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jeff fultz's avatar

Thanks Brendan, great coverage. The more I read about these techies the more I say do away with al of them. Socialize? Go outside, walk, get fresh air and exercise and talk with some real people, not robots on a computer.

But I am old and out of touch. I remember those days. Oh well.

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K. L.'s avatar

I agree with you Jeff. When I moved back from Europe I found a very siloed culture in contrast to the communal one I had previously enjoyed abroad. So I joined an outdoor club to enjoy nature with others and stay fit, I volunteered to teach civics to new voters, I joined a cultural group to share enjoyment of the arts. Organizations such as these (and more) do exist here. And by, the way, those days still exist, just not necessarily here, now. (But we could change that, couldn’t we :)?)

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Ricky Sutton's avatar

Great stuff Brendan :)

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Brendan Benedict's avatar

Thanks Ricky!

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Hunter Tunnicliff's avatar

For anyone more interested in the backstory of Facebook’s acquisition of Instagram, I’d highly recommend “No Filter: The Inside Story of Instagram” by Sarah Frier. It goes into rich detail about many of the interactions between early Instagram employees and their journey to Facebook.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1982126809

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Brendan Benedict's avatar

This looks great! Thanks for sharing.

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Franca Beanfriend's avatar

great minds think alike :))))

i wrote the same thing yesterday's Brendan Benedict article on this lawsuit.

https://www.bigtechontrial.com/p/the-bidding-war-how-sequoias-whisper

https://www.simonandschuster.ca/books/No-Filter/Sarah-Frier/9781982126810

In the book "No Filter: The Inside Story of Instagram" writer Sarah Frier wrote that Mark Zuckerberg always wanted his baby "Facebook" app to be the top app at the company and prevented Instagram and Whatsapp from competing after he both them.

The whole book is filled with tons of great stuff for this case.

She writes all about it. Has anyone questioned her?

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Brendan Benedict's avatar

Catching up to you Franca! Will have to check the witness list again when I have it handy but don't think she would be a witness - issue is that she might be repeating statements from others, which is called hearsay and can't be admitted in court. But it's a good bet that the parties have read materials like this for background and to hunt for witnesses and evidence.

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the suck of sorrow's avatar

Hopefully, one result of this trial independent of the final verdict will be user disengagement from social media platforms. For the most part the principals of these firms seem to be untrustworthy and their investors malevolent and extremely greedy.

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K. L.'s avatar

Re: comments found here - I can read Sarah Frier’s book for free courtesy of my local library. If we are against monopolies why on Earth recommend one? Please reconsider.

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