Salesforce Tower, the enormous phallic symbol looming over San Francisco, has gone limp. Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff has long been one of San Francisco’s greatest champions, largest donors, biggest employers, and favorite sons. So it hit particularly hard when he shocked many of his acquaintances and admirers (I consider myself both) by expressing his support for President Trump and calling for the National Guard to come to San Francisco. These days, we’re being constantly let down by tech folks who know better but are giving up their values to gain access to power; trading America’s long term upside for their own perceived short term gains. Even so, given how far along the political spectrum Benioff had to slide to come to his latest conclusions, his comments took the wind out of our already slackened sails. The consistency with which so many of our tech leaders have let us down makes it all the more meaningful when one of us refuses to do so. It empowers us all. So, as I did privately, I thank Ron Conway, probably the most connected person in tech and a longtime friend of the Salesforce CEO, who stepped down from the board of Salesforce’s philanthropic arm after Benioff’s change of politcal heart. NYT (Gift Article): ‘Godfather of Silicon Valley’ Quits Board Over Benioff’s Backing of Trump. “It saddens me immensely to say that with your recent comments, and failure to understand their impact, I now barely recognize the person I have so long admired.” There are days I feel that way about the whole tech industry. Sometimes, I can’t even recognize folks who I consider friends. Thankfully, there are still a few people, like Ron Conway, who I still recognize.
+ NYT (Gift Article): Salesforce Offers Its Services to Boost Trump’s Immigration Force.
2
Was Nory Really That Scary?
“Nory imagined the possibilities of her final year as well as the milestone events around the corner — senior sunrise and sunset gatherings, prom, graduation. But a couple hours after texting with Michelle that morning, Nory sent back a cryptic message. She would not be at practice after all. She had an emergency appointment. After that, Nory stopped communicating altogether.” NYT (Gift Article): Nory Doesn’t Go to School Here Anymore. “ICE deported 17-year-old Nory Sontay Ramos and her mother. Devastation met them in Guatemala.” We were told that ICE was going to target hardened criminals and bad hombres. So why is a teenager doing all the right things, who once watched Guatemalan gang members kick and beat her mother, being sent back to the scene of the crime?
3
Crowning Achievement
“Organizers of the ‘No Kings’ protests are projecting that millions of Americans will demonstrate against the policies of the Trump administration on Saturday, amid ongoing ICE arrests and the deployment of National Guard troops to several Democratic-run cities around the country ... Harvard sociologist and Assistant Professor of Public Policy Liz McKenna said that in the past, movements of this scale have succeeded in influencing social change, but that their efficacy has dropped significantly since the turn of the century ... We’ve seen more people take to the streets, not just in the United States but around the world, by the millions, and in many, if not most of those cases, the protests have not achieved their stated aims.” I think one of the aims of these protests is to remind people that they’re not alone in their love of American democracy and decency. That’s an aim that’s both laudable and achievable.
+ “Ahead of thousands of anti-authoritarian “No Kings” protests planned for Saturday across the United States, Republicans are trying to brand the demonstrations as ‘hate America’ rallies.” GOP tries to brand anti-Trump ‘No Kings’ protests as un-American. (Almost seems like an effort to increase turnout.)
4
Weekend Whats
What to Doc: Martin Scorcese became a singular figure in cinema in part by sharing moments from his own life on film. So it probably shouldn’t surprise anyone that a documentary series about his life would be great. And it is. Mr Scorcese is on Apple TV.
+ What to Book: “Twenty-year-old Thomas Flett lives a slow, deliberate life with his mother in Longferry, Northern England, working his grandpa’s trade as a shanker. He rises early to take his horse and cart to the drizzly shore to scrape for shrimp, and spends the afternoon selling his wares, trying to wash away the salt and sea-scum, pining for his neighbor, Joan Wyeth, and playing songs on his guitar.” Seascraper by Benjamin Wood, longlisted for the Booker Prize, immerses you so instantly and completely into this place that you can almost taste the salty fog as you read.
