People keep asking me if I'm on Clubhouse yet

So, I started thinking about what would be the minimum level of responsibility & ethics where I could gut check and say ok, yeah, I can work with this and not feel like I'm not amplifying something with a questionable core...

It pretty much came down to something that's simple and that 2020 just made so, so clear

I won't sign up for Clubhouse (or any app) until there is commitment, transparency, and a measurable representation of Black, Latinx, and Indigenous folks in product, design & leadership

This isn't even anything earth shattering, it's like the most boring, simple thing I could possibly say after working in tech for 10+ years

If the platform doesn't include, at a decision-making and ownership level, the people that it borrows credibility from...

It's just going to replicate the harms and wounds of every platform we've seen

But beyond the specific harassment and threats and dangerous, all of which are significant, these platforms also normalize the devaluing of Black voices, Hispanic & Latinx voices, Indigenous voices

The investors know it, the other founders getting sexy w startup jargon know it, the tech writers know it...they just don't want to deal with it because of their proximity to power

And THAT is the real bar, which is why representation & leadership & ownership matter

If the people building the new cool thing aren't willing to create shared power, the other stuff is just bs

So no, I'm not that impressed that Clubhouse launched a big 'ol creator fund

It's an awesome tactic, that I fully support, but it's not going to change the bottom line

Show us the ownership and the decision making. Show us that you're willing to create shared power.