The Office Political Swing

I’ve been reading in places like Pirate Wires and other online articles, especially on X, about the sudden political swing in the other direction, away from "woke." For nine years now, I’ve been writing about the folly of DEI and activist employees and how it was killing the very companies where these ideas were allowed to flourish.

The reason it was allowed for so long was because companies wanted to be seen as groundbreaking, as more thoughtful and caring, and somehow more aware of the world around them. I’ve heard this in my direct conversations with other CEOs. Instead, over time, employers came to recognize that they proved almost the exact opposite of what they intended. I knew it wouldn’t end well, and apparently, it hasn’t.

Large companies are now firing activist employees en masse, and it’s about time. These tyrants were never out to support debate, free speech, or even a smattering of true diversity, never mind a chance to do our best work. I had to move to the middle of the southwest corner of Missouri for that to happen. I’m glad companies are finally coming to their senses. Google is one of the first to show them the door, and other tech leaders are doing the same thing. If I were them, I’d take it one step further and clean out all the HR Karens that helped start this mess in the first place. Since around 2010, HR has been the breeding ground for this nonsense, and I first saw it when we hired an outside HR firm to help shape our culture. It was complete garbage then as it still is today.

I’m convinced that any company that has a disruptive, unproductive culture can probably trace the origin to the VP of HR. I know some great HR executives out there who are incredible people in their own rights, who actually hire on merit and build nothing but the best company they can. This is a small shout-out to Harold Fethe, who I follow religiously on Quora.

I’ve interviewed dozens of HR candidates for companies, and the majority terrified me with their wokeness and not-so-hidden agendas. They destroy the very soul of a company and they can do it like a brain-eating amoeba.

I think if companies want to get back to merit-based hiring and mission focus, the first place I’d start is by cleaning out HR like it’s a badly clogged drain. I’d take a hard look at the company culture as it currently exists, and if it’s not merit-based, they would be the very first to go. I’d scour the plant for someone who is first of all a pragmatist, someone grounded in common sense, drama-free by character, and hires on merit and absolutely nothing else. I’d want someone who’d tirelessly look for the best people without any bias in any direction to make so-called “allowances” for the bar to be lowered anywhere. They would be out to create the best work environment so people can do their finest work and feel a sense of pride in what they accomplished.

While employees can champion their causes outside of work, whatever they may be as long as they aren’t embarrassing the company, advocating the harm of anyone, or breaking the law, then fine. I’d fire any and all activists who bring their activism inside the company or attempt to push their values on their co-workers regardless of what they are.

As I’ve written many times, I strongly believe in debate and free speech, but there is a time and a place and I don’t believe in pushing that company debate underground, especially when it comes to important company matters, but it’s not a democracy, nor is it your platform. No well-run company operates with activists running the company. If there is a great model, I’d sure love to see it, but I don’t think it exists. The best companies are somewhat benevolent dictatorships, but make no mistake, there is accountability from end to end. They are certainly not managed via mob rule. The CEO decides the mission, and everyone works towards that objective or they get out.

Great employees deserve to be rewarded accordingly and not passed over because they didn’t have the right skin color or political views. Bravo to those companies who focus on what matters. If the company is good enough at what they do and solid in their mission to be the best at it, customers typically follow and the company thrives.

Google still has a long way to go after the Gemini AI debacle. They let their internal wokeness go way too far to the point where the product is a complete disaster and it will take years to get that company back on track. Hopefully, they continue to learn from their mistakes.