No Joke Letter Sent to My Work Account

Discussion in 'West Mall' started by TxnByBirth, Oct 23, 2020.

  1. TxnByBirth

    TxnByBirth 1,000+ Posts

    Expensify CEO implores customers to vote for Biden over Trump in an explosive mass email

    This is TDS at it's finest, folks. Enjoy the rage, gaslighting and the complete and utter ability to project one's candidate's beliefs as your opponent's.

    Anybody else work for a company that got this junk mail?

    [Expensify] Protect democracy, vote for Biden.
    DB
    David Barrett <davidb@expensify.com>
    Fri 10/23/2020 12:29 AM
    To:

    I know you don’t want to hear this from me. And I guarantee I don’t want to say it. But we are facing an unprecedented attack on the foundations of democracy itself. If you are a US citizen, anything less than a vote for Biden is a vote against democracy.

    That’s right, I’m saying a vote for Trump, a vote for a third-party candidate, or simply not voting at all -- they’re all the same, and they all mean:

    “I care more about my favorite issue than democracy. I believe Trump winning is more important than democracy. I am comfortable standing aside and allowing democracy to be methodically dismantled, in plain sight.”

    If the polls are accurate, there’s a roughly 50% chance that you agree Trump needs to go. You know what to do: show up on November 3rd and vote for Biden. Or even better, don’t wait until then: vote today. Go to Vote.org if you need help figuring out how.

    The rest of this email is intended to address the concerns of those who disagree, and I’ll try to take the most likely questions in turn:

    Q: Why do you care so much about democracy?
    Democracy is core to our business success, in a variety of ways. Internally, we are a famously “flat” organization -- nobody reports to anyone else, and advancement is the result of meeting well defined criteria as judged by the vote of those who have already advanced. How we compensate each other is left up to a team vote as well. Even our external business model depends on individual employees “electing” to adopt Expensify as individuals, and then “campaigning” internally to get it adopted companywide. At every layer, democracy is our core competitive advantage -- both as a company, and as a nation. But that advantage is only as strong as the clarity of our rules and the fairness of their application. Any attempt to disrupt the rules or apply them unfairly is a direct threat to the strength of our company, and the strength of our nation.

    Q: What gives you the right to tell me what to do?
    The first amendment. To be clear, you don’t need to listen. But the first amendment exists to encourage people like you and me to find some way to talk about the issues that matter, set aside our differences, and find a common ground on which to collectively govern 331 million citizens. Yes democratic self-rule can be inconvenient. But a burden of democracy is that this is literally our job, so I’m asking all of us to take it seriously.

    Q: But you’re a company, shouldn’t you remain neutral?
    Expensify depends on a functioning society and economy; not many expense reports get filed during a civil war. As CEO of this business, it’s my job to plot a course through any storm -- and all evidence suggests that another 4 (or as Trump has hinted -- 8, or more?) years of Trump leadership will damage our democracy to such an extent, I’m obligated on behalf of shareholders to take any action I can to avoid it. I am confident our democracy (and Expensify) can survive a Biden presidency. I can’t say the same about Trump. It’s truly as simple as that.

    Q: Don’t you think you’re… exaggerating a bit?
    I truly wish I was. I wouldn’t be sending this email if this election were just about “normal issues” -- taxes, legislative priorities, healthcare, etc. But it isn’t. This election is a referendum on what limits, if any, we place on our elected leaders to govern us in a fair and representative way. This election will decide if widespread voter suppression is an acceptable governing tactic.

    Q: Doesn’t everyone suppress votes?
    Not like Trump. This is the most heavily litigated election in history, with over 300 lawsuits rushing through the courts before election day. And in every case, Biden is pushing to enable voters while Trump is pushing to suppress them. The trend couldn’t be more clear: Biden wants democracy, Trump does not. A vote for Trump is to endorse voter suppression, it really is very basic. This isn’t about party politics: if Biden were advocating for half of the voter suppression that Trump is actively doing, then I'd be fighting against Biden, too. This is bigger than politics as usual: this is about the very foundation of our nation.

    Q: Isn’t Trump just trying to prevent voter fraud?
    Voter fraud is virtually nonexistent, as overwhelmingly shown by data showcased by the White House itself. That data comes from the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank counting every single known case of voter fraud since 1948, which adds up to only 1,290 distinct votes over 78 years. In 2016 alone there were 138 million votes. There is just no credible argument that voter fraud is significant, even based on Trump’s own data.

    Q: Isn’t Biden just using more widespread voting to get elected?
    Absolutely. This is the heart of the issue. Biden believes that enabling more people to vote will help him win. Biden wins by promoting democracy; Trump wins by suppressing it. A vote for Biden is a vote for democracy.

    Q: So what if Trump gets elected by voter suppression, all’s fair right?
    Well that’s what we’re going to decide, on November 3rd. Do you want your elected official to win based on the merits of their ideas? Or based on the ruthlessness of their voter suppression? And if you’re ok with “just a little suppression” -- where do you draw the line?

