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1 Year of Coinbase as a mission focused company

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Re: 1 Year of Coinbase as a mission focused company

#361

Post by rsj_hn »

jollybean wrote: post #355
philosopher1234 wrote: post #284

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What do you know about OP? What if OP is an extremely productive programmer who lives to build product and has a huge impact, but also cares about black people or LGBTQ+ people? So he's worthless to coinbase? Thats insane.

If someone wants to work at a place because of ideology, then the might be worse than worthless, they might have negative worth. That said, I'll bet there's far more agreement among all of us than not on these issues, it's just that they get all blown up. Outside of Twitter wars and the most radical voices in a company, I strongly believe we would just all get along pretty darn well actually.

I agree with all of your points, but also point out that a small vocal minority can really ruin the culture at a company and be quite divisive. That is true even if most of us would get along and most of us just want to focus on work. So you have to do something about the social justice crusaders. In some sense, this type of widespread culture wars within companies is only possible because we have so many monopolies and therefore you can destroy a lot of value and still have the business not only remain viable, but grow.

So it very much depends on whether we solve the problem of monopolies. Make progress on that front, and firms wont be able to support these types of employees because they'll be driven out of business by competitors in which employees are not attacking each other but really are just focusing on work.

Re: 1 Year of Coinbase as a mission focused company

#362

Post by SamoyedFurFluff »

Jensson wrote: post #343
SamoyedFurFluff wrote: post #334

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think this is a straw man that doesn’t actually address my question. What do you do in an apolitical workplace and you’re going to engage in controversial medical intervention to align your body with your believed gender?

> What do you do in an apolitical workplace and you’re going to engage in controversial medical intervention to align your body with your believed gender? You just do it? In an apolitical workspace that isn't a political act, what you do in your free time is up to you. And if you change your legal name people should update how they call you. Nothing of that is political. If people make a fuzz they are dragging politi…

That’s what I don’t understand, because my understanding is that being conservative or progressive when it comes to trans people is no middle ground. Choosing to go with a trans persons new name and pronouns when they are early or mid transition is a political choice. There are laws passed explicitly around their bathrooms for example.

Re: 1 Year of Coinbase as a mission focused company

#363

Post by wiredone »

markdown wrote: post #301
gfodor wrote: post #292

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You say you’re baffled but conclude the people you are baffled by are heartless. You’re not baffled: you have made up your mind.

They are heartless. What's baffling is what they gain from being so firmly against basic displays of outreach and acceptance between humans and groups of humans.

This type of bookending is why Coinbase made this decision. What data do you have that indicates they are heartless?

Re: 1 Year of Coinbase as a mission focused company

#364

Post by nxmnxm99 »

gwelson wrote: post #252

The thing I hate about this line of thinking is the supposed "distractions" of being mission-focused are nearly all related simply to basic rights/dignities for marginalized groups. I don't think anyone is saying companies need to take a strong stance on every political issue, but merely saying "we as a company believe the lives of our Black employees matter" or "we as a company welcome and accept our LGBTQ+ employee…

This is such obnoxious virtue signalling. Do you issue statements decrying the 30 people murdered in a car explosion in Djibouti on a daily basis? Who decide which new social issue you're supposed to care about?

It's distracting, propagandist and politically charged bullshit. Just because I don't support BLM doesn't mean I don't have a problem with black people randomly being killed.

It's the exact same bullshit as shoving "support our troops or else you hate freedom" down people's throats.

Re: 1 Year of Coinbase as a mission focused company

#365

Post by poszlem »

SamoyedFurFluff wrote: post #357
poszlem wrote: post #354

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I can assure you that most people would not bat an eye they were asked to use a different pronoun. The problem starts when they are 1) forced to do so b) suddenly have to "disclose" their own pronouns, and you end up on a zoom call with he/hims she/hers and one they/them. The problem is not that some people want to stop being marginalised, the problem is that the aim is to marginalise a normal person.

> The problem starts when they are 1) forced to do So is the apolitical thing that a co worker can choose not to call a trans person by their new name and pronouns and the trans person can’t demand it?

There is no law that makes people call other people by their given names too. Or law that makes people call priests "father". I don't understand how that can be so hard to fathom.

You should not legislate kindness.

