Dear all,
Apologies for resurrecting this old thread. The discussion about cryptocurrency is
interesting, but it is not what caught my eye on (belatedly) reading this announcement.
I am more concerned about Bitencourt-Emilio's previous job as an executive at Rappi.
Rappi is charitably—some might say euphemistically—described in the WMF's official
announcement as a company "focused on serving consumers in Latin America". In
reality, it is a courier service that relies on the exploitation of underpaid,
precariously employed workers,[1][2] implicated in dangerously neglecting their employees
health and safety,[3] profiteering from the Venezuelan refugee crisis,[4] and using child
labour.[5] Our new trustee was one of the leaders of this organisation; is this really the
kind of experience we want to bring to the movement?
And a question for Dariusz: you've said Bitencourt-Emilio's involvement in
cryptocurrency was "not a factor" in his selection. Surely the committee
considered not just what experience candidates had that the Board could use, but
experience that might mean they're *not* a good fit? I.e., working for Reddit is all
well and good, but I wouldn't immediately think of a career in real estate
speculation, fintech, and the gig economy as good preparation for stewarding our movement
for **free** knowledge. Am I just out of touch? Did the committee discuss these issues at
all?
Best wishes,
Joe
[1]
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10714839.2019.1650485
[2]
https://www.solidaritycenter.org/colombia-gig-economy-workers-wage-country-…
[3]
https://contxto.com/en/argentina/buenos-aires-suspends-rappi-glovo-and-pedi…
[4]
https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20190701-the-gig-economy-is-a-double-e…
[5]
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-brazil-trafficking-apps-rappi-trfn-idUSK…