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> I come away from this thinking that Omidyar doesn’t have any particular expertise or insight about running a journalism startup. > He seems like a dilletante
by esfandia 12y ago
> I come away from this thinking that Omidyar doesn’t have any particular expertise or insight about running a journalism startup.
> He seems like a dilletante, trying to improve the world perhaps, but mostly trying to live an interesting life. Which is fine but not a recipe for success.
That's for sure the impression that the article wants us to have. I certainly don't know Omidyar, but I want to read a more neutral article (or at least other viewpoints, including Omidyar's himself) about him to form a clearer opinion.
- throwaway20148 12y agoThat the top level editorial staff almost went into revolt over what they perceived to be "the lack of clear budgets and repeated and arbitrary restrictions on hiring" is pretty damning. That said, this article reads like a somewhat routine profile that messily switches course mid-stream in reaction to events on the ground. I'm interested in hearing more about this: > There was an East Coast–West Coast feud, a divide between the journalists and the technologists. Omidyar’s loyalists out in California and Hawaii grumbled as Greenwald traveled the world, promoting a book, picking up awards, and speaking out of turn. The NYT Innovation report makes the case that editorial and technology/design working closely is important not just for the primary products of the business, but for fostering trust and opening up communication between the business department and the newsroom. Seems like that'd be difficult if the company is physically separated by the whole United States (and half the Pacific in some cases). http://www.niemanlab.org/2014/05/the-leaked-new-york-times-innovation-report-is-one-of-the-key-documents-of-this-media-age/ http://www.niemanlab.org/2014/05/the-leaked-new-york-times-i...