Linus Drops the Ball
August 16, 2023 3:17 PM Subscribe
Linus Tech Tips has long been known for forthright tech review videos, even if Linus himself is a little clumsy. Linus Sebastian got his start doing product demo videos for now-defunct retailer NCIX in the early days of streaming video content, and has turned that into a YouTube empire, with 100 staff and multiple channels producing daily video content for his Linus Media Group.
But recent events, brought to light by YouTube tech peer Gaming Nexus, show a disregard for truth or good journalism, and has turned the fandom against them.
Their latest blunder: taking a prototype cooling accessory for review, losing track of the provided graphics card it was compatible with and instead giving it a poor review for not working with another GPU it was not designed for, and then selling the prototype in a charity auction instead of returning it as agreed to the manufacturer. Offers of restitution were emailed hours after the story broke. LMG lost track of the auction winners, and emailed everyone involved trying to find who had bought the prototype. What might be a oversight for a solo reviewer has a different connotation when it's a growing company that is ramping up their own hardware testing facility. Their apology video involved jokes and call-outs to their merch store.
As this story broke, a former staffer came forward with accusations of overwork, failures of management, and most importantly their inability to take sexual harassment seriously.
Their latest blunder: taking a prototype cooling accessory for review, losing track of the provided graphics card it was compatible with and instead giving it a poor review for not working with another GPU it was not designed for, and then selling the prototype in a charity auction instead of returning it as agreed to the manufacturer. Offers of restitution were emailed hours after the story broke. LMG lost track of the auction winners, and emailed everyone involved trying to find who had bought the prototype. What might be a oversight for a solo reviewer has a different connotation when it's a growing company that is ramping up their own hardware testing facility. Their apology video involved jokes and call-outs to their merch store.
As this story broke, a former staffer came forward with accusations of overwork, failures of management, and most importantly their inability to take sexual harassment seriously.
I was sitting here, after all the iiluminaughtii hubbub had died down [even while I got a new video about her just last week], wondering when the next Youtube creator scandal was going to erupt. I guess now I have my answer.
Unlike illuminaughtii, I have not watched many LTT videos, and this one seems to be more business-centered than personal-bitchfest-focussed like the previous one.
I prefer the business-centered scandals, I think.
posted by hippybear at 3:31 PM on August 16, 2023
Unlike illuminaughtii, I have not watched many LTT videos, and this one seems to be more business-centered than personal-bitchfest-focussed like the previous one.
I prefer the business-centered scandals, I think.
posted by hippybear at 3:31 PM on August 16, 2023
their inability to take sexual harassment seriously
In technology? Surely not!
posted by Abehammerb Lincoln at 3:49 PM on August 16, 2023 [13 favorites]
In technology? Surely not!
posted by Abehammerb Lincoln at 3:49 PM on August 16, 2023 [13 favorites]
Thanks for the summary, thecjm.
Some other important context: Linus stepped down as CEO on July 1, 2023. He didn't want to do all the boring stuff of running a company. He demoted himself to "Chief Vision Officer" so he could do more of the fun stuff of being the video host/personality, and probably enjoy his newfound wealth and family.
Most, if not all, of the problems mentioned in the recent video are under his reign as CEO. They have underscored that stepping down was the correct decision, and maybe should have done earlier. The new CEO hasn't done much other than observe. Linus is still the founder and the owner (he and his wife own 100% of the company), and has deeper connections to all the managers, since they came up with him over the years. It will be very insightful whether the new CEO will take control and make real changes to the company, or be undermined by Linus.
posted by meowzilla at 3:49 PM on August 16, 2023 [6 favorites]
Some other important context: Linus stepped down as CEO on July 1, 2023. He didn't want to do all the boring stuff of running a company. He demoted himself to "Chief Vision Officer" so he could do more of the fun stuff of being the video host/personality, and probably enjoy his newfound wealth and family.
