What I'm Reading - 3/23/25
I won’t lie—this has been a tough week for me. Publishing my review of Careless People, the Facebook memoir by my former colleague, triggered reactions that ranged from praise from people I respect to total strangers on Bluesky bluntly telling me to "shut the fuck up."
I stand by every word I wrote. Yet, in hindsight, I also think I was too careful to tiptoe around others' potential discomfort, attempting to balance sharing my truth and respecting Sarah’s story. I was overly cautious, fearful of backlash, and still got blasted anyway as people projected whatever they felt about the company onto it.
But something powerful also happened. Current and former employees reached out, grateful that I spoke openly about experiences they recognized. Those connections felt authentic and affirming, reinforcing that I touch people deeply if I talk my genuine truth—even if others reject it.
On Tuesday, I felt drained by endless back-to-back meetings scheduled for everyone else’s priorities instead of mine. It’s my fault for not setting better boundaries, but living on others’ terms at the expense of my own is exhausting. On Wednesday and Thursday, more past Facebook drama resurfaced again, reminding me of how trapped I’ve felt by external expectations and lingering narratives that aren't mine.
The spring equinox is a fantastic time to hit the restart button. I want to do less hiding behind intellectual detachment and be more brave in sharing my truth. I’m committed to reclaiming my creativity, voice, and power. Writing isn’t just about analyzing or informing—it’s about revealing my heart unapologetically.
So to the person who told me to shut up: No, I won’t. Instead, I’ll step fully into the spotlight of my own story—loudly, boldly, and without apology.
That includes one good thing about this week: I launched a brand new Anchor Change website for my business. This is separate from the Substack and is where people can learn more about my consulting, speaking, and access to the election cycle calendar. Check it out and let me know what you think. I worked with a woman named Becky Luna on it, and it was the easiest website build I’ve ever worked on. It took me about a week or so to gather all the content and a week for her to build using an existing template. I highly recommend her.
I hope you have a great Sunday.
What I’m Reading
Must-Reads
I’m kicking myself for missing this last week, but V-Dem came out with its 2025 Democracy Report, and the picture is grim. Overall, they find:
The level of democracy for the average world citizen is back to 1985; by country averages, it is back to 1996.
Democracy is losing out the most in terms of economic power. It is at its lowest level in over 50 years.
It is a truly global wave of autocratization. Eastern Europe and South and Central Asia are in a particularly steep decline.
I recommend you read the whole thing.
AI Developments
On March 15th, comments were due to the Trump Administration on the Development of Artificial Intelligence Action Plan. Here’s a sample of those I made public by those who submitted them. I’ve got a bunch of notes with ideas from these of where civil society and other groups will need to do work quickly to have an impact on the decisions these companies are making.
Meta (Meta submitted comments but I cannot find the doc online)
Stories About Specific Countries
CP24: Canadians will head to the polls April 28, following snap election call: sources
The Guardian: ‘We don’t know what to hope for’: Romanians torn after barring of far-right hopeful
Reuters: Spain to impose massive fines for not labelling AI-generated content
Medium: How Meta is preparing for the Australian federal election
EU Policy Blog: Protecting the public from abusive AI-generated content across the EU
Political & Social Commentary
The Information: Section 230 May Finally Get Changed as Lawmakers Prep New Bill
Taylor Annabell, 2025: How Influencer Coaches and Platforms Construct Creators as Monetizing for the Right Reasons
Center for Democracy and Technology: Adaptation and Innovation: The Civic Space Response to AI-Infused Elections
POLITICO: TikTok tries to sway DC with ad blitz
Business Insider: Tech employees are getting the message: Playtime's over
The Friday Reporter hosted by Lisa Camooso Miller: Power in Innovation with Katie Harbath
Chaotic Era: Did TikTok really swing young voters rightward?
New York Magazine / Intelligencer: The New Substack Universe
Legal & Regulatory
The Center for Internet and Society at Stanford Law School: Teaching Platform Regulation
CNN Business: Facebook whistleblower, ‘Careless People’ author says company’s arbitration demand is keeping her from speaking to Congress
Axios: Why TikTok rivals aren't challenging Trump's executive order
Miscellaneous Insights & Reports
Bloomberg: New York Times Cooking App Finds Right Ingredients to Vanquish Rivals
Woo Woo with Rachel Dratch on Spotify: Rebecca Auman: Witchy Woman
Voices in the River on Spotify: Embracing the Woo with Rachel Dratch
Company Announcements
C-SPAN: The C-SPAN Story
I bought Careless People solely because someone told me not to. But! I appreciated your context. I’m legal and thus in the business of periodically making decisions where people think they know why and, after the game of “legal said” telephone completes, the original rationale is gone. Obviously comms can be improved but, at least in my experience, most of the time my reaction is surprise because no one ever came to me, a team member or, if applicable channels, to privately or anonymous disclose concerns.
Are power dynamics involved? Sure, and that might be a fair reason why one didn’t ask in the moment, but it should be checked prior to publication (I am not making any judgment about the veracity of the book as I haven’t read it yet.)
As long as we’re sharing:
* Re-reading Snow Crash
* “Regulating Bodies” by Jaime Schultz
* “A Dynamic Governance Model for AI” at Lawfare: https://www.lawfaremedia.org/article/a-dynamic-governance-model-for-ai
* Rando game theory shit because I am apoplectic at capitulation by large institutions, especially law firms, and shout into the void in my own Substack because I am too old for LiveJournal.
Speaking as a total stranger, I wouldn’t ever tell you to shut up. But I do have to say that I’m no longer listening. I thought you had generally been a voice of sanity and honesty in forthrightly highlighting how social media — and your former employer in particular— has wreaked so much destruction in U.S. political culture and around the world.
But rather than being cautious, your tone came across as the censorious one you label your own critics with. In contrast to the nuanced Steven Levy review you pointed to, your criticism of “Careless People” has largely boiled down to “this isn’t what I saw” without being part of the particular incidents Sarah Wynn-Williams mentions in the book.
While I can understand different experiences with the same people, and I can appreciate loyalty to those who treated you well. your defense of Joel Kaplan seems suspect to me, given the abrupt about face Facebook has taken regarding policing dis- and misinformation and hate speech.
That said, I have no plans to buy Wynn-Williams book, but until I see some actual evidence of her inaccuracies and her response, I will continue to be against those who want to shut her and her book up.
I hope you’ll once again contribute more thoughtful criticism with the platform you’ve built.