[dogman144]

Coinbase's recent actions add interesting additions to the ammunition available for responding to employee activism.

I think the longstanding questions in this area are:

- are the activist employees just a vocal minority

- who will care (or support) if those activists are ignored -> who just wants to get back to work and focus on whatever it is that Company X does for profit.

That presents a somewhat cynical view of corporate culture. But, I'm very incredulous of arguments stating this isn't considered by companies that are large enough for employee activism to matter-matter.

CB essentially tried the usually avoided approach. It said it wouldn't support this stuff by implication (would stay "only mission focused) and gave healthy severance packages to those who wanted to leave. 5% of employees left, and the makeup of the 5% reflected that of the overall workforce. I have to think other companies paid attention to this outcome, although I wonder what internal polling and the like led to CB doing it.

[robertlagrant]

> 5% of employees left, and the makeup of the 5% reflected that of the overall workforce. I have to think other companies paid attention to this outcome, although I wonder what internal polling and the like led to CB doing it.

What's your read on this? Bad outcome or good?

[sushicalculus]

I'd say a good outcome for the company. Avoid the distraction of the vocal minority purposefully trying to create "scandals" to subvert the company's leadership.

[thu2111]

Good for the firm, bad for activist employees. That data point will be used against them by people like Cirne.

Clearly we're starting to see firms separating into "we just get work done here" like Coinbase/New Relic and another other category, "all in on identity politics" like Kickstarter, Google. Firms that don't want to go in that direction but were previously unclear on what the damage might be from activist exits now have at least a ballpark figure - and of course that 5% number is exaggerated. Coinbase basically gave people a huge bonus for disagreeing with the new policy. If not paying people to leave, and in the middle of a lockdown recession, the number would surely be lower.

[dogman144]

Good outcome.