Lawrence Lessig for ... WMF

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The reinstatement of James Heilman

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Yuri Astrakhan

26 Feb 2016 26 Feb '16

11:46 p.m.

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Nathan

26 Feb 26 Feb

11:54 p.m.

On Fri, Feb 26, 2016 at 4:46 PM, Yuri Astrakhan <yastrakhan(a)wikimedia.org> wrote:

...

What do you know about his management experience?

Pete Forsyth

11:54 p.m.

Lawrence Lessig has done wonderful things for the free culture movement (including making that very phrase famous!) I am pretty confident, given his recent interests, that he would not want this position,but he's well worth discussing anyway. Though I don't know Larry Lessig personally, I do know his organization (Creative Commons) well. And interestingly enough, CC has recently undergone a substantial shift in its leadership (board turnover and CEO turnover). It has been carried out in a remarkably drama-free way; just last week, I talked to the current CEO and two recent past leaders, who all tell very much the same story, and all feel that the organization is better off, despite having gone through some turbulent times, and despite having further work ahead. I would strongly support any organizational effort to learn from Creative Commons' recent experiences, and how to emulate its success and/or learn from less than ideal parts of its process. -Pete [[User:Peteforsyth]] On Fri, Feb 26, 2016 at 1:46 PM, Yuri Astrakhan <yastrakhan(a)wikimedia.org> wrote:

...

I would like to continue the discussion of who, in an ideal case, would be a good fit for the ED position. This person has to fit culturally, share movement's values, and be a trusted figure in the time of rebuilding. Lawrence Lessig seems to have a very strong support in the community, and even attempted to run (unsuccessfully) a large organization called United States. Thoughts? _______________________________________________ Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines New messages to: Wikimedia-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, <mailto:wikimedia-l-request@lists.wikimedia.org?subject=unsubscribe>

Dan Andreescu

11:59 p.m.

I met him, he's amazingly focused and radical, I appreciate his brand of intellect very much. But I think suggesting candidates for the ED position at this time is jumping two steps ahead of where we are. We just screwed up. We were all dragged through months of an awkward collapse of our leadership and organizational structure. Before we start piling the rubble of this collapse back up into the same exact shape with a different keystone, let's take a breath and think. First we should make sure we understand what, more or less, failed. It was not just Lila. Second, we should talk about what options we have and what criteria we should use to evaluate those options. We can be patient. We have reaffirmed our respect for each other and we trust each other enough to share ideas, emotions, and proposals. This is our foundation, and it hasn't collapsed. Original Message From: Yuri Astrakhan Sent: Friday, February 26, 2016 16:47 To: Wikimedia Mailing List Reply To: Wikimedia Mailing List Subject: [Wikimedia-l] Lawrence Lessig for ... WMF I would like to continue the discussion of who, in an ideal case, would be a good fit for the ED position. This person has to fit culturally, share movement's values, and be a trusted figure in the time of rebuilding. Lawrence Lessig seems to have a very strong support in the community, and even attempted to run (unsuccessfully) a large organization called United States. Thoughts? _______________________________________________ Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines New messages to: Wikimedia-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, <mailto:wikimedia-l-request@lists.wikimedia.org?subject=unsubscribe>

Oliver Keyes

27 Feb 27 Feb

12:23 a.m.

I'm agreed with Dan and Nathan (well, Nathan's implied point) both. Right now we need stability. I'd much prefer an interim ED appointed from inside the organisation or movement, ideally someone who has been watching what's been going on. And then time for healing and reflection in that space of stability that lets us make a better decision. I have no particular opinions on Lessig - or on Creative Commons - except to note that the organisational leaders are the people whose opinions on trauma around reorganisations least matter, insofar as, structurally, they are both the people least likely to be messed over by them and the people most detached from any swirling mass of feeling that exists in the employee base. I'd be interested instead in hearing from current or former employees (I know a couple and they are not as positive, but it's a small sample size) to make any evaluation more informed. On Fri, Feb 26, 2016 at 4:59 PM, Dan Andreescu <dandreescu(a)wikimedia.org> wrote:

...

Yuri Astrakhan

12:31 a.m.

For the inside, I would think Yana W would be a good candidate, but as Raul Veede suggested on FB, it would be bad to loose her expertise in her current role. Dan, I think you are right that we are not yet ready to have a drop-in replacement simply because we should figure out what went wrong first. Possibly we shouldn't even have an ED, but rather have a flatter community-driven committee that allocates funds, and projects getting resources from it. And this committee would, in affect, be the direction-determining force. On Sat, Feb 27, 2016 at 1:23 AM, Oliver Keyes <ironholds(a)gmail.com> wrote:

...

