Sometimes powerful people just do dumb shit

Big mistake

It has been reported that what began as a $44 billion acquisition in October 2022 unraveled into one of tech’s most public management trainwrecks. Ja Westenberg lays it out plainly: a rushed purchase, reportedly waived due diligence, mass layoffs that gutted moderation and accessibility, a verification fiasco that allegedly allowed an impersonation to tank Eli Lilly’s stock — and, it has been reported that, a 2026 jury found the buyer liable for misleading investors. Ambition met amateur hour. The result was a battered product, an exodus of advertisers, and a company scrambling to rehire people nobody checked they'd need.

The 4D chess delusion

Why do smart people defend this? Westenberg points to the “4D chess” crowd — folks who insist that every blunder is actually a secret move in a master plan we mere mortals can’t see. Sound familiar? It’s the same rimshot of hubris that can turn brilliance into catastrophe. Remember Napoleon in Russia: genius on paper, catastrophic in practice. Power can make mistakes look like strategy until the body count — literal or reputational — tells a different story.

Why it matters

This isn’t just theater for Twitterati. It’s a reminder that scale magnifies mistakes. When a platform that shapes public conversation is treated like a personal sandbox, the costs spill into markets, public safety, and trust. Westenberg’s point lands hard: luck isn’t a strategy, and people around concentrated power need to keep saying no. Otherwise, history — and headlines — are ready to show up and make the lesson painfully clear.

Sources: joanwestenberg.com, Hacker News