I'm probably missing some context. I've seen earlier references to this NFT in light of his appointment. What I somehow missed (sorry if I overlooked it) is a clear indication how he would have supported this NFT, and especially whether he supported problematic aspects of it specifically. Also: has he spoken out about it since, or contextualized it in any way?
I hope those of us better informed can help to understand this conversation a bit better. Lodewijk On Sat, Dec 10, 2022 at 7:06 PM Lane Chance <zinkl...@gmail.com> wrote: > Just to remind you, Luis Bitencourt-Emilio is one of the Wikimedia > Foundation's unelected trustees. He publicly supported the infamous > "monkey" NFTs, widely thought to mirror racist tropes,* and used one as his > social media avatar when first appointed to the board. > > In the last 24 hours a class action lawsuit is in the news, suing > celebrities who were paid to promote the same Bored Ape Yacht Club NFTs now > considered "fraudulently misleading". It remains bizarre that the Wikimedia > Foundation, considered a technology-leading organization with a core > commitment to ethical behaviour, is publicly represented by someone who was > openly part of the BAYC fanbois with such bad judgement they helped this > alleged pyramid scheme. This background of lousy judgement does not meet > the requirement for anyone sitting in top-level governance over the > activities and massive funding for Wikimedia projects and operations. > > As was previously remarked in this email thread, "We should have looked at > that history and trod more carefully." More worryingly the defensively > circling the wagons at the beginning of the year to brush off the questions > this raises shows that the Wikimedia Foundation nor the governance > committee they rely on to "vet" unelected trustee appointments, failed. > > * A context here from an analysis by David Gerard "It does seem pretty > likely that the Ape bros are at least casually racist. For one thing, they > clearly feel at home in those corners of internet edgelord culture whose > syncretism includes the troll disposition that has characterised the > identitarian right since at least the eighties, the performative nihilism > that has come to characterise disaffected digital natives in the wake of > the Great Recession, and the ironic hipster racism that somehow always > stops being ironic after a while. For another, they are shilling crypto, a > project of the far right since day one." [3] > > Thanks, > Lane > > References > 1. > https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/celebrity-promoters-sued-over-bored-ape-nft-endorsements-1235279115 > 2. > https://futurism.com/the-byte/celebrities-bored-apes-are-hilariously-worthless-now > 3. > https://davidgerard.co.uk/blockchain/2022/02/06/bored-ape-yacht-club-and-neo-nazis-so-much-reaching-for-just-four-bananas/ > > On Thu, 13 Jan 2022 at 16:02, Lane Chance <zinkl...@gmail.com> wrote: > >> Dariusz, Chair of the BGC: "Cryptocurrency and blockchains were not a >> factor here – the Governance Committee, and then the Board, were >> considering other things..." >> >> This is so wrong it's painful to read. The fundamental job of the >> Governance Committee is to ensure that appointed trustees do not come with >> the potential to cause harm to the Wikimedia 'brand' and the community. >> >> A WMF trustee that promotes Bitcoin and NFTs? Compare with the WMF >> statement "We at the Wikimedia Foundation strive to ensure that our work >> and mission support a sustainable world" - now in the bin as it lacks any >> credibility from here on, as the governance committee and therefore the >> board of trustees does not believe in these values. This is not a >> successful appointment, Luis Bitencourt-Emilio is not welcome as they are a >> controversial and damaging addition to the board. >> >> Ref: >> https://wikimediafoundation.org/news/2019/09/19/how-the-wikimedia-foundation-is-making-efforts-to-go-green >> >> On Thu, 13 Jan 2022 at 13:40, Dariusz Jemielniak <dar...@kozminski.edu.pl> >> wrote: >> >>> Dear Dan, >>> >>> Thank you for the feedback! >>> >>> The search for a trustee with an expertise in product and technology >>> began a few months ago. One of the problems we identified was that the >>> Wikimedia Foundation CTOs (Chief Technology Officer) are usually not >>> staying for a long period of time, and then there was also a CPO (Chief >>> Product Officer) transition. It was also important that the new CEO (Chief >>> Executive Officer) would like to have a trustee with relevant experience >>> and leadership in the tech world (as would the Board itself), but also with >>> the understanding and experience of how technology and communities can work >>> together, so, as you said, Reddit experience is very relevant. >>> >>> The other critical factor was diversity – the search was prioritizing >>> candidates with experience outside of Silicon Valley, in non-English >>> speaking countries, preferably from the Global South. >>> >>> And, of course, we also needed a commitment to spend enough time on the >>> Board