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Why is it so hard to just accept this and be transparent about motives ? It's fair to say 'we were not aligned with Sam, we tried an ouster, didn't pan out so t

Why is it so hard to just accept this and be transparent about motives ? It's fair to say 'we were not aligned with Sam, we tried an ouster, didn't pan out so the best thing for us to do is to leave and let Sam pursue his path", which the entirely company has vouched for. Instead, you get to see grey area after grey area.

widowlark 2y ago
id imagine that level of honesty could still lead to billions lost in shareholder value - thus the grey area. Market obfuscation is a real thing.
stagger87 2y ago
It's in nobodies best interest to do this especially when there is so much money at play.
- rvnx 2y ago
  A bit ironic for a non-profit
  - mewpmewp2 2y ago
    As I understand they are going to be stop being non-profit soonish now?
  - dragonwriter 2y ago
    Everyone involved works at and has investments in a for-profit firm. The fact that it has a structure that subordinates it to the board of a non-profit would be only tangential to the interests involved even if that was meaningful and not just rhe lingering vestige of the (arguably, deceptive) founding that the combined organization was working on getting rid of.
startupsfail 2y ago
“the entire company has vouched for” is inconsistent with what we see now. Low/mid ranking employees were obviously tweeting in alignment with their management and by request.
jjulius 2y ago
Because, for some weird reason, our culture has collectively decided that, even if most of us are capable of reading between the lines to understand what's really being said or is happening, it's often wrong and bad to be honest and transparent, and we should put the most positive spin possible on it. It's everywhere, especially in professional and political environments.
- FactKnower69 2y ago
  McKinsey MBA brain rot seeping into all levels of culture
  - cedws 2y ago
    That's giving too much credit to McKinsey. I'd argue it's systemic brainrot. Never admit mistakes, never express yourself, never be honest. Just make up as much bullshit as possible on the fly, say whatever you have to pacify people. Even just say bullshit 24/7. Not to dunk on Mira Murati, because this note is pretty cookie cutter, but it exemplifies this perfectly. It says nothing about her motivations for resigning. It bends over backwards to kiss the asses of the people she's leaving behind. It could ultimately be condensed into two words: "I've resigned."
    - Earw0rm 2y ago
      It's a management culture which is almost colonial in nature, and seeks to differentiate itself from a "labor class" which is already highly educated. Never spook the horses. Never show the team, or the public, what's going on behind the curtain.. or even that there is anything going on. At all time present the appearance of a swan gliding serenely across a lake. Because if you show humanity, those other humans might cotton on to the fact that you're not much different to them, and have done little to earn or justify your position of authority. And that wouldn't do at all.
    - NoGravitas 2y ago
      > Just make up as much bullshit as possible on the fly, say whatever you have to pacify people. Probably why AI sludge is so well suited to this particular cultural moment.
deleted 2y ago
[deleted]
mewpmewp2 2y ago
Because if you are a high level executive and you are transparent on those things, and if it backfires, it will backfire hard for your future opportunities, since all the companies will view you as a potential liability. So it is always safer and wiser option to not say anything in case of any risk of it backfiring. So you do the polite PR messaging every single time. There's nothing to be gained on the individual level of being transparent, only to be risked.
- deepGem 2y ago
  I doubt someone with Mira or Ilya’s calibre have to worry about future opportunities. They can very well craft their own opportunities. Saying I was wrong should not be this complicated, or saying we failed. I do however agree that there is nothing to be gained and everything to be risked. So why do it.
  - dh2022 2y ago
    Their (Ilya and Mira) perspective on anything is so far remote from your (and my) perspectives that trying to understand their personal feelings behind their resignation is an enterprise doomed to failure.
ssnistfajen 2y ago
People, including East Asians, frequently claim "face" is an East Asian cultural concept despite the fact that it is omnipresent in all cultures. It doesn't matter if outsiders have figured out what's actually going on. The only thing that matters is saving face.
blitzar 2y ago
We lie about our successes why would we not lie about our failures?
sumedh 2y ago
> Why is it so hard to just accept this and be transparent about motives You are asking the question, why are politicians not honest?

