Gumroad faces backlash over alleged NFT ambitions

Just as many of the ugliest online fights begin these days, Brian "Box" Brown, an Eisner-winning illustrator and comic artist, sent a seemingly innocuous tweet. It read, in part, "my former regular freelance employer has let me know they'll be...Embracing NFTs 🙃 so...we had to part ways." The then unnamed business, Gumroad, shot back the next day with a now-pinned response denying it had plans to enter the controversial crypto-collecting space, and has since attacked detractors from its corporate account, provided conflicting information and alienated a growing portion of the artist community it serves. How did it get so bad?Gumroad, for the unfamiliar, is a digital goods sales platform, which hosts anything from art to ebooks to self-help courses. It was built in 2011 by then-19-year-old CEO Sahil Lavinglia, who is perhaps the only consistent figure within the company. Following a period of growth Lavinglia had to lay off staff in 2016 after failing to raise more money. The company survived, but as it is presently structured, Gumroad is something of an anomaly. The number of full-time employees, according to one the CEO's blog posts is "none. Not even me," preferring to maintain a contractor workforce. It also espouses a version of radical transparency, choosing to make its product roadmap and board meetings public. The image of an all-remote workplace free from deadlines or meetings belies a somewhat haphazard business. Some former workers seemingly signed no contracts... Continue reading at 'Engadget'

[ Engadget | 2022-02-08 21:00:47 UTC ]
News tagged with: #user information #recent source #learn kickstarter #crowdfunding initiative #avoid involvement #bullish outlook #similar reasons #voiced concerns #entire market #digital goods #wildly inflated #financial scams #life choices #excellent gig #lied online #ebooks

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Salesforce employees protest against its NFT ambitions

Salesforce employees aren't happy with the company's plans to enter the non-fungible token (NFT) market. According to the Thomson Reuters Foundation, over 400 employees around the world have signed an open letter raising concerns about the environmental impact of NFTs, as well as their... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2022-02-19 15:39:13 UTC ]
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YA authors shelve NFT story after social media backlash

A group of YA authors have been forced to backtrack over plans for a Non-Fungible Token (NFT) story following an online backlash against the project.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

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Author Junot Diaz faces sexual misconduct allegations

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Sherman Alexie Latest Author Facing Harassment Allegations

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Penguin to publish 'classic' Roald Dahl books after backlash

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Penguin to publish 'classic' Roald Dahl books after backlash

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Did the heir physically attack the spare? That's what Prince Harry alleges in memoir

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Inspirational passion or paid-for promotion: can BookTok be taken on face value?

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'1619 Project' Creator Nikole Hannah-Jones Slams Backlash, Book-Banning Efforts

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