work – to be engaged and present. For example, Luis met online and >>> offline with Wikimedia volunteers from Spanish and Portuguese-speaking >>> communities, he is eager to help us with his knowledge and experience. >>> Cryptocurrency and blockchains were not a factor here – the Governance >>> Committee, and then the Board, were considering other things Luis brings to >>> the table, the needed expertise, diversity and commitment. >>> >>> I personally am not particularly fond of cryptocurrencies, even though I >>> appreciate blockchain as a technology, and support e.g. decentralized >>> science (https://decentralized.science/). We as a movement have not had >>> a uniform stand on this, and I’m not sure if we should, though. >>> >>> Best regards, >>> Dariusz (chair of the BGC) >>> >>> On Thu, Jan 13, 2022 at 1:40 PM Dan Garry (Deskana) <djgw...@gmail.com> >>> wrote: >>> >>>> Thanks for the update, Nataliia. Knowledge and expertise in product and >>>> technology is a skill set that has been lacking on the Board, and it's >>>> great to see the Board addressing this by co-opting product and technology >>>> leaders. Luis's experience, such as his time at reddit, will likely be very >>>> applicable to our movement. >>>> >>>> However, I'm surprised that the Board chose to co-opt someone who seems >>>> to have such a public focus on technology like blockchains and >>>> cryptocurrency, and that this focus of his was omitted from this >>>> announcement. >>>> >>>> It would be helpful if we could hear from Luis how he intends to use >>>> his knowledge and expertise to contribute to the movement as a Board >>>> member, and to what extent he considers blockchain and cryptocurrency to >>>> factor into that. >>>> >>>> Thanks, >>>> Dan >>>> >>>> On Wed, 12 Jan 2022 at 17:20, Nataliia Tymkiv <ntym...@wikimedia.org> >>>> wrote: >>>> >>>>> Dear All, >>>>> >>>>> Please join me in welcoming Luis Bitencourt-Emilio to the Wikimedia >>>>> Foundation Board of Trustees. Luis was unanimously appointed to a 3-year >>>>> term and replaces a board-selected Trustee, Lisa Lewin, whose term ended >>>>> in >>>>> November 2021 [1]. >>>>> >>>>> Currently based in São Paulo, Luis is the Chief Technology Officer at >>>>> Loft, a technology startup in the real-estate industry. He brings product >>>>> and technology experience from a globally diverse career that has spanned >>>>> large technology companies including Microsoft, online networking sites >>>>> like Reddit, and a series of entrepreneurial technology ventures focused >>>>> in >>>>> the USA and Latin America. Luis has led product and technology teams >>>>> across >>>>> Latin America, the United States, Europe and Asia. He is passionately >>>>> involved in building and promoting the entrepreneurial ecosystem for Latin >>>>> American-based startups. >>>>> >>>>> Luis has more than two decades of experience across product >>>>> development, software engineering, and data science. At Microsoft, he led >>>>> engineering teams shipping multiple Microsoft Office products. At Reddit, >>>>> he led the Knowledge Group, an engineering team that owned critical >>>>> functions such as data, machine learning, abuse detection and search. He >>>>> was deeply involved in Reddit’s growth stage and worked closely with >>>>> Reddit’s communities in that evolution. Luis also co-founded a fintech >>>>> startup to help millennials manage and automate their finances. >>>>> >>>>> His career has also been shaped by a visible commitment to recruiting >>>>> diverse leaders. At Reddit, Luis was a key member of the recruitment >>>>> efforts that achieved equal representation of women engineering directors. >>>>> Luis says his proudest achievement at Microsoft was building their >>>>> Brazilian talent pipeline by working closely with local universities to >>>>> place thousands of engineering candidates at Microsoft, as well as his >>>>> involvement in expanding global recruitment to markets including Ukraine, >>>>> Poland, Great Britain, the EU and Mexico. >>>>> >>>>> Luis was educated in Brazil and the United States, receiving a >>>>> Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering with Honors from the >>>>> University >>>>> of Maryland. He is fluent in Portuguese, Spanish and English. He is also a >>>>> proud father and dog lover. >>>>> >>>>> I would like to thank the Governance Committee, chaired by Dariusz >>>>> Jemielniak, for this nomination process as well as volunteers in our >>>>> Spanish and Portuguese speaking communities who also met with Luis or >>>>> shared their experiences. >>>>> >>>>> You can find an official announcement here [2]. >>>>> >>>>> PS. You can help translate or find translations of this message on >>>>> Meta-Wiki: >>>>> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Board_noticeboard/January_2022_-_Luis_Bitencourt-Emilio_Joins_Wikimedia_Foundation_Board_of_Trustees >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> [1] Lisa Lewin served from January 2019 till November 2021: >>>>> https://foundation.wikimedia.org/wiki/Resolution:Renewing_Lisa_Lewin%E2%80%99s_Appointment_to_the_Board_of_Trustees,_2021 >>>>> >>>>> [2] >>>>> https://diff.wikimedia.org/2022/01/12/luis-bitencourt-emilio-joins-wikimedia-foundation-board-of-trustees/ >>>>> >>>>> Best regards, >>>>> antanana / Nataliia Tymkiv >>>>> Chair, Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees >>>>> >>>>> *NOTICE: You may have received this message outside of your normal >>>>> working hours/days, as I usually can work more as a volunteer during >>>>> weekend. You should not feel obligated to answer it during your days off. >>>>> Thank you in advance!