widowlark 2y ago

id imagine that level of honesty could still lead to billions lost in shareholder value - thus the grey area. Market obfuscation is a real thing.

stagger87 2y ago

It's in nobodies best interest to do this especially when there is so much money at play.

rvnx 2y ago
A bit ironic for a non-profit
- mewpmewp2 2y ago
  As I understand they are going to be stop being non-profit soonish now?
- dragonwriter 2y ago
  Everyone involved works at and has investments in a for-profit firm. The fact that it has a structure that subordinates it to the board of a non-profit would be only tangential to the interests involved even if that was meaningful and not just rhe lingering vestige of the (arguably, deceptive) founding that the combined organization was working on getting rid of.

startupsfail 2y ago

“the entire company has vouched for” is inconsistent with what we see now. Low/mid ranking employees were obviously tweeting in alignment with their management and by request.

jjulius 2y ago

Because, for some weird reason, our culture has collectively decided that, even if most of us are capable of reading between the lines to understand what's really being said or is happening, it's often wrong and bad to be honest and transparent, and we should put the most positive spin possible on it. It's everywhere, especially in professional and political environments.

FactKnower69 2y ago
McKinsey MBA brain rot seeping into all levels of culture
- cedws 2y ago
  That's giving too much credit to McKinsey. I'd argue it's systemic brainrot. Never admit mistakes, never express yourself, never be honest. Just make up as much bullshit as possible on the fly, say whatever you have to pacify people. Even just say bullshit 24/7. Not to dunk on Mira Murati, because this note is pretty cookie cutter, but it exemplifies this perfectly. It says nothing about her motivations for resigning. It bends over backwards to kiss the asses of the people she's leaving behind. It could ultimately be condensed into two words: "I've resigned."
  - Earw0rm 2y ago
    It's a management culture which is almost colonial in nature, and seeks to differentiate itself from a "labor class" which is already highly educated. Never spook the horses. Never show the team, or the public, what's going on behind the curtain.. or even that there is anything going on. At all time present the appearance of a swan gliding serenely across a lake. Because if you show humanity, those other humans might cotton on to the fact that you're not much different to them, and have done little to earn or justify your position of authority. And that wouldn't do at all.
  - NoGravitas 2y ago
    > Just make up as much bullshit as possible on the fly, say whatever you have to pacify people. Probably why AI sludge is so well suited to this particular cultural moment.

deleted 2y ago

[deleted]

mewpmewp2 2y ago

Because if you are a high level executive and you are transparent on those things, and if it backfires, it will backfire hard for your future opportunities, since all the companies will view you as a potential liability. So it is always safer and wiser option to not say anything in case of any risk of it backfiring. So you do the polite PR messaging every single time. There's nothing to be gained on the individual level of being transparent, only to be risked.

deepGem 2y ago
I doubt someone with Mira or Ilya’s calibre have to worry about future opportunities. They can very well craft their own opportunities. Saying I was wrong should not be this complicated, or saying we failed. I do however agree that there is nothing to be gained and everything to be risked. So why do it.
- dh2022 2y ago
  Their (Ilya and Mira) perspective on anything is so far remote from your (and my) perspectives that trying to understand their personal feelings behind their resignation is an enterprise doomed to failure.

ssnistfajen 2y ago

People, including East Asians, frequently claim "face" is an East Asian cultural concept despite the fact that it is omnipresent in all cultures. It doesn't matter if outsiders have figured out what's actually going on. The only thing that matters is saving face.

blitzar 2y ago

We lie about our successes why would we not lie about our failures?

sumedh 2y ago

> Why is it so hard to just accept this and be transparent about motives You are asking the question, why are politicians not honest?