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 #life choices #ebooks

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Beautiful Books facing administration

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[ The Bookseller | 2011-10-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Apple and US publishers face agency lawsuit

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[ The Bookseller | 2011-08-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Borders US could face liquidation

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[ The Bookseller | 2011-07-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Google Faces Claim for €295M Damages in French Court

A French publishing company has filed suit against Google, alleging anti-competitive practices and claiming €295 million (US$420 million) in damages. Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2011-06-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Makinson confident as publishers face digital "flux"

Written By: Philip Jones Publication Date: Wed, 22/06/2011 - 10:10 Publishers will play a bigger and more complicated role, but only if the link between the author and reader is "reconfigured", was among the conclusions from a panel of chief executives at Publishers Launch London. John... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-06-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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France faces battle over ebook pricing law

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[ The Bookseller | 2011-05-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Bookthrift in Chesham faces closure

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[ The Bookseller | 2011-01-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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School library services face closure

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[ The Bookseller | 2011-01-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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