I met him, he's amazingly focused and radical, I appreciate his brand of

intellect very much. But I think suggesting candidates for the ED position at this time is jumping two steps ahead of where we are.

We just screwed up. We were all dragged through months of an awkward

collapse of our leadership and organizational structure. Before we start piling the rubble of this collapse back up into the same exact shape with a different keystone, let's take a breath and think.

First we should make sure we understand what, more or less, failed. It

was not just Lila. Second, we should talk about what options we have and what criteria we should use to evaluate those options.

We can be patient. We have reaffirmed our respect for each other and we

trust each other enough to share ideas, emotions, and proposals. This is our foundation, and it hasn't collapsed.

Original Message From: Yuri Astrakhan Sent: Friday, February 26, 2016 16:47 To: Wikimedia Mailing List Reply To: Wikimedia Mailing List Subject: [Wikimedia-l] Lawrence Lessig for ... WMF I would like to continue the discussion of who, in an ideal case, would

a good fit for the ED position. This person has to fit culturally, share movement's values, and be a trusted figure in the time of rebuilding. Lawrence Lessig seems to have a very strong support in the community, and even attempted to run (unsuccessfully) a large organization called United States. Thoughts? _______________________________________________ Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at:

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Lodewijk

12:56 a.m.

While I love public discussions, I must say I always feel a bit awkward to discuss people in public, unless there is no other choice. To discuss people without them agreeing to it, may even be considered rude by some. You're throwing up names, which can realistically only lead to people supporting it, because if you would be against it, it would possibly be a slap in the face of someone you like. If you really see a serious potential candidate, why not send it to the board? or, once a public call is being made, point those people to it. Lodewijk On Fri, Feb 26, 2016 at 11:31 PM, Yuri Astrakhan <yastrakhan(a)wikimedia.org> wrote:

...

intellect very much. But I think suggesting candidates for the ED

position

at this time is jumping two steps ahead of where we are.

We just screwed up. We were all dragged through months of an awkward

collapse of our leadership and organizational structure. Before we start piling the rubble of this collapse back up into the same exact shape

with a

different keystone, let's take a breath and think.

First we should make sure we understand what, more or less, failed. It

was not just Lila. Second, we should talk about what options we have and what criteria we should use to evaluate those options.

We can be patient. We have reaffirmed our respect for each other and we

trust each other enough to share ideas, emotions, and proposals. This is our foundation, and it hasn't collapsed.

be > a good fit for the ED position. This person has to fit culturally,

> movement's values, and be a trusted figure in the time of rebuilding. > > Lawrence Lessig seems to have a very strong support in the community,

and

> even attempted to run (unsuccessfully) a large organization called

United

States. Thoughts? _______________________________________________ Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at:

https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines

New messages to: Wikimedia-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l,

<mailto:wikimedia-l-request@lists.wikimedia.org?subject=unsubscribe>

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Yuri Astrakhan

1:23 a.m.

Lodewijk, this is a very valid point, thanks. My understanding is that this process done in private has lost some of its credibility with the staff and the community, and thus I would like to get some understanding on how we can do that same process in the open, without offending anyone. In the wiki world, I think most of the time people have publicly nominated candidates for various roles, and that has not been a concern. Of course the nick names provide some degree of anonymity, so this might not be exactly the same. On Feb 27, 2016 01:57, "Lodewijk" <lodewijk(a)effeietsanders.org> wrote:

...

wrote:

For the inside, I would think Yana W would be a good candidate, but as

Raul > Veede suggested on FB, it would be bad to loose her expertise in her > current role.

> Dan, I think you are right that we are not yet ready to have a drop-in > replacement simply because we should figure out what went wrong first. > Possibly we shouldn't even have an ED, but rather have a flatter > community-driven committee that allocates funds, and projects getting > resources from it. And this committee would, in affect, be the > direction-determining force.