Re: 1 Year of Coinbase as a mission focused company

#366

Post by Zababa »

afavour wrote: post #160
fleddr wrote: post #142

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think we're mixing up different political topics here. The one I think you're talking about is the US workers' struggle to defend or increase basic worker rights. Which indeed is a political struggle of workers versus management. If I'm not mistaken, the Coinbase case is about social justice types of topics like feminism, BLM, trans rights, colonialism, the like.

My point is that positions like Brian's require there to be a clear and bright line between "political" and "not political". I think it's at least slightly easier to draw that line in European workplaces where the nature of employment is not as politically fraught. Just to take two of your examples: feminism and trans rights. Both have healthcare implications. Your employer controls your healthcare. Should the health…

You can afford pretty much anything you need as a trans person by working a year as a software engineer. Healthcare is bad in the USA? Do medical tourism, they have great doctors overseas.

Re: 1 Year of Coinbase as a mission focused company

#367

Post by nxmnxm99 »

saurik wrote: post #261
poszlem wrote: post #254

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There is a difference between people/companies that believe that lives of black people matter and those that claim that BLACKLIVESMATTER. There is a difference between people/companies that believe that women need to have the same rights as men and those that claim to be feminists. There is a difference between people/companies that believe that gays/lesbians are normal people and those who put rainbows everywhere.

> There is a difference between people/companies that believe that lives of black people matter and those that claim that BLACKLIVESMATTER. FWIW, in this case, that "difference" might be that Coinbase was simultaneously treating their black employees poorly--dare I say, as "second class citizens"--while actively refusing to take a few seconds to agree with something as banal/obvious as "black lives matter". The BLM s…

If you tell people they're victims, they'll act like victims. Not acknowledging George Floyd "hurts" black employees? This is the kind of nonsense born of priviledge.

Anybody from the 3rd world reading this garbage feels sick. 20 year olds making 6 figures to build craigslist for crypto crying because their boss won't acknowledge an event.

Re: 1 Year of Coinbase as a mission focused company

#368

Post by zaroth »

gwelson wrote: post #252

The thing I hate about this line of thinking is the supposed "distractions" of being mission-focused are nearly all related simply to basic rights/dignities for marginalized groups. I don't think anyone is saying companies need to take a strong stance on every political issue, but merely saying "we as a company believe the lives of our Black employees matter" or "we as a company welcome and accept our LGBTQ+ employee…

“Anyone who doesn't fully and unambiguously support…”

Please, stop right there. If you find yourself in this line of thinking, consider for a moment that you’re being a zealot.

Re: 1 Year of Coinbase as a mission focused company

#369

Post by philwelch »

woodruffw wrote: post #193
dntrkv wrote: post #176

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Certain politics are relevant for certain companies. This idea that because everything is touched by politics, you should be free to bring every aspect of politics into any organization is ridiculous. Coinbase should be involved in the the political discourse surrounding crypto (and other finance-related) legislation. They should not be involved in the discourse surrounding a woman's right to abortion (just an exampl…

> Coinbase should be involved in the the political discourse surrounding crypto (and other finance-related) legislation. They should not be involved in the discourse surrounding a woman's right to abortion (just an example). I don't agree with this, but to be clear: you're arguing for something very different than Armstrong is. Armstrong is saying that Coinbase isn't besmirched by any politics, which is patently fals…

> It wasn't acceptable in 1961 for lunch counters to "not be involved" in desegregation, because "not being involved" is tantamount to support for segregation in a segregated society.

There's actually no point in time where the opinions of the actual proprietors of lunch counters mattered either way. The Jim Crow laws legally mandated segregation until the Civil Rights Act legally prohibited it. The lack of personal choice in the matter is more or less exactly what makes it political in the first place.

Re: 1 Year of Coinbase as a mission focused company

#370

Post by Jensson »

SamoyedFurFluff wrote: post #357
poszlem wrote: post #354

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I can assure you that most people would not bat an eye they were asked to use a different pronoun. The problem starts when they are 1) forced to do so b) suddenly have to "disclose" their own pronouns, and you end up on a zoom call with he/hims she/hers and one they/them. The problem is not that some people want to stop being marginalised, the problem is that the aim is to marginalise a normal person.

> The problem starts when they are 1) forced to do So is the apolitical thing that a co worker can choose not to call a trans person by their new name and pronouns and the trans person can’t demand it?

If they are rude then you can bring it up with your manager about them being rude. Companies usually doesn't accept rude behaviour or bullying. If they are fine with rude behaviour and bullying then you will have problems regardless of the political stance of the company.
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