Most, if not all, of the problems mentioned in the recent video are under his reign as CEO. They have underscored that stepping down was the correct decision, and maybe should have done earlier. The new CEO hasn't done much other than observe. Linus is still the founder and the owner (he and his wife own 100% of the company), and has deeper connections to all the managers, since they came up with him over the years. It will be very insightful whether the new CEO will take control and make real changes to the company, or be undermined by Linus.
posted by meowzilla at 3:49 PM on August 16, 2023 [6 favorites]
When I'm in a bad mood, I sometimes threaten to "develop deep concerns about the state of ethics in video game journalism."
It's disappointing to learn that my cliche is ruined by real reasons to have such concerns.
posted by ocschwar at 4:00 PM on August 16, 2023 [3 favorites]
It's disappointing to learn that my cliche is ruined by real reasons to have such concerns.
posted by ocschwar at 4:00 PM on August 16, 2023 [3 favorites]
I was appreciative of the (apparent, at least) support from LMG when Emily, one of their hosts, came out as trans. All this other crap, though, especially that linked Twitter thread... yikes. I don't think it's the nature of YouTube creators, though; I think YouTube just has a tendency to accelerate the reveal of who people really are inside, for better or worse. There are channels out there like Tom Scott, Not Just Bikes, Blondihacks, This Old Tony, Bernadette Banner, Townsends, that are just quietly and consistently producing quality, entertaining and informative content, and as far as I know, haven't yet turned out to be dumpster fires.
posted by xedrik at 4:05 PM on August 16, 2023 [10 favorites]
posted by xedrik at 4:05 PM on August 16, 2023 [10 favorites]
Urph. LTT is heavy in the Randomlet's YT feed, and it was one resource referenced when we did our first PC build together early this summer. Glad to hear Linus himself is no longer the total show-runner.
posted by Quasirandom at 4:05 PM on August 16, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by Quasirandom at 4:05 PM on August 16, 2023 [1 favorite]
One more thing: the rivalry/competition between LTT (Linus Tech Tips) and Gamers Nexus (GN) has been brewing for some time.
Almost a year ago, LTT released a $250 backpack and people immediately found problems with it; not a surprise because so much of it was custom-made for LTT. The backpack had no written warranty other than Linus saying "trust me". GN called them out and stated that LTT is now a manufacturer, not just a video creator, and now must be held to the same standards as other manufacturers. LTT relented and published a written warranty soon after.
LTT has recently invested heavily into their Labs, aka benchmarking, which is what forms the bulk of GN's videos. LTT is much, much larger than GN and this could be easily perceived as making inroads onto their content.
posted by meowzilla at 4:29 PM on August 16, 2023 [2 favorites]
Almost a year ago, LTT released a $250 backpack and people immediately found problems with it; not a surprise because so much of it was custom-made for LTT. The backpack had no written warranty other than Linus saying "trust me". GN called them out and stated that LTT is now a manufacturer, not just a video creator, and now must be held to the same standards as other manufacturers. LTT relented and published a written warranty soon after.
LTT has recently invested heavily into their Labs, aka benchmarking, which is what forms the bulk of GN's videos. LTT is much, much larger than GN and this could be easily perceived as making inroads onto their content.
posted by meowzilla at 4:29 PM on August 16, 2023 [2 favorites]
I've been mulling how Roman dictators only had power for the duration of an emergency, and how we've done our best to create a constant state of emergency inside each capitalist company ("if we're not first to market we'll go broke!"), necessitating dictatorial powers for company management.
Listening to every single employee, and the boss himself, talk about how they wish they had more time for each video but just don't and the boss has to use his executive emergency power to say we can't fix that video error because we don't have time because otherwise capitalism will eat us...
posted by clawsoon at 4:37 PM on August 16, 2023 [9 favorites]
Listening to every single employee, and the boss himself, talk about how they wish they had more time for each video but just don't and the boss has to use his executive emergency power to say we can't fix that video error because we don't have time because otherwise capitalism will eat us...
posted by clawsoon at 4:37 PM on August 16, 2023 [9 favorites]
That $250 backpack? One of the prototypes got passed to a staffer's family, and then ended up in a thrift store, and then out into the wild. Linus was not happy and made it clear to the staff that prototypes are not to be treated the same as manufactured products. Which makes the how he treated Billet's copper block prototype all the worse; he knew better.
