First off, apologies for missing the last couple of updates. I was working on query letters for book 1 in my series, while simultaneously finishing book 2. The good news is that the first batch of query letters are out, and now I’m waiting; the better news is that I finished a complete first draft of book 2, and I’m now working on the editing. Ping me if you’d like to read it and give me feedback, or learn more about it!

Second, earlier this week, I saw one of my LinkedIn connections’ post, saying goodbye to Salesforce. His farewell post reminded me of my own, when I left Amazon earlier this year. In his, he called out Salesforce’s CEO Marc Beninoff, who said that the Orange Cheat-o should send the National Guard into San Francisco (in clear violation of the posse comitatus act, since he specifically said he’d be “all for” the military being cops). Then, a few days later, it became public knowledge that Salesforce made a pitch to ICE. Specifically, they offered AI tools to help ICE staff up quickly, as well as other services.

My connection bravely stood up for what he believed in, gave his notice, and left his job without knowing what was coming next. I applaud his courage, and wish him the best.

I’ve noticed several connections leave Salesforce in the last few weeks. He was the first one I saw who specifically called out Beninoff’s craven capitulation as his justification. It made me wonder how many others left for the same reason, but weren’t comfortable saying so.

Personally, I’m not going to look towards Salesforce as a potential future employer, and I discourage others from doing so.

This also made me think about a lot of tough questions, and I’m curious about what y’all think.

The first question is: how do we categorize and document which companies are bending the knee?

Second: how can we fight back against them? I’ve already canceled my Disney+ account. I locked down my Facebook account, deleted my Twitter account, and moved to BlueSky. I’m not going to work for any of those companies, and I won’t be using their services. What else can we or should we do? (And I’m only asking for legal options.)

And third: when the dust settles, and if there is justice to be found in this world, what do you think the repercussions will be for those like Bezos, Beninoff, Ellison, Musk, Thiel, and Zuckerberg? The ultra-rich who abused their power and wealth to gut the social safety net, promote racism and transphobia, and subvert democracies around the world – what’s justice for them?

History, I hope, will mutter their names in the same breath as Henry Ford and Fritz ter Meer. But the near term? Sadly, probably nothing.