* >>>>> >>>>> _______________________________________________ >>>>> Wikimedia-l mailing list -- wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org, >>>>> guidelines at: >>>>> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and >>>>> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia-l >>>>> Public archives at >>>>> https://lists.wikimedia.org/hyperkitty/list/wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org/message/2GJOGXKJITWZDZU3NQZQXX2ENN2EEK25/ >>>>> To unsubscribe send an email to wikimedia-l-le...@lists.wikimedia.org >>>> >>>> _______________________________________________ >>>> Wikimedia-l mailing list -- wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org, >>>> guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines >>>> and https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia-l >>>> Public archives at >>>> https://lists.wikimedia.org/hyperkitty/list/wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org/message/GVFVBGYZF2EDA5U4HRQKW4Y4HOKX6GWB/ >>>> To unsubscribe send an email to wikimedia-l-le...@lists.wikimedia.org >>> >>> >>> >>> -- >>> >>> __________________________________ >>> >>> prof. dr hab. Dariusz Jemielniak kierownik katedry MINDS >>> <https://nerds.kozminski.edu.pl/>, Akademia Leona Koźmińskiego >>> >>> członek korespondent Polskiej Akademii Nauk <https://pan.pl/> >>> >>> faculty associate Berkman-Klein Center for Internet and Society >>> <https://cyber.harvard.edu/>, Harvard University >>> Ważniejsze książki: Collaborative Society >>> <https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/collaborative-society> (2020, MIT >>> Press, z A. Przegalińską), Thick Big Data >>> <https://global.oup.com/academic/product/thick-big-data-9780198839705?cc=gb&lang=en> >>> (2020, >>> Oxford University Press), Common Knowledge? >>> <https://www.sup.org/books/title/?id=24010> (2014, Stanford University >>> Press) >>> *Ostatnie artykuły:* >>> >>> - Jędrzej Chrzanowski, Julia Sołek, Dariusz Jemielniak, Wojciech >>> Fendler (2021) Assessing Public Interest Based on Wikipedia’s Most >>> Visited Medical Articles During the SARS-CoV-2 Outbreak >>> <https://www.jmir.org/2021/4/e26331/>, *Journal of Medical Internet >>> Research*, 23(4)::e26331 >>> - Natalia Banasik-Jemielniak, Dariusz Jemielniak, Wojciech Pędzich >>> (2021) Intercessory Rote Prayer, Life Longevity and the Mortality of >>> Roman Catholic Bishops: An Exploratory Study >>> <https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10943-021-01214-9>, >>> *Journal >>> of Religion and Health*, doi.org/10.1007/s10943-021-01214-9 >>> - Natalia Banasik-Jemielniak, Dariusz Jemielniak, Maciej >>> Wilamowski (2021) Psychology and Wikipedia: Measuring Psychology >>> Journals’ Impact by Wikipedia Citations >>> >>> <http://nerds.kozminski.edu.pl/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Psychology-and-Wikipedia-measuring-psychology-journals-impact-by-Wikipedia-citations.pdf> >>> , *Social Science Computer Review, *doi.org/10.1177/0894439321993836 >>> >>> - Agata Stasik, Dariusz Jemielniak (2021) Public involvement in risk >>> governance in the internet era: impact of new rules of building trust and >>> credibility >>> >>> <http://nerds.kozminski.edu.pl/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Public-involvement-in-risk-governance-in-the-internet-era-impact-of-new-rules-of-building-trust-and-credibility.pdf>, >>> Journal of Risk Research, doi.org/10.1080/13669877.2020.1864008 >>> >>> _______________________________________________ >>> Wikimedia-l mailing list -- wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org, guidelines >>> at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and >>> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia-l >>> Public archives at >>> https://lists.wikimedia.org/hyperkitty/list/wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org/message/K2IKIPHHWSLB4HJTEEX7GSKGOOSGZFVD/ >>> To unsubscribe send an email to wikimedia-l-le...@lists.wikimedia.org >> >> _______________________________________________ > Wikimedia-l mailing list -- wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org, guidelines > at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and > https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia-l > Public archives at > https://lists.wikimedia.org/hyperkitty/list/wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org/message/H3AMI7IVQK2TQHJ6W3GTSSWIW67F726M/ > To unsubscribe send an email to wikimedia-l-le...@lists.wikimedia.org
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