Role Models in Tech

Thought I would share something that Paris Marx, a critical tech writer, wrote in his recent Disconnect newsletter (which I highly recommend!). What he writes about provides a great contrast on the qualities of people in tech who we should be looking up to. Let's face it, whether or not you are in tech, and despite the recent turmoil in the industry, tech and its leaders remain highly influential on all of us. The problem is, the people who get the most exposure in the media and our culture are not necessarily the best examples of role models. To me, the best role models are people who fosture a culture of accountability, empathy, coachability, and leading by example. I think it is clear from this story which of the two subjects best expresses these qualities (emphasis mine).

Earlier this week, Icelandic designer Haraldur Þorleifsson, better known as Halli, took to Twitter to ask Elon Musk whether he still had a job. He’d been cut off from his work computer, along with about 200 other employees, but there was no word as to their employment status. Musk quickly took the bait, and started publicly berating Halli, even saying he didn’t do any work because of his disability.

After Musk had his say, Halli shot back with a thread that dug the knife into Musk, and showed a distinct contrast between the designer and his a--hole boss. But there’s a bigger point here that I wanted to draw attention to, which seems even more relevant as we discuss the repercussions of SVB’s collapse on the industry and whether it’s worth protecting.

Halli became a Twitter employee when his company, Ueno, was acquired in 2021. But what he did next showed a big contrast with the industry and gained him a lot of goodwill in Iceland. As described by the Iceland Review,

Halli, a 45 year-old designer, gained nation-wide recognition this year when, after the sale of his tech company Ueno to Twitter, he chose to be paid the sale price as wages. Normally in such large sales, the payment comes in the form of stock or other financial instruments, which categorize the sale as capital gains, meaning it is taxed at a much lower rate. Halli, however, gladly paid the higher tax rate, having spoken publicly on many occasions about the benefits he has received from the Icelandic social system.

Halli was born with muscular dystrophy and came from a working class background. In statements about his decision to pay back into the Icelandic social system, he cited both healthcare and education in Iceland as keys to his success. Notably, he was one of the highest tax payers in the nation after the sale of Ueno.

Compare Halli, who was paid in wages to have a higher tax bill, to someone like Elon Musk and much of the rest of the Silicon Valley crew who fight for lower taxes and tax breaks whenever they get the opportunity to minimize the amount they contribute to the society that facilitated their success so they can fill their own coffers. It’s just another example of how we don’t need to be cherishing these terrible people.