world then gives it to them (the only country ever to be created with approval the united nations, all other nations never asked for any approval to get created). The local arabs (descendants of the colonial warriors of Abu Bakr) are also given a small piece of land of their own (as apposed to larger Islamic colonial empire of Ottomans that ruled them before) by the same body, but reject it and start many many wars against the jews. Every chance at peace they squander and reject. Instead of rejoicing in having some land of their own, the local arabs create a bunch of terror organizations that make money from Iran and Qatar for launching rockets at the Jews. They then attack Jews many times, often and most recently on holidays, specifically the holiest day for the Jews (the yom kippur war) and the happiest day for the Jews Simchat Torah on October 7th. Now Simchat Torah is when the torah was revealed to the jewish people, and through them to the world. The same Torah that the Prophet Mohammad would stand up in respect for according to Islam's own sources. Torah that Jesus practiced and taught. In fact, the Quran says itself that Torah was revealed in Surah 5:44. Now we get here to America, where angry mobs roll out on the streets chanting for killing Jews, the kind of ethnic hatred that galvanized people to stand to stop asian hate, and stop black hate. But not for Paul, Paul wants to stand with the radicals, with religious fanatics who are hell bent on genocide in Israel and Jewish pogroms in America. The world has had enough of Jew haters, enough of people advocating for pogroms on Jews, enough of blind hatred. I for one am happy to see him go.

71 points by flurly 3y ago

For those missing context, Paul Biggar released a blog (https://blog.paulbiggar.com/i-cant-sleep/ https://blog.paulbiggar.com/i-cant-sleep/) decrying what he saw as a massacre of Palestinians conducted by Israel, and supported by what he considered the overwhelmingly pro-zionist tech VC industry. He called out some of his own investors by name. Paul Graham has tweeted similarly, and also called out collusion in the tech/VC industry to silence Palestinian voices.

Qem 3y ago
There was some discussion here on his original blog post, but it was flagged: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38645523 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38645523

Qem 3y ago

Another person punished for expressing solidarity for Palestinians. See https://blog.paulbiggar.com/i-cant-sleep/ https://blog.paulbiggar.com/i-cant-sleep/

unimpeccable 3y ago
And that from an industry that was super high on social justice not too long ago... to the point of changing "master" branch names to "main" because of racist connotations. Yet, genocide is perfectly fine.

p-e-w 3y ago

Never fails to amaze me how someone who grew up in the society that has emerged over the past 15 years or so can believe that they can just make controversial political statements without having their life ripped apart by an army of moral imperialists. The illusion of freedom is strong, I guess.

aqme28 3y ago
I dont think you are accurately describing his views about his political statement. “Actions have consequences, and that’s ok” - Paul tweeted this a few hours ago.
- p-e-w 3y ago
  Reading that tweet makes me cringe. "It's ok to lose your job if you post a personal opinion in your personal time on your personal blog." That sounds like something a Soviet dissident might say into the cameras, while some state-employed thug is holding a gun to their spouse's head just out of view.
  - aqme28 3y ago
    I see it as someone making a statement that he knows will get him in trouble, but he feels like it's a moral imperative. I really don't see how you read it another way.
    - zogrodea 3y ago
      I think so too. His courage reminds of Luther's, standing for his pro-human principles whatever the consequences. "I cannot recant and I will not recant anything, for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe. Here I stand, I cannot do otherwise."

smashah 3y ago

Unabated affirmative action for zionists has been terrible for freedom of speech in the tech industry. You can't even call out a genocide with references and empathy without being fired from the board of a company you founded? Tech's relationship with the genociding apartheid state is a stain on this, usually, forward thinking freedom loving industry.

inemesitaffia 3y ago
Affirmative action? The country, not the industry

velvetundergr 3y ago

[flagged]

velvetundergr 3y ago

[flagged]

deleted 3y ago

[deleted]

__blockcipher__ 3y ago

I suppose I shouldn't be surprised, but was he really fired just for writing that blog post? (https://blog.paulbiggar.com/i-cant-sleep/ https://blog.paulbiggar.com/i-cant-sleep/) That seems pretty crazy, although I suppose to play devil's advocate the ongoing, erm, 'conflict', was clearly interfering with his ability to output work ("I can't work. I code for 5 minutes before their bodies come back")

asalahli 3y ago
Companies don't usually announce performance related firings publicly on Linkedin.

Shinno 3y ago

[flagged]

sheff_ne 3y ago

Sorry to break the echo chamber here, but I have to. Israel is native people returning to their land, which was stolen from them by various imperial entities by force (most recently by the islamic colonial empire of Abu Bakr). Now the jews return home, thousands of years of pogroms for made up reasons in Christian and Muslim lands, and all they ask for is a small piece of land. The world then gives it to them (the only country ever to be created with approval the united nations, all other nations never asked for any approval to get created). The local arabs (descendants of the colonial warriors of Abu Bakr) are also given a small piece of land of their own (as apposed to larger Islamic colonial empire of Ottomans that ruled them before) by the same body, but reject it and start many many wars against the jews. Every chance at peace they squander and reject. Instead of rejoicing in having some land of their own, the local arabs create a bunch of terror organizations that make money from Iran and Qatar for launching rockets at the Jews. They then attack Jews many times, often and most recently on holidays, specifically the holiest day for the Jews (the yom kippur war) and the happiest day for the Jews Simchat Torah on October 7th. Now Simchat Torah is when the torah was revealed to the jewish people, and through them to the world. The same Torah that the Prophet Mohammad would stand up in respect for according to Islam's own sources. Torah that Jesus practiced and taught. In fact, the Quran says itself that Torah was revealed in Surah 5:44. Now we get here to America, where angry mobs roll out on the streets chanting for killing Jews, the kind of ethnic hatred that galvanized people to stand to stop asian hate, and stop black hate. But not for Paul, Paul wants to stand with the radicals, with religious fanatics who are hell bent on genocide in Israel and Jewish pogroms in America. The world has had enough of Jew haters, enough of people advocating for pogroms on Jews, enough of blind hatred. I for one am happy to see him go.