Secrets

Read this if you have a few minutes free. It's a blog post from the company Buffer explaining their approach to radical transparency, and it lists the salaries and names of every team member at the company.

I read this the other day, and mostly felt both awe and admiration. There's a lot of secrets in corporate culture. Some would argue that this is for the best. But I've always wondered if a company could ever do away with all that... the hangups about privacy, and secrets, and rumors. Apparently one company does.

Okay, did you read that? Now check this article out. It also won't take you more than a few minutes.

Here's a few snippets (emphasis mine):

I've been feeling a lot of things since our business plans were made public last night. Definitely angry. Definitely devastated.
I felt like I was going to cry all morning, so I went on a walk and thought through a couple of things. I even ran into one of my high school design teachers. She gave me a huge hug. I really needed it.
I want to give you all a huge hug because keeping secrets is exhausting.
It's painful. It's tiring.
I am so sorry that our work has been violated and exposed.
It's not fair that the people who try to build us up and break us down get a glimpse of who we really are.

Wow. I wonder what the guys at Buffer think about Evan's reaction to the leak? My guess (possibly wrongly) is that they would think, "wow dude. Get a grip."

One huge thing I learned in 2014 is that our happiness is mostly a function of our expectations. If reality beats our expectations, we're happy. If it fails our expectations, we're sad. That's why paying close attention to your expectations is crucial for staying sane and buoyant.

The Buffer team expects that none of their company data is secret. Therefore, when the data becomes public, there's no dissonance between their expectations and reality. They feel fine about themselves.

Evan Spiegel felt some dissonance yesterday. He expected that his secrets would stay private. They didn't. So he cried.

We can talk all day and night about what internet security measures people can take to prevent hacks from occurring (some Toba Capital portfolio companies can even sell you software products to help you with that). But I think that the ultimate security comes from knowing that nothing can hurt you. The Buffer guys are untouchable. And the SnapChat guy needs another hug.