

Ask HN: If you were Dropbox CEO, what would you do? - Jugurtha

In the light of the recent nomination of the newest board member at Dropbox, as &quot;Privacy adviser&quot; it seems, which seems fitting given the .. experience of said board member with privacy, or lack thereof; and the protesting movement that followed that decision, what would you do ?<p>Also how does donating a $1000 to a controversial cause, compare to the new member&#x27;s past &quot;achievements&quot; ?<p>What would you do if you were the CEO of Dropbox ?
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bryanjoseph
That's a no brainer. Hookers and cocaine. That's what I'd do as CEO of
Dropbox.

Running a company at that size becomes very difficult, and lonely, when you're
at the top. You have to assume there are many factors which will never be
shared publicly. Until you're that person, it's a bad decision to judge.

Unfortunately most people have never been in that position and hence don't
have the perspective to understand, which is why they immediately jump to
their own fear-based conclusions of self-interest.

One might assume the amount of data involved, and multi-national interest in
security, may induce the necessity to seek assistance from someone who has
previously navigated those waters --- regardless of previous behavior.

The Chicago Cubs may be the worst baseball franchise in history, but if I'm
getting into owning a major league team and the Wrigley Family has
relationships and experience ---- it would be tremendously beneficial to have
them on board -- even if they haven't won a World Series in over 100 years and
make decisions I don't support.

My guess is they just need help navigating the insanely complex global
landscape with the assistance of someone with experience and relationships.

Drew is a smart person who's done a great job building his company. Think
that's going to change now? Not a chance. There are bigger forces at play here
we'll never understand. Speculation, including mine, is futile.

To summarize, hookers and cocaine. That's what I'd do as CEO of Dropbox. ;)

~~~
jesusmichael
bryanjoseph... I wish I could give you a "like" and friend you... so we could
do hookers and cocaine...

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payapp
Mixing politics and business is a bad mix - very little success comes out of
that.

Business is business and a cup of tea is a cup of tea!

~~~
Jugurtha
I don't think this is realistic. Business, especially at a certain level, is
intimately intertwined with politics.

Suffice to look that lobbyists outnumber Congress representatives in
Washington (last time I checked it was 4 to 1, if my memory serves me well).

The reason is that a business must generate profits, and a business doesn't
live "out there in the ether", it is a moral entity bound by laws. The word is
_laws_. So its very existence, and the way it generates profits are regulated.
There _is_ a direct influence of laws on its profits, so the incentive for a
business to influence the laws that influence its profits is one of the first
things that will pop up in someone's head.

"Tax is X% by this law.. I wonder if we could change this.. Do I know someone
who'd be able to influence ?".

And this, on a small scale. Imagine what it's like for big companies, and
people from big companies who change their careers for a Government career. Is
it safe to assume that they _still_ hold affection (didn't want to say
allegiance) to their old company ? It is safe to asume so, it is human after
all.

We need not to see further than former employees of big bangs, pharmaceutical
companies and oil companies who became part of the Government Administration
to see that saying "mixing business and politcs is a bad mix" may be true, but
it still happens. It's not like one can just wipe out memory from someone
who's worked at a company for 20 years.

