Connie’s Reviews > Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism > Status Update
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Connie
is on page 354 of 382
“Facebook is an elite product, born in an elite college, fronted by elite Harvard grads who show up for other elite Harvard grads, who are decision makers in all sorts of places. A pragmatist accepts that and moves forward.”
— 7 hours, 57 min ago
Connie
is on page 297 of 382
“Unhappy workplaces are conspiracies of silence. But once you get outside the sycophantic leadership bubble, this place is rolling with discontent.”
— 8 hours, 5 min ago
Connie
is on page 261 of 382
“When you have so many people doing things for you professionally and personally, you stop taking responsibility for any of it. Max Weber said that dealing with unintended consequences of your actions is what political responsibility is.”
— 16 hours, 18 min ago
Connie
is on page 231 of 382
"Instead of helping figure out how to do everything possible to get [Facebook vice president in Brazil, Diego Dzodan] out of jail, Mark wants to turn this into a teachable moment for users and governments around the world [about protecting our community, our culture and our technology]."
— Mar 13, 2026 01:11PM
Connie
is on page 226 of 382
"There's no fear in the room. No uncomfortable power dynamics. No tension. Probably because the structure of the company gives Mark complete and utter control, dual class shares, and a voting majority, making him basically untouchable. Mark and Sheryl speak to the board the same way they speak to me. They're the ones in charge here."
— Mar 13, 2026 12:58PM
Connie
is on page 217 of 382
"More and more politicians are explicitly requesting that Facebook put its thumb on the scale. The causes range from reelection to indigenous broadcasting content, but the expectation is clear. Some are less delicate than others and accompany the quest with a threat to regulate if the request is refused. All the requests speak to the changing power dynamic."
— Mar 13, 2026 12:55PM
Connie
is on page 216 of 382
"Sheryl emails the leadership team from Davos breathlessly highlighting how terrorism is working to Facebook's advantage: "Terrorism means the conversation on privacy is 'basically dead' as policymakers are more concerned about intelligence/security." In other words, this is a moment when governments are more interested in surveillance than people's privacy. Which is good for Facebook's business."
— Mar 13, 2026 12:53PM
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The sheer scale of the contemplated power grab silences us all. He'd control how the news is made, as well as the algorithm that targets and distributes it. What stays up and what doesn't. Who is on the platform and who isn't. Which would certainly come in handy if he runs for president.
Talk turns to how he would solve it. He wants to remake the American news media. What's unsaid is that he already has remade the American news media, by inserting Facebook at the center of it, driving down ad rates for newspapers, and distributing their stories us. ing their content to boost time spent on Facebook. But I guess he wants more. Presumably more control over the media would be helpful with any presidential run. He doesn't want to just buy a paper like other billionaires. Maybe Facebook should buy Twitter? He's tempted. After all, Facebook is already a news source for nearly half of all Americans.
"Why are you guys recommending compromising with traditional media? It's an industry locked in a death spiral. We don't need to accommodate. You're not thinking big enough," Mark says, chiding Elliot for pushing partnerships and profit-sharing models with media. Concessions for the culprits. "You're compromising with a dying industry rather than dominating it. Crushing it."