Cloudflare CEO on the Italy fines

Post by agoodusername63 » Sat, Jan 10, 2026, 3:34 AM UTC

fuddle wrote: post #338

pluralmonad wrote: post #260

I think maybe I should seek out AI art for awhile. I know this is where everything is going and I'm tired of cringing so hard every time one of these AI gen'd images is used in a serious way. But that image at the bottom of the tweet makes the entire post seem less serious to me.

Yes I thought the same. I thought the post was making a good point, but the image just undermined the seriousness of the post, as it characterized Italian politicians as zombies. It made me think less of the author.

Post by agoodusername63 » Sat, Jan 10, 2026, 3:44 AM UTC

danielspace23 wrote: post #125

I'm Italian, and as much as I think Piracy Shield shouldn't exist, I find hard to empathize with Cloudflare, especially after this tweet. First off, the immediate appeal to Vance and Musk is embarrassing. I believe he knows he's technically in the wrong for not abiding to the law, so gathering the sympathy of the "freedom fighters" of the web is all he can do. But the funniest part about this tweet are the "threats"…

Post by wmf » Sat, Jan 10, 2026, 3:53 AM UTC

yibg wrote: post #570

aforwardslash wrote: post #361

Regardless of whether the law is absurd or not (I honestly have no idea, but we've seen some crazy stuff lately in the EU), its kinda precious that a CEO only complains about it when his company is fined. I'm certain it is also quite reassuring for any paying Cloudflare customer that the company strategy is driven by the CEO Twitter rants; That if by some reason doesn't want to play ball with local laws (as draconian…

Style aside, what do you think he should do? Faced with a law that not only imposes disproportionate fines (more than revenue from the country), but on the surface also requires blocking globally, there are really only a few things to do: 1. Challenge the law in court 3. Influence the law via political means 3. Try to sway public opinion so 2. may be easier 4. Give in and play ball 5. Exit the country entirely

Post by johncolanduoni » Sat, Jan 10, 2026, 4:08 AM UTC

isodev wrote: post #612

ta9000 wrote: post #580

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The NUCLEAR threat regarding the 2026 Winter Olympics (Milano-Cortina) is the real leverage here. He’s bypassing the regulator and putting a gun to the government’s head regarding national prestige and infrastructure security. Kind of wild that a private company has that kind of power, both in terms of being one of the few that can offer this service and they can make threats at this level.

> Kind of wild that a private company has that kind of power Also kind of wild that it’s a private US company pushing their current political views on another sovereign state. Cloudflare as a political tool of leverage is a level of dystopia we really should try not to unlock.

Post by miki123211 » Sat, Jan 10, 2026, 4:18 AM UTC

asa400 wrote: post #590

ta9000 wrote: post #580

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The NUCLEAR threat regarding the 2026 Winter Olympics (Milano-Cortina) is the real leverage here. He’s bypassing the regulator and putting a gun to the government’s head regarding national prestige and infrastructure security. Kind of wild that a private company has that kind of power, both in terms of being one of the few that can offer this service and they can make threats at this level.

This is one of the consequences of outsourcing this (and other capabilities) to the private sector. Many governments simply don’t have the skill and political will to invest in these kinds of capabilities, which puts them at the mercy of private actors that do. Not saying this is good or bad, just trying to describe it as I see it.