And despite the perceived competition between Linus and Steve of GN, Steve is the one who messaged Linus in the middle of the night when the LMG YouTube channels got hacked.
posted by thecjm at 4:40 PM on August 16, 2023 [9 favorites]
And despite the perceived competition between Linus and Steve of GN, Steve is the one who messaged Linus in the middle of the night when the LMG YouTube channels got hacked.
posted by thecjm at 4:40 PM on August 16, 2023 [9 favorites]
(Because this keeps coming up when Linus is mentioned as there is obviously confusion) this is not the same Linus that wrote and manages Linux
(also not the Linus who is a theologian in Peanuts)
posted by mbo at 4:41 PM on August 16, 2023 [18 favorites]
(also not the Linus who is a theologian in Peanuts)
posted by mbo at 4:41 PM on August 16, 2023 [18 favorites]
(Because this keeps coming up when Linus is mentioned as there is obviously confusion) this is not the same Linus that wrote and manages Linux
Though that other Linus has had his own toxic management style problems.
posted by clawsoon at 5:06 PM on August 16, 2023 [2 favorites]
Though that other Linus has had his own toxic management style problems.
posted by clawsoon at 5:06 PM on August 16, 2023 [2 favorites]
I miss NCIX, though. Their Markham HQ sales outlet was a ghost town in the last year of their existence: it was very clear they were about to tank. I suspect my very few NCIX purchase details were on the servers which were famously sold without being wiped.
I can't really watch videos, but this guy brings me out in hives. Why is he popular? I've seen more charisma in a damp sock.
posted by scruss at 5:13 PM on August 16, 2023 [6 favorites]
I can't really watch videos, but this guy brings me out in hives. Why is he popular? I've seen more charisma in a damp sock.
posted by scruss at 5:13 PM on August 16, 2023 [6 favorites]
I was appreciative of the (apparent, at least) support from LMG for Emily
A claim exists that Emily isn't getting the in front of camera time as in the past. So it may be more apparent than real VS Emily just opting to not be in front of a camera.
I've seen more charisma in a damp sock.
The youtube algo givith and with less advertisers paying/wanting results takith away.
At least he doesn't read someone else's article poorly for 10 mins and post 6 or more of 'em a day, nor does he talk slow to pad runtime.
posted by rough ashlar at 5:36 PM on August 16, 2023 [1 favorite]
A claim exists that Emily isn't getting the in front of camera time as in the past. So it may be more apparent than real VS Emily just opting to not be in front of a camera.
I've seen more charisma in a damp sock.
The youtube algo givith and with less advertisers paying/wanting results takith away.
At least he doesn't read someone else's article poorly for 10 mins and post 6 or more of 'em a day, nor does he talk slow to pad runtime.
posted by rough ashlar at 5:36 PM on August 16, 2023 [1 favorite]
Why is he popular? I've seen more charisma in a damp sock.
I'm not sure if "people who do video card benchmarks" is where I'd go looking for charisma.
posted by clawsoon at 5:37 PM on August 16, 2023 [18 favorites]
I'm not sure if "people who do video card benchmarks" is where I'd go looking for charisma.
posted by clawsoon at 5:37 PM on August 16, 2023 [18 favorites]
The early days of Linus going from NCIX to his own show were very amateurish and made me feel enough second-hand embarrassment that I unsubscribed. 10 years later I resubscribed, but the still-amateurish vibe is kind of annoying.
posted by Monday, stony Monday at 6:10 PM on August 16, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by Monday, stony Monday at 6:10 PM on August 16, 2023 [2 favorites]
What's Linus' wife doing at the company now? I know they hired some Corsair PR guy for the CEO spot (and that's bad optics in itself, when they review Corsair stuff!)
