Former Twitter CEO Dick Costolo tweeted his desire for some capitalists who engage in wrongthink on their role in society.
Costolo said Coinbase, a platform for people to buy, sell, and store cryptocurrency, was not exemplifying "great leadership" because they announced they will not allow employees to "debate causes or political candidates internally."
"It's the equivalent of telling your employees to 'shut up and dribble,'" Costolo said. "Tech companies used to welcome lively debate about ideas and society. It was part of the social contract inside the company, and it's what differentiated tech culture from, say, Wells Fargo culture. Now it's considered a distraction.
"Abandoning the social contract with employees in favor of a purely economic contract in the guise of 'championship team' bs makes you a bank with a mission nobody really believes. Good luck getting the best engineers in the world to work at a bank," he added.
Costolo replied to a tweet that said, "This will be rough for people who want an activist job on a tech person’s salary, but life is about choices. If you want to get paid to be an activist, join a non-profit," with, "Me-first capitalists who think you can separate society from business are going to be the first people lined up against the wall and shot in the revolution. I'll happily provide video commentary."
I agree. The vast majority workers want to be effective and supported professionally in an ethical env.
— parker (@pt) October 1, 2020
This will be rough for people who want an activist job on a tech person’s salary, but life is about choices. If you want to get paid to be an activist, join a non-profit.
Me-first capitalists who think you can separate society from business are going to be the first people lined up against the wall and shot in the revolution. I'll happily provide video commentary.
— dick costolo (@dickc) October 1, 2020
Costolo served as CEO of Twitter from 2010 to 2015.