More from @Kantrowitz

Alex Kantrowitz

@Kantrowitz

29 Jan

I obtained audio of Facebook’s internal Q&A last week. The main topic was Whatsapp’s privacy practices after its latest snafu.

The conversation that followed was revealing. It said a lot about why Facebook keeps landing in these situations. bigtechnology.substack.com/p/anatomy-of-a…

In the Q&A, employees wanted to know how Facebook could fix its brand, which they called toxic. The question was well directed. It got at the deeper distrust with Facebook vs. the specific WhatsApp changes (which were minor). “What are we doing to improve?”

Zuckerberg answered with two points: 1) Do a better job associating the “Facebook” brand with satellite brands like WhatsApp and Instagram. 2) People like Facebook more when they use its products more.

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Alex Kantrowitz

@Kantrowitz

4 Jan

After watching a full holiday break worth of TikToks, I can tell you America's teens are making Walmart, Target, and your neighborhood grocery store a nightmare.

Checking out? Here's a kid spilling milk all over himself on the register. Pushing your shopping cart? TikToker bashing into you. Trying to get by in the aisle? Someone is dancing there.

Another lesson: If you live in LA a kid will yell munanyo in your ear.

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Alex Kantrowitz

@Kantrowitz

7 Apr 20

Hi Twitter! After years of hard work, my book on the tech giants is out.

Book stores closed, but kindle, audiobooks, and delivery are options. If you love books, I hope you’ll consider picking up mine and others.

Amazon: amazon.com/gp/product/059…

Indies: bookshop.org/books/always-d…

I wrote the book because I wanted to reveal what goes on inside the tech giants. Their culture, leadership practices, technology, and process are just… different. It’s helped them lap the economy. Better for everyone if this is not a mystery.

Business Insider says it delivers:

@FastCompany

The book is filled with fun, weird stories. Here’s an excerpt in @FastCompany about Facebook’s propensity to copy:

"How Facebook became 'the most Chinese company In Silicon Valley'"

fastcompany.com/90486877/how-f…

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Alex Kantrowitz

@Kantrowitz

19 Feb 20

Two well-liked Twitter employees accessed thousands of users’ private information and illegally passed it to the Saudi Royal Family, per the FBI.

It is a crazy story. With many twists and turns, including a fake invoice, an escape from SF, and more. buzzfeednews.com/article/alexka…

We hear a lot about tech companies’ outside threats — Russian bots! — but those I spoke with said insiders working for foreign governments are far more dangerous.

All it takes is one well-placed employee to become a mole, and a country can get identifying data on dissidents

The key for the Saudis, according to the FBI, was enlisting Ali Alzabarah, a site reliability engineer who had vast access to Twitter’s infrastructure.

Alzabarah fled to Saudi Arabia and is now a high ranking official in Mohammed Bin Salman’s Misk Foundation.

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Alex Kantrowitz

@Kantrowitz

11 Apr 18

Facebook does track browsing activity. It does so through the like button on outside websites and the Facebook Pixel. Zuckerberg appears unwilling to say this.

Okay, I'll answer some of the questions, using Facebook's website!

Does Facebook track you off Facebook? Yes, via the Facebook Pixel: "A piece of code for your website that lets you measure, optimize and build audiences for your ad campaigns." facebook.com/business/help/…

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