posted by kschang at 6:18 PM on August 16, 2023
posted by kschang at 6:18 PM on August 16, 2023
His wife has been part of the company from the beginning. But yeah, having the bosses wife as HR lead is likely a conflict of interest now that they have grown beyond a small project made by friends and family.
posted by omegajuice at 6:22 PM on August 16, 2023 [4 favorites]
posted by omegajuice at 6:22 PM on August 16, 2023 [4 favorites]
Also the new CEO is his old boss from NCIX. I don’t think him being hired is related to this controversy. He wanted someone he trusts to run his company and this is the person who gave him the resources to start this channel in the first place. Not trying to defend this horrible issue at hand. Just trying to keep some facts straight. Carry on all!
posted by omegajuice at 6:25 PM on August 16, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by omegajuice at 6:25 PM on August 16, 2023 [1 favorite]
This whole thing feels like a Final Destination-style make-up for that incredible near-social-death experience he had a few months ago.
posted by Rhaomi at 6:33 PM on August 16, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by Rhaomi at 6:33 PM on August 16, 2023 [2 favorites]
This whole thing feels like a Final Destination-style make-up for that incredible near-social-death experience he had a few months ago
Phew, so he was only saying slurs about mentally disabled people, not Black people. /s
posted by clawsoon at 6:54 PM on August 16, 2023 [5 favorites]
Phew, so he was only saying slurs about mentally disabled people, not Black people. /s
posted by clawsoon at 6:54 PM on August 16, 2023 [5 favorites]
wondering when the next Youtube creator scandal was going to erupt
Oh lord, I hope this isn't something that Foresty Forest, Steve Wallis, or My Mate Vince is doing; they seem to be such lovely folks.
posted by NoMich at 7:06 PM on August 16, 2023
Oh lord, I hope this isn't something that Foresty Forest, Steve Wallis, or My Mate Vince is doing; they seem to be such lovely folks.
posted by NoMich at 7:06 PM on August 16, 2023
Excellent post nicely summarizing something I had no clue about, and great comments adding context. Thanks so much, y'all.
posted by mediareport at 7:14 PM on August 16, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by mediareport at 7:14 PM on August 16, 2023 [2 favorites]
Speaking as someone who has never gone looking for his content (and now understanding why my husband does, given the NCIX connection I was not aware of prior to now; hubby used to swear by them), I have never liked what I saw of him and hopefully this is the beginning of the end.
posted by tubedogg at 8:04 PM on August 16, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by tubedogg at 8:04 PM on August 16, 2023 [2 favorites]
Also today, Reddit user Nitazene-King-002 posted a recording of an HR meeting led by Linus explaining how to report and resolve incidents, apparently the day after Madison quit LMG.
The poster claims to have contacts at LMG who corroborate Madison's experiences, suggests the existence of additional documentation, and notes:
;) and if this isn't handled satisfactorily more will be released.
posted by cosmologinaut at 11:35 PM on August 16, 2023
The poster claims to have contacts at LMG who corroborate Madison's experiences, suggests the existence of additional documentation, and notes:
;) and if this isn't handled satisfactorily more will be released.
posted by cosmologinaut at 11:35 PM on August 16, 2023
wait, Linus Tech Tips was known for integrity at one point? Mostly I associate him with clickbait thumbnails that look like they’re from a toddler’s picture book about Feelings, and also actual clickbait with topics like “I deliberately completely smashed this iMac Pro and Apple REFUSES to repair it!” (because the support staff was like “yeah it would cost a lot more to repair that than to just replace it outright”)
that line from his roast about “I don’t know what cost less, your sandals or your integrity” has the feel of something that maybe isn’t actually a joke
posted by DoctorFedora at 12:32 AM on August 17, 2023 [9 favorites]
that line from his roast about “I don’t know what cost less, your sandals or your integrity” has the feel of something that maybe isn’t actually a joke
posted by DoctorFedora at 12:32 AM on August 17, 2023 [9 favorites]
Awww man, this sucks. My husband has enjoyed LTT for a while now.
posted by freethefeet at 12:41 AM on August 17, 2023
posted by freethefeet at 12:41 AM on August 17, 2023
I watched LTT for many years but haven't kept up on the meta. I always found Linus annoying but tolerated for the neat new hardware, exotic builds, and extreme benchmarking. Haven't been watching for several months.
