- Homescreen
- Posts
- 🏠 Doxxed
gm. After reading all your feedback from the last newsletter, we're trying a new name on for size: Home Screen.
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Remember, this is still a work in progress. We are listening and iterating. You have our ear.
AUDIO
Spotify’s Headache
You’re tired of thinking about Joe Rogan, we’re tired of thinking about Joe Rogan, everyone is tired of thinking about Joe Rogan. Unfortunately, though, the debate around the outspoken podcaster jumped to 2x speed over the weekend after a compilation of clips surfaced that showed Rogan using racial slurs over a 12-year span.
In response, more artists and podcasters are removing their content from Spotify to protest the platform’s continued business relationship with Rogan.
Welcome to the deplatforming debate, Spotify
Platforms that host UGC have been grappling with objectionable content from creators for years. Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter most notably drew a line in the sand when they deplatformed former President Trump following the Capitol riots.
However, Spotify’s relationship with Rogan is complicated by the $100 million Brinks truck it backed up for the exclusive rights to host his podcast. To some, that shows that Spotify endorses Rogan’s views while others argue that Spotify shouldn’t dip its toes into censorship as long as the creator complies to its platform rules.
Spotify has been through this before: In May of 2018, the platform removed R. Kelley’s music from its playlists and algorithmic recommendations. But then it reversed its decision 3-weeks later saying “We don’t aim to play judge and jury.”
CEO Daniel Ek echoed that sentiment when he again told employees that it is not Spotify’s job to censor content that they personally disagree with. Instead, Spotify is once more taking shelter behind the platform rules it recently made public. It has already removed Rogan episodes (and others) that violate those terms.
Bottom line: Despite what the court of public opinion is saying, Spotify is riding with Rogan.
+ While you’re here: Coinbase, of all platforms, wrote a detailed explanation of how it thinks about account removal and content moderation. It’s worth the read.
NFTS
Bored Ape Doxx Club
On Saturday, the two previously-anonymous founders of Bored Ape Yacht Club were doxxed by Buzzfeed News. Known to most in the web3 community as ‘Gordon Goner’ and ‘Gargamel’ the two were revealed to be 35-year-old Wylie Aronow and 32-year-old Greg Solano.
Once doxxed by the article, Aronow and Solana embraced the moment, posting pics of themselves using the popular ‘web 2 me vs web3 me” meme format.
The reaction: Overall, it was very positive. Gary V replied to Aronow's tweet saying, “Well at least you’re super cool :)” with the majority of comments under the tweets being similarly supportive. A fair amount of people also called out Buzzfeed for “bad journalism,” something to be expected when it comes to the unpopular action of doxxing someone.
Buzzfeed’s rationale for the doxx
A main point of the article was to examine the role of anonymity in web3, especially when it comes to massive projects like BAYC that are worth billions. Buzzfeed acknowledged that pseudonymity has its place within Web3 and could help “cure some of the ills of Web2’s toxic social platforms.” But it also went on to argue that there are reasons for transparency in the business world, namely around regulation by government agencies like the SEC.
Bottom line: Doxxing is never fun, but this is about as peaceful and unproblematic an unveiling as the community could have hoped for.
QUICK HITS
Seed Round
via Bloomberg
Stat: You may want to rethink your Chipotle order. A 20-pound box of Haas avocados costs $6.29 more than it did during the same period last year, according to Bloomberg. It's especially bad news for football fans—the Super Bowl, coming up this Sunday, is historically the biggest day for avocado consumption in the US.
Startup: Reframe is a $100 million app built to help people reduce their alcohol consumption. Alex Wilhelm wrote a great deep dive.
Rabbit hole: The long, slow death of the hotel minibar
WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON
Victims of the $320 million Wormhole hack already got their money back
Senator Ted Cruz disclosed a bitcoin purchase worth up to $50,000
Private equity firms invested nearly $2 billion in sports teams in 2021
Google Chrome is getting a logo refresh for the first time in 8 years. Ngl, it looks exactly the same.
The Olympics are underway, but we're not judging you if you didn't know. Viewership is way way down.
TRIVIA
Which is the bigger total number?
Total amount of atoms in the observable universe
Total amount of possible move variations in chess
A 'googolplex'
MONDAY MUSING
Planet A or Planet B?
Todays question to muse on comes via @waitbutwhy.
"Imagine Earth divides into 2 planets. On Planet A is all the current countries where Rogan's show could exist without trouble. Planet B is all the countries where it couldn't. Where would you rather live?"
Reply here if you want to share your thoughts.
TIME WASTERS
If you want to laugh: Sign this guy up to announce every Olympic event.
If you want to think: 13 alternatives to Wordle.
If you want to just chill: It's winter. Sunshine feels far away. Go soak up some of Poolsuite's good vibes.
TRIVIA ANSWER
Number 2.
Possible moves in chess = between 10^111 and 10^123
Atoms in the observable universe = between 10^78 and 10^82
Googolplex = 10^100