Nicholas Thompson and Fred Vogelstein document the last 15 months inside Facebook in this fascinating article. Read it on Wired here.
What it’s about
The article chronicles the last 15 months at Facebook as the company dealt with data, privacy, and PR controversies.
Why it’s new
It’s a look at what was happening at Facebook from the inside. It’s also long and packed with details.
Why it’s important
Aside from being a single, comprehensive list of all of the bad episodes Facebook has been through of the last year and a quarter, it shines a light on the struggle within Facebook of balancing user privacy with an intense pursuit of growth…at almost any cost.
Crucial quote
In breaking down Facebook management’s usual playbook for pursuing growth over user concern, the authors comment that Facebook’s modus operandi was to:
“Do what they thought was best for the platform’s growth (often at the expense of user privacy), apologize if someone complained, and keep pushing forward. Or, as the old slogan went: Move fast and break things. Now the public thought Facebook had broken Western democracy.”
Read the full article at Wired here.