Just hearing about Emily!
I really hope that they allow Emily as prominent a place in the production now post out-of-the-closeting. Her videos were some of my absolute favorites, and she's CLEARLY got a more technical background than some of the other presenters/devs. Plus Linux!
posted by shenkerism at 1:10 AM on August 17, 2023 [2 favorites]
Just hearing about Emily!
I really hope that they allow Emily as prominent a place in the production now post out-of-the-closeting. Her videos were some of my absolute favorites, and she's CLEARLY got a more technical background than some of the other presenters/devs. Plus Linux!
posted by shenkerism at 1:10 AM on August 17, 2023 [2 favorites]
A claim exists that Emily isn't getting the in front of camera time as in the past. So it may be more apparent than real VS Emily just opting to not be in front of a camera.
The linked video from her has a part where she says she's not sure when she'll be comfortable in front of the camera again. That's only from two months ago, so I'm going to go with her agency, rather than their imposition (at least I hope as much).
posted by MattWPBS at 4:12 AM on August 17, 2023 [2 favorites]
The linked video from her has a part where she says she's not sure when she'll be comfortable in front of the camera again. That's only from two months ago, so I'm going to go with her agency, rather than their imposition (at least I hope as much).
posted by MattWPBS at 4:12 AM on August 17, 2023 [2 favorites]
wait, THIS is what people are so upset about?
posted by AlbertCalavicci at 4:32 AM on August 17, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by AlbertCalavicci at 4:32 AM on August 17, 2023 [2 favorites]
Maybe youtube should start doing a best practices program, because they’re chewing through their stars at a rate of knots.
posted by The River Ivel at 4:58 AM on August 17, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by The River Ivel at 4:58 AM on August 17, 2023 [1 favorite]
I really hope that they allow Emily as prominent a place in the production now post out-of-the-closeting. Her videos were some of my absolute favorites, and she's CLEARLY got a more technical background than some of the other presenters/devs. Plus Linux!
I stopped letting Youtube recommend LTT a while ago, and Linus’s tendency to buffoon over her (as one of the few people on his staff with a clue) is one of the reasons why.
posted by doomsey at 6:02 AM on August 17, 2023
I stopped letting Youtube recommend LTT a while ago, and Linus’s tendency to buffoon over her (as one of the few people on his staff with a clue) is one of the reasons why.
posted by doomsey at 6:02 AM on August 17, 2023
wait, THIS is what people are so upset about?
idk I'd probably be upset if it turned out a YouTuber I liked or respected was hugely unprofessional, just a massive dick behind the scenes.
Actually it sounds not too dissimilar from the last office job I had, which was family owned & run. No point in going to HR about certain things because they were all buddybuddy. Morale had been buried in a hole six feet deep. I turned into a strange, short-tempered person for a bit there until I got out.
I'd be upset that someone I'd valued was involved in creating weird, awful work experiences.
posted by Baethan at 6:05 AM on August 17, 2023 [3 favorites]
idk I'd probably be upset if it turned out a YouTuber I liked or respected was hugely unprofessional, just a massive dick behind the scenes.
Actually it sounds not too dissimilar from the last office job I had, which was family owned & run. No point in going to HR about certain things because they were all buddybuddy. Morale had been buried in a hole six feet deep. I turned into a strange, short-tempered person for a bit there until I got out.
I'd be upset that someone I'd valued was involved in creating weird, awful work experiences.
posted by Baethan at 6:05 AM on August 17, 2023 [3 favorites]
wait, THIS is what people are so upset about?
The pushback over the first issue is that Linus has been selling himself as a speaker of truth to power - someone unafraid to tell Intel or Nvidia their latest product was not great. His latest project was to make a massive investment into testing equipment, so they could go beyond telling you about the frames per second and get into things like power supply quality or audio testing.