> On Sat, Feb 27, 2016 at 1:23 AM, Oliver Keyes <ironholds(a)gmail.com> wrote:

> > I'm agreed with Dan and Nathan (well, Nathan's implied point) both. >

> > Right now we need stability. I'd much prefer an interim ED appointed > > from inside the organisation or movement, ideally someone who has been > > watching what's been going on. And then time for healing and > > reflection in that space of stability that lets us make a better > > decision. >

> > I have no particular opinions on Lessig - or on Creative Commons - > > except to note that the organisational leaders are the people whose > > opinions on trauma around reorganisations least matter, insofar as, > > structurally, they are both the people least likely to be messed over > > by them and the people most detached from any swirling mass of feeling > > that exists in the employee base. I'd be interested instead in hearing > > from current or former employees (I know a couple and they are not as > > positive, but it's a small sample size) to make any evaluation more > > informed. >

> > On Fri, Feb 26, 2016 at 4:59 PM, Dan Andreescu < dandreescu(a)wikimedia.org >

> > wrote: > > > I met him, he's amazingly focused and radical, I appreciate his brand > of > > intellect very much. But I think suggesting candidates for the ED > position > > at this time is jumping two steps ahead of where we are. > >

> > > We just screwed up. We were all dragged through months of an awkward > > collapse of our leadership and organizational structure. Before we start > > piling the rubble of this collapse back up into the same exact shape > with a > > different keystone, let's take a breath and think. > >

> > > First we should make sure we understand what, more or less, failed. It

> was not just Lila. Second, we should talk about what options we have

and > > what criteria we should use to evaluate those options. > >

> > > We can be patient. We have reaffirmed our respect for each other and we

> trust each other enough to share ideas, emotions, and proposals. This

is > > our foundation, and it hasn't collapsed. > >

> > > Original Message > > > From: Yuri Astrakhan > > > Sent: Friday, February 26, 2016 16:47 > > > To: Wikimedia Mailing List > > > Reply To: Wikimedia Mailing List > > > Subject: [Wikimedia-l] Lawrence Lessig for ... WMF > >

> > > I would like to continue the discussion of who, in an ideal case, would > > be > > > a good fit for the ED position. This person has to fit culturally, > share > > > movement's values, and be a trusted figure in the time of rebuilding. > >

> > > Lawrence Lessig seems to have a very strong support in the community, > and > > > even attempted to run (unsuccessfully) a large organization called > United > > > States. > >

> > > Thoughts? > > > _______________________________________________ > > > Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: > > https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines > > > New messages to: Wikimedia-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org > > > Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, > > <mailto:wikimedia-l-request@lists.wikimedia.org?subject=unsubscribe> > >

> > > _______________________________________________ > > > Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: > > https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines > > > New messages to: Wikimedia-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org > > > Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, > > <mailto:wikimedia-l-request@lists.wikimedia.org?subject=unsubscribe> >

> > _______________________________________________ > > Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: > > https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines > > New messages to: Wikimedia-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org > > Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, > > <mailto:wikimedia-l-request@lists.wikimedia.org?subject=unsubscribe> >

> _______________________________________________ > Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: > https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines > New messages to: Wikimedia-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org > Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, > <mailto:wikimedia-l-request@lists.wikimedia.org?subject=unsubscribe>

Comet styles

3:22 a.m.

Lawrence Lessig is an excellent suggestion, probably would be my Candidate A for the job if he wasn't 'besties' with Jimmy Wales..we have already had issues with the staff and board working together in secrecy without the community's knowledge, we should not have to go through it again.. I agree with Lodewijk, we should not be discussing this BUT the WMF has a habit of selecting the worst candidates for the job on both the board and the staff without the community's input or knowledge, so surely if this is the only way the community can gets its input, then so be it.... On 2/27/16, Yuri Astrakhan <yastrakhan(a)wikimedia.org> wrote:

...

wrote:

For the inside, I would think Yana W would be a good candidate, but as

Raul > Veede suggested on FB, it would be bad to loose her expertise in her > current role.

> On Sat, Feb 27, 2016 at 1:23 AM, Oliver Keyes <ironholds(a)gmail.com> wrote:

> > I'm agreed with Dan and Nathan (well, Nathan's implied point) both. >

> > On Fri, Feb 26, 2016 at 4:59 PM, Dan Andreescu < dandreescu(a)wikimedia.org >

> > wrote: > > > I met him, he's amazingly focused and radical, I appreciate his > > > brand > of > > intellect very much. But I think suggesting candidates for the ED > position > > at this time is jumping two steps ahead of where we are. > >

> > > First we should make sure we understand what, more or less, failed. It

> was not just Lila. Second, we should talk about what options we have

and > > what criteria we should use to evaluate those options. > >

> > > We can be patient. We have reaffirmed our respect for each other and we

> trust each other enough to share ideas, emotions, and proposals. This

is > > our foundation, and it hasn't collapsed. > >

> > > Lawrence Lessig seems to have a very strong support in the > > > community, > and > > > even attempted to run (unsuccessfully) a large organization called > United > > > States. > >

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Dan Andreescu
Lodewijk
Nathan
Oliver Keyes
Pete Forsyth
Yuri Astrakhan