Congratuations to Kelly Battles on her new job at Quora. I believe I'm
correct in saying that this is a company whose business is to make a profit
by pursuing its "mission is to share and grow the world’s knowledge".
Surely that means that in general the more and better the Wikimedia
projects pursue their mission, the more they will undercut Quora's
business? In particular, would not the Knowledge Engine, at least as
originally conceived, be very much in direct competition with Quora's
question-and-answer model? It seems to me that Kelly's duty to her new
employer is likely to come very clearly into conflict with her duty to the
Foundation, and while it is posible that this can be managed, will it not
seriously diminish her ability to work with the Board on the strategic
thinking they are just about to start? I hestiate to suggest that Kelly's
best course of action is to step down from the Board but I do believe it
needs serious consideration by herself and her fellow Trustees -- it is not
clear whether it is better for the Board to have another vacancy, or a
Trustee who is unable to engage in the strategy-setting which is so bady
needed. Indeed, with two vacancies already, and no clear indication of
when or how they will be filled, I suggest that the Board is in a rather
awkward position now.
"Rogol"