But he's got a history of flubbing stats. This latest issue is a clear case of disorganization and cutting corners - putting the need to get the daily video published over test the product correctly. As the story came out and every single step made LMG sound disorganized at best and malicious at worst, their responses were both defensive and again factually incorrect.
Linus' currency was trust - he couldn't be bought and his opinions mattered. He just trashed that reputation.
People being upset over the harassment culture should be self-explanatory.
posted by thecjm at 6:48 AM on August 17, 2023 [4 favorites]
The pushback over the first issue is that Linus has been selling himself as a speaker of truth to power - someone unafraid to tell Intel or Nvidia their latest product was not great. His latest project was to make a massive investment into testing equipment, so they could go beyond telling you about the frames per second and get into things like power supply quality or audio testing.
But he's got a history of flubbing stats. This latest issue is a clear case of disorganization and cutting corners - putting the need to get the daily video published over test the product correctly. As the story came out and every single step made LMG sound disorganized at best and malicious at worst, their responses were both defensive and again factually incorrect.
Linus' currency was trust - he couldn't be bought and his opinions mattered. He just trashed that reputation.
People being upset over the harassment culture should be self-explanatory.
posted by thecjm at 6:48 AM on August 17, 2023 [4 favorites]
wait, THIS is what people are so upset about?
The former staffer that came forward admitted to serious self-harm to get out of work due to the toxic environment (from the Twitter thread linked in the OP, CW: self-harm):
"I remember getting told off for taking my sick days, as in the days you're entitled to.
This no days off, "grindset" culminated in the real moment I realized I had to leave.
I purposefully cut my leg open so badly I would have to go to the ER to get it stapled back together.
It was genuinely the only way in my mind to take a day off without being harassed for a reason why."
But because this is guys talking about technology, it's treated as a footnote to the discussion.
posted by slimepuppy at 6:53 AM on August 17, 2023 [9 favorites]
The former staffer that came forward admitted to serious self-harm to get out of work due to the toxic environment (from the Twitter thread linked in the OP, CW: self-harm):
"I remember getting told off for taking my sick days, as in the days you're entitled to.
This no days off, "grindset" culminated in the real moment I realized I had to leave.
I purposefully cut my leg open so badly I would have to go to the ER to get it stapled back together.
It was genuinely the only way in my mind to take a day off without being harassed for a reason why."
But because this is guys talking about technology, it's treated as a footnote to the discussion.
posted by slimepuppy at 6:53 AM on August 17, 2023 [9 favorites]
When I'm in a bad mood, I sometimes threaten to "develop deep concerns about the state of ethics in video game journalism."
It's disappointing to learn that my cliche is ruined by real reasons to have such concerns.
“Ethics in video game journalism” was a (bullshit) justification for Gamergate.
posted by theclaw at 8:06 AM on August 17, 2023
It's disappointing to learn that my cliche is ruined by real reasons to have such concerns.
“Ethics in video game journalism” was a (bullshit) justification for Gamergate.
posted by theclaw at 8:06 AM on August 17, 2023
something that's, uh, interesting is that reddit keeps taking down anything that quotes or links to madison's post, saying that it violates community standards due to discussion of self-harm. and i'm like, yeah, sure, that's totally why you're taking it down, that's totally your real motivation.
posted by bombastic lowercase pronouncements at 9:25 AM on August 17, 2023 [6 favorites]
posted by bombastic lowercase pronouncements at 9:25 AM on August 17, 2023 [6 favorites]
I was enjoying this content for briefly, until the news about Linus being anti-union. That drained my interest, and I guess I will followup with an unsubscribe and block.
His reasoning on unions was pretty hollow and this really goes to show his real motives for that.
posted by Dalton Luceria at 9:35 AM on August 17, 2023 [2 favorites]
His reasoning on unions was pretty hollow and this really goes to show his real motives for that.
posted by Dalton Luceria at 9:35 AM on August 17, 2023 [2 favorites]
Here's a video that pulls back the camera a little bit to talk about "conflicts of interest" (the legal term) wrt both LTT and GN.
