Wael Ghonim, former Google marketing executive and activist, discusses the rapid growth of the Facebook page that helped mobilize Egyptian youth in 2010 and 2011.
Opinion
Ghonim: Western Democracy-Promotion Agenda Is Naive and Dysfunctional
“I do think that at the end of the day, this agenda is a naive one. And it's and, you know, I don't need much to prove its naivety because at the end of the day, even the democratic solution in the West is being kind of like in a mess right now. It's not where …”
Insight
Ghonim: Traditional VC cycles incentivize startups to grow into toxic products
“You can't just build something right in, in that kind of cycle. You're going to build something that grows into cancer. In this cycle of, like, trying to, series A, series B, what is happening? You know, we need to improve this number because the investor is l…”
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Ghonim: Social platforms adopted content moderation due to advertisers, not public pressure
“Facebook YouTube did not want to be the ministry of truth until the advertisers decided they're not happy. And then the ministry of truth was launched you know, which is fine. I mean, I guess I guess at the end of the day, it's their platform, but I'm just say…”
Insight
Ghonim: Oppressing or torturing someone does not make a person inherently evil
“The fact that someone oppresses me does not automatically make them oppressor for good. And the fact that one is oppressing me does not make them the evil the evil people. I mean, even if they torture me, that does not make them the evil people.”
Opinion
Ghonim rejects ACAB, asserting police are necessary for a manageable society
“I don't do ACAB. I was tortured by police, but I don't believe ACAB at all. I believe that all cops are important to have in the society so that we can actually have a manageable society.”
Opinion
Ghonim: Social Media Networks Were Designed for Growth, Not Safety
“These infrastructure networks, these like kind of like highways of information that is being designed have not been designed with safety in mind. They have not. They actually have been designed with recklessness in mind, with growth in mind, with speed in mind…”