From the translator: There was an active discussion around the dismissal of a third of Basecamp employees on Habré. The author of the original article reconstructs a conversation during one of Friday's general calls and claims that it was after him that many employees made the decision to quit.
I limited myself to translating only the conversation. First, it is only in this isolated form that it is possible to maintain neutrality. Secondly, the main thing for me is to show the case of the action of cultural differences. And I ask readers to approach the conversation primarily from the point of view of the professional topics of Habr. Cultural differences matters.
Disclaimer: Please, especially if you have no experience of working in an American or multicultural company, remember that you also have your own cultural background. It will distort the meaning of what you read. Try to reread the conversation several times, deliberately putting yourself in the position of different participants. Don't let your cognitive biases get the best of you. Also remember that the veracity of the participants' words is not fully known.
Before heating up to the limit, Friday's meeting began on a conciliatory note. Freed, who looked tired according to staff, began the meeting with an apology for announcing the policy changes on a public blog before informing all staff members. Hansson turned on from his bed, saying that he was not feeling well. After the opening remarks, he turned off the camera.
Fried opened the floor for comments and questions. Over the next two and a half hours, employees talked to the founders about the policy changes, the events that led to them, and the state of the company. The first part of the meeting was devoted to a discussion of the events that unfolded in the internal chat of Basecamp last month. One staff member cited the Anti-Diffomation League's "pyramid of hate" arguing that documents like the list of "funny" names set the stage for racist violence and could even lead to genocide.
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During the conversation, I expressed the opinion that we all want a future in which everyone will be treated fairly. Yet there may be controversy over whether defining our culture as a "white supremacist" culture will help achieve this goal [of justice]. The topic is so electrifying that discussing such disagreements at work quickly leads to misunderstandings, high-profile accusations, and a loss of faith.
Unfortunately, there was a painful misunderstanding. After the call, the tension was so high that I decided it would be unreasonable for my further stay in the team. I applied for my resignation over the weekend. "