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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Authors Sue Alleged ‘Predatory’ Publisher Over Unpaid Royalties

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-01-10 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Did the heir physically attack the spare? That's what Prince Harry alleges in memoir

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Indie Comics Publishers Face Year-End Financial Troubles

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-12-22 05:00:00 UTC ]
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News Corp ends year on a low note as another senior figure investigated over alleged behaviour at staff drinks | The Weekly Beast

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[ The Guardian | 2022-12-16 02:16:26 UTC ]
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Lachlan Murdoch alleges Crikey hired marketing firm to turn legal threat into subscription drive

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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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[ The Huffington Post | 2022-10-28 07:39:53 UTC ]
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Ingram Backs Book.io, A NFT Book Marketplace

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-10-14 04:00:00 UTC ]
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How Lynne Tillman's 'Mothercare' helped me face my aging parents' future

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I could not believe how bravely Salman Rushdie faced the threats to his life. That’s true courage | Hadley Freeman

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[ The Guardian | 2022-08-14 12:39:00 UTC ]
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'iCarly' alum Jennette McCurdy alleges Nickelodeon offered her hush money

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‘Fantastical claims’ and Stephen King: Penguin Random House and DOJ face off for antitrust battle

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James Patterson apologizes for saying white male authors face ‘racism’

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James Patterson Apologizes For Saying Older White Male Writers Face Racism

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James Patterson claims White male writers face ‘another form of racism’

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Bestselling author James Patterson is concerned for white male writers, whom he thinks are having difficulty finding work in the entertainment industry. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

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