Also, LTT still hasn't pulled the water cooler video. Money is more important.
posted by user92371 at 11:29 AM on August 17, 2023 [1 favorite]
Also, LTT still hasn't pulled the water cooler video. Money is more important.
posted by user92371 at 11:29 AM on August 17, 2023 [1 favorite]
Here I am just hoping that no behind-the-scenes ProjectFarm scandal blows up...
posted by clawsoon at 1:13 PM on August 17, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by clawsoon at 1:13 PM on August 17, 2023 [3 favorites]
Here's a video
Sorry, I'm not taking ethical tips from a guy sponsored by dodgy CD key sellers.
posted by Pendragon at 2:20 PM on August 17, 2023
Sorry, I'm not taking ethical tips from a guy sponsored by dodgy CD key sellers.
posted by Pendragon at 2:20 PM on August 17, 2023
The so-called "apology video" is weirdly non-specific about what exactly they're apologizing for. It's almost entirely talk about what changes they intend to make to their company's internal processes. There was talk in Yvonne's section (around 02:18) about not spending $500 for a (re-)test and she says that Linus made an "egregious" error based on his "personal feelings on the matter" clouding his judgment (I wonder what those feelings were?) but she doesn't say what should have been re-tested or why a re-test was necessary. Later on (around 09:46), Kellen refers to Linus being notified of "the issue", discussing the "errors of the video", and having "misleading information" removed from the video, without mentioning what the issue, errors, or misleading information were. The most specificity comes during Colton's section (around 13:15) where he explicitly apologizes for auctioning off Billet Labs' Monoblock, which I think is the first explicit mention of the wronged company and their product in this 21 minute video. During Linus' section (around 16:50), he complains about people taking an "internal process error" and then accusing him of being a thief (for auctioning off the Monoblock) or trying to brush something under the rug, but he doesn't say what the process error was (e.g.: was it accidentally auctioning off the Monoblock? not sending back Billet Labs' graphics card in a timely manner? or was it to do with the initial review video itself? who knows). He does admit that his decision to not retest the Monoblock was "obviously wrong" but he doesn't say why it should have been retested. I would also observe that Linus does spend a good chunk of his segment trying to explain/justify that he reacted emotionally to (apparently) random Reddit comments impugning his character.
Perhaps I'm being a bit churlish here and maybe the situation is so well-known to the intended audience that no explicit acknowledgement or explication is necessary. Except, the vagueness with which they talk about the circumstances requiring re-testing is in sharp contrast to the way that Colton apologizes for the accidental auction, so I dunno. I would also observe that the original Monoblock video does still seem to be up, so I guess they don't think they did anything wrong enough within that video to justify taking it down. Is it mainly the absence of a re-test video that they're apologizing for? Is it Linus's initial dismissive response on the LTT forums? I still can't quite tell what exactly (if anything) about that part of the story they're sorry about.
posted by mhum at 5:22 PM on August 17, 2023 [1 favorite]
Perhaps I'm being a bit churlish here and maybe the situation is so well-known to the intended audience that no explicit acknowledgement or explication is necessary. Except, the vagueness with which they talk about the circumstances requiring re-testing is in sharp contrast to the way that Colton apologizes for the accidental auction, so I dunno. I would also observe that the original Monoblock video does still seem to be up, so I guess they don't think they did anything wrong enough within that video to justify taking it down. Is it mainly the absence of a re-test video that they're apologizing for? Is it Linus's initial dismissive response on the LTT forums? I still can't quite tell what exactly (if anything) about that part of the story they're sorry about.
posted by mhum at 5:22 PM on August 17, 2023 [1 favorite]
The common unspoken rule that harassment or red flag reporting is childish and unbecoming on the part of the employees and contractors who have to experience or witness it is one of the best reasons sexual harassment goes unpunished and unreported. It is why most offices remain toxic despite multitudinous anonymous and socky AskMe posts about toxic workplaces. Most people who post want change and their workplace is so toxic that raising a simple hand is out of the question because it would only cause one to be harassed. You're not alone and you have the right to the change you want without fearing for your livelihood. It's already the law. Take it.
