Open access in open office

Indeed, hundreds of Twitter employees militated to de-platform Trump in the wake of the Capitol uprising—against the misgiving of CEO Jack Dorsey. Facebook employees staged a virtual walkout last summer over the company’s handling of Trump posts that they saw as inciting violence. And employee activism at Amazon helped get Parler booted. … [Read more...] about Why Big Tech’s swift reaction to the Capitol riot is a threat to democracy

Ignoring him entirely isn’t an option. He’s a notorious ex-president with a massive, rabid fan base, and he will soon be on trial for impeachment in the Senate, before possibly being involved in several future litigations. Of course, he will merit some amount of coverage. But news directors and editors will have to be judicious about when and how they choose to provide it. For instance, the fact that Trump is speaking in public should never again be deemed appropriate justification of coverage in and of itself. As the riots on January 6 indelibly proved, Trump commands the attention of a violent, cult-like following who believes his every lie. Would these networks give Jim Jones televised speech time just for the sake of ratings? … [Read more...] about It’s time to start treating Trump like a fringe cult leader

The point is not that we should adopt an anti-Big Tech posture. These companies are built on a legacy of innovation and products that would have seemed like magic a generation ago. But we are the victims of their success, because the rational decision for a company with the market power of a Big Tech company in 2021 is to secure and leverage that dominance, not to risk further innovation. When that happens, the role of government is to act as a countervailing force to private capital. Like forest fires clearing out the underbrush, antitrust action oxygenates the economy by creating new competitors and opening up space for new entrants. … [Read more...] about Scott Galloway: Why 2021 will be a year of reckoning for Big Tech