Notices by Nate Gaylinn (ngaylinn@tech.lgbt)

The psychological safety I feel here on Mastodon is really something special. It's the first social media platform where I've felt I could really be myself. It's encouraged me to let loose and be authentic in little ways, even when I log out and return to real life.

There's a lot of cynicism and dark subject matter, too. But, honestly, it means the world to be in a community that's as concerned about these things as I am, and supports each other through tough times. Even the painful rants here feel more like genuine catharsis than fodder for doomscrolling.

:blobcatheartR: :mastodon: & :techlgbt:
#mastodon

Apparently, I've become pretty jaded about the tech industry. It's probably because of my time at Google.

Values matter a lot to me, and I always found Google's values inspiring. I worked there for years, and gradually watched us compromise and erode those values. Good intentions didn't matter in the face of corporate business pressures.

Perhaps I was naive, but I wanted to believe we could do good in a conventional, profitable way. It hurts to realize our economy actively discourages that, and corporate values are largely a branding exercise.

It makes me very cynical of any altruistic claims from a business.