I hope Linus Sebastian and staff get active sexual harassment training, so you know it when you see it, can constructively interrupt it immediately, discern banter and when not to intrude. You will not be able to look away and you will never forget it. The sense of disgust you will feel as a man is real, challenging and worth every penny to your future life. You will be surprised at how happy you will be after you learn about why men (and a statistical fraction of the female population) do harass: fear of changing software. Safeguarding saves lives and allows companies and organisations who actively embrace it by letting go of harassing influences to embrace actually beneficial ways to let off steam and generate genuine solutions e.g. fingerpainting, that's it.
The best thing about executing a successful sexual harassment strategy is supporting change through dialogue and feedback with internal buyers, software developers and their clients who are peer customers. Sexual harassment training saves a ton of money by actually forcing developers to do their job and support the user experience from the beginning. Software can be the equivalent of any systemic change, such as a new, older or younger employee or subordinate; moving offices; closure of a beloved eatery; having to use someone else's custom interface; subcontractors. Many of these things are normal in that their user experience is often tension-inducing to the point that people push out intrusive or harmful behavior because they've been normalised to a reality where no one actively cares and none self-care to the point that pointless bad behaviour including harmful sexual behaviour at work becomes one of the coping mechanism that managers and long-term workers use to deflect each other's bad behaviour at work.
posted by parmanparman at 5:55 PM on August 17, 2023 [1 favorite]
I hope Linus Sebastian and staff get active sexual harassment training, so you know it when you see it, can constructively interrupt it immediately, discern banter and when not to intrude. You will not be able to look away and you will never forget it. The sense of disgust you will feel as a man is real, challenging and worth every penny to your future life. You will be surprised at how happy you will be after you learn about why men (and a statistical fraction of the female population) do harass: fear of changing software. Safeguarding saves lives and allows companies and organisations who actively embrace it by letting go of harassing influences to embrace actually beneficial ways to let off steam and generate genuine solutions e.g. fingerpainting, that's it.
The best thing about executing a successful sexual harassment strategy is supporting change through dialogue and feedback with internal buyers, software developers and their clients who are peer customers. Sexual harassment training saves a ton of money by actually forcing developers to do their job and support the user experience from the beginning. Software can be the equivalent of any systemic change, such as a new, older or younger employee or subordinate; moving offices; closure of a beloved eatery; having to use someone else's custom interface; subcontractors. Many of these things are normal in that their user experience is often tension-inducing to the point that people push out intrusive or harmful behavior because they've been normalised to a reality where no one actively cares and none self-care to the point that pointless bad behaviour including harmful sexual behaviour at work becomes one of the coping mechanism that managers and long-term workers use to deflect each other's bad behaviour at work.
posted by parmanparman at 5:55 PM on August 17, 2023 [1 favorite]
> mhum: "The so-called "apology video" is weirdly non-specific about what exactly they're apologizing for."
Oh, I should also have noted that that video is referred to as an apology video by the OP but LTT themselves have titled it "What do we do now?", which may explain why it's so focused on internal company process changes. But if this video isn't their official apology, then I'm not sure if they have issued an official apology aside from this video (which, to be clear, does seem to clearly apologize for the accidental auctioning).
posted by mhum at 6:09 PM on August 17, 2023
Oh, I should also have noted that that video is referred to as an apology video by the OP but LTT themselves have titled it "What do we do now?", which may explain why it's so focused on internal company process changes. But if this video isn't their official apology, then I'm not sure if they have issued an official apology aside from this video (which, to be clear, does seem to clearly apologize for the accidental auctioning).
posted by mhum at 6:09 PM on August 17, 2023
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posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 3:23 PM on August 16, 2023 [9 favorites]