5
Extra, Extra
Tomahawk Tuah: Zelensky is at the White House pushing for access to Tomahawks. It’s not looking good so far. “One of the reasons we want to get this war over is…that it’s not easy for us to give you … massive numbers of very powerful weapons … Hopefully they won’t need it. Hopefully we’ll be able to get the war over with without thinking about Tomahawks.” Before the meeting took place, Trump agreed to another summit with Putin who he still insists “wants to end the war.” Here’s the latest from The Guardian. And from the NYT (Gift Article): Putin’s Trump Strategy: Lots of Flattery, and Talk of Business Deals.
+ Blood in the Water: U.S. has 2 survivors in custody after strike on alleged Venezuelan cartel boat. Meanwhile, a Trinidadian Family Says U.S. Military Killed Relative in Boat Attack. And the Head of the U.S. Military’s Southern Command Is Stepping Down. “Adm. Alvin Holsey is leaving less than a year into his tenure, and as the Pentagon escalates attacks against boats in the Caribbean Sea.” (Maybe the idea that these strikes are legitimate doesn’t hold water.)
+ On the Case: “While Bolton resides firmly on Trump’s enemies list, the indictment returned against him Thursday in federal district court in Maryland also bears substantial hallmarks of legitimacy. Trump surely takes retributive delight in Bolton’s prosecution, and has encouraged it in unsubtle ways. At the same time, the Bolton indictment appears to have genuine merit.” The John Bolton Indictment Is Different. (The case doesn’t have as much merit as the classified docs case against Trump, but it might have some merit.)
+ The Shadow Knows: “From the wholesale gutting of federal agencies to the ongoing government shutdown, Russell Vought has drawn the road map for Trump’s second term. Vought has consolidated power to an extent that insiders say they feel like ‘he is the commander in chief.’” ProPublica with The New Yorker: The Shadow President.
+ Screen Shot: “YouTube generated more than $36 billion in advertising revenue in 2024, and executives say annual revenue — including subscriptions like YouTube Premium and YouTube Music — tops $50 billion.” YouTube Just Ate TV. It’s Only Getting Started.
+ Not So Fast Forward: WSJ (Gift Article): TiVo Has Sold Its Last DVR. These People Refuse to Let Go. It’s hard to explain what an amazing breakthrough TiVo represented when it first launched. And I’ve lost a few hundred Apple TV remotes. I still know exactly where my TiVo remote is.
6
Feel Good Friday
“Rob Kramer grew up in Pittsburgh, the son of an entrepreneur who ran a couple of furniture stores in the city’s Black and brown neighborhoods. What struck him most as a boy wasn’t the furniture itself, but the way his father treated people. ‘I’ve never met a man who treated every human being, no matter how wealthy or poor they were, exactly the same way — with humor and a huge heart,’ Kramer recalls. That lesson in dignity and hustle would stay with him for life. Decades later, it became part of the inspiration behind his newest venture: Justice Served Coffee, a for-profit platform designed to help formerly incarcerated people build pathways to business ownership.” (This is just one of the many ways Rob Kramer is a great guy.) How Justice Served Coffee Brews Second Chances Into Ownership.
+ For years, men controlled one village’s coffee industry — but one woman changed that.
+ “For months, his campaign faced only sporadic resistance. But over the last week, Brown University, M.I.T., the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Southern California have all rebuffed the White House’s push to give preferential funding treatment to schools that show fealty to Mr. Trump’s agenda.” Universities Are Standing Up to Trump.
+ A book vending machine provides an outlet for D.C.-area authors after funding cuts.
+ “A California engineer and gardening enthusiast won the top prize at an annual pumpkin-weighing contest in Northern California after growing a giant jack-o’-lantern gourd weighing 2,346 pounds.”
+ I Test Drove a Flying Car. Get Ready, They’re Here.
I have dozens of friends who do protest and I fully support them if for no other reason than it makes them feel good to do it. But I’m under no illusions that it affects change in the 21st century. Bullets and money affect change. Preferably money.