Jonathan Bellack

Find me on Threads, Facebook, or LinkedIn. Keeping this account in case of future change of control. If you are reading this: you should leave, too.

[Jonathan Bellack @jbellack]

Along with 12,000 others, I was laid off by Google on Friday. This was actually more-or-less by design. I told my manager in late November that I was going to leave Google in early 2023. Here’s why & what I plan to do next. 1/19

[Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society @BKCHarvard]

“Tech companies just wanted to keep people safe. Now they’re unelected governments.”
What went wrong? What’s next?

Enter Platformocracy—a compelling new newsletter by @jbellack on power, platforms & democracy.
First up: Bluesky’s transparency problem.

https://t.co/w2lxXOOw5j

[Jonathan Bellack @jbellack]

Hey @QuickBooks My school's PTA account is in collections due to an invalid payment method, I updated it but just wasted an hour with your support team being told you can't rerun the payment now, I have to wait for a scheduled process next week and might be disabled anyway. Help!

[Jonathan Bellack @jbellack]

Find me https://t.co/jYcTwczxcr and https://t.co/QR9fg5AgsR

[Jonathan Bellack @jbellack]

@JayHulmePoet See if the manufacturer has its own app to control the camera and if you can adjust it to zoom in there. I had a similar issue with a Logitech webcam being crazy wide angle and their software had a setting to fix it.

[Jonathan Bellack @jbellack]

@carlvellotti This is why back in the day I always pushed for PM seats on my team to be together. I knew they’d spend their days out with engineers, customers, etc. but having a home base together have a chance to support each other and also would lead to great conversations and new ideas.

[Jonathan Bellack @jbellack]

@aripap It makes those of us who survive stronger.

[John Cleese @JohnCleese]

I remember what I was once told by a very rich man, when I asked him why so many of his very rich friends were so greedy

He said " No, they are not greedy because they are so rich, they are rich because they are so greedy "

[Jonathan Bellack @jbellack]

@robleathern #3 is key and really applies to virtually all software. There are no software building codes, no safety inspections, and no professional certification requirements like for other forms of engineering, architecture, etc.

[Jonathan Bellack @jbellack]

@jonrosenberg I mean, "Timothy the Practical Sandworm" sounds like a plausible SFAM recurring character...

[Jonathan Bellack @jbellack]

@jonrosenberg This should be a running joke.

It only buys stillsuits from T.J. Maxx

It prepares a month of sand in advance and freezes it in individual portions

It maxes out its 401(k) every year

...

[Jonathan Bellack @jbellack]

Local journalism is essential to strong communities and a functioning democracy. But it doesn’t come for free. Your local team (in Montclair or elsewhere) needs your help. Thanks! 7/7 https://t.co/Drr9yUs81C

[Jonathan Bellack @jbellack]

NEWS (about the news) and A CALL TO ACTION 1/7
https://t.co/uplIvLWXgS

[Jonathan Bellack @jbellack]

Obviously, I would really appreciate it if you would make a (fully tax-deductible) donation to the Montclair Local, whether or not you live here. But if that doesn’t make sense for you, please donate to your own hometown news source. 6/7 https://t.co/Drr9yUs81C

[Jonathan Bellack @jbellack]

@mer__edith This only works if they can ship that steady string of useful features you mention. Otherwise it's just Ballmer and the Blackberry guys insulting the iPhone while it was eating their lunch. Pointing out a competitor's flaws isn't sufficient if you can't deliver real value.

[Jonathan Bellack @jbellack]

@onejasonknight Don't call them bugs. Call them defects. Then ask yourself how many product defects you expect your customers to tolerate and remain paying customers.

[Jonathan Bellack @jbellack]

@jonrosenberg Curious George is not a monkey because he doesn’t have a tail. He is clearly a chimpanzee or possibly a bonobo. The Man with the Yellow Hat sits on a throne of lies.