Basecamp and politics-free zones

Since social impact of tech is my bag, a few words on Basecamp’s recent statement. Most of the counters have already been made. Anyone who’s paid attention knows ‘apolitical’ is a delusional adjective: it means ‘aligned to the political status quo’. And of course there’s an embarrassing lack of privilege awareness in the statement/s. Opting out is a luxury many people don’t have.

However much they backtrack and narrow scope now, for me the message is clear: values-driven employees aren’t truly welcome at Basecamp. The leaders have that prerogative, sure, and their staff can decide whether that’s an environment they can flourish in.

I expect Basecamp will find this stance has a noticeable effect on future recruitment. The talent race is also an ethical race. But I also worry about the effect on product quality. If staff are scared to discuss ‘societal politics’ (what a tautology!), they’ll feel reticent to discuss the harms their work can do. And if you can’t discuss potential harms, you can’t mitigate them.