    Q: Why send me this when the polls say Biden is going to win?
    The polls said Trump was going to lose last time, and he didn’t. But even if the polls can be trusted, that might still not be enough. Trump has stated repeatedly he will only honor an election that he personally feels is fair. So much depending on his personal judgement is worrying, because he has rejected the overwhelming expert consensus that voter fraud has been negligible historically, and has also said he believes it would be impossible to lose a fair election. Accordingly, the only way to ensure a peaceful transition of power is to ensure this election is an overwhelming, undeniable landslide in favor of Biden. Any excuse to question the election is an opportunity for Trump to refuse to leave the White House, plunging this country into a Constitutional crisis bordering on civil war. No matter how slight that risk might be, the consequences of it happening would be so catastrophic to society and the economy, we need to do all we can to prevent it.

    So one final plea. As a fellow citizen, I fully support and respect your Constitutional right to disagree -- and as an avid supporter of democracy, I value that disagreement. Constructive, well-informed debate (hopefully using the most accurate, least biased news source available) is what makes this nation so exceptional.

    But the Constitution is only as strong as the respect we give it. I’m asking you to cherish it close to your heart, and demand that those you elect do the same.

    -david
    Founder and CEO of Expensify

    PS: Agree or disagree? Reply to this email to share your thoughts with Concierge, or hit me up on Twitter @dbarrett to discuss!

    PPS: Want to do even more? Support the National Popular Vote to make every vote count equally toward the presidential election, even if you aren’t in one of the 12 states deciding this election.

    PPPS: Are you annoyed that you received this as a non-US citizen? If you're lucky enough to live in a democracy, then I'd encourage you to protect it and be willing to do uncomfortable things -- like emailing millions of customers -- to defend it.

    Sent by: Expensify, Inc. - 548 Market St #61434 - San Francisco, CA 94103
    To unsubscribe, please click here
     
    • WTF? WTF? x 2
    • poop poop x 1
  2. Duck Dodgers

    Duck Dodgers 1,000+ Posts

    Would be fun to print that, wipe your *** with it, and email him a photo of it, like the garbage it is.
     
    • Funny Funny x 5
    • Agree Agree x 1
  3. mb227

    mb227 de Plorable

    Except my *** doesn't enjoy anything lacking in softness the way copier paper would be...

    Now, if there is a quilted Northern or AngelSoft that runs through a copy machine...yeah, I could steal a few sheets of that for the cause ;)
     
  4. mchammer

    mchammer 10,000+ Posts

    Take a **** on it and call it a Pelosi stamp of approval.
     
    • Funny Funny x 1
    • Winner Winner x 1
  5. Mr. Deez

    Mr. Deez Beer Prophet

    Your *** would like toilet paper here in the UK. Believe it or not, we use a store brand TP made with shea butter. Wiping with that stuff is quite a thrill and a funky adventure all at the same time.
     
    • Like Like x 1
    • Agree Agree x 1
  6. Horn6721

    Horn6721 10,000+ Posts

    Mr D
    Funky adventure?
    TMI
     
    • Agree Agree x 1
    • Funny Funny x 1
  7. mchammer

    mchammer 10,000+ Posts

    Don’t want that on my taint.
     
    • Agree Agree x 1
    • Funny Funny x 1
  8. Mr. Deez

    Mr. Deez Beer Prophet

    Only explosive diarrhea should necessitate taint-wiping.
     
    • Funny Funny x 1
  9. 4th_floor

    4th_floor Dude, where's my laptop?

    There are lots of competitors for Expensify. Here's a link with a list. Some are less expensive and deliver a good product. https://www.g2.com/products/expensify/competitors/alternatives
     
    • Like Like x 2
  10. Monahorns

    Monahorns 5,000+ Posts

    This guy really wants me to vote Trump!
     
    • Agree Agree x 5
  11. humahuma

    humahuma 1,000+ Posts

    Sounds like voter influence to me in a big way, I like the if want to talk contact me. I would and tell him he is trying to influence an election.
     
  12. 2003TexasGrad

    2003TexasGrad Son of a Motherless Goat

    What the F*** did I just read? The e-mail, not the butt stuff. That **** is normal by comparison.
     
  13. WillUSAF

    WillUSAF 500+ Posts

    I realized that when I lived in the UK...The Brits value a soft taint...:coolnana:
     
    • Like Like x 1
  14. Mr. Deez

    Mr. Deez Beer Prophet

    As you might guess, the German toilet paper was the opposite. It was overly thick and a bit rough. Mrs. Deez made me buy American TP at the commissary, which was a bit of a rip off
     
  15. theiioftx

    theiioftx Sponsor Deputy

    I can guarantee none of my companies will ever even consider Expensify as an option after reading that letter.
     
    • Like Like x 1
    • Winner Winner x 1
  16. Crockett

    Crockett 5,000+ Posts

    So you guys are all cool with voter suppression?
     
    • Funny Funny x 1
  17. humahuma

    humahuma 1,000+ Posts

    Voter suppression? I cool with people voting.
     
    • Agree Agree x 1
  18. Sangre Naranjada

    Sangre Naranjada 10,000+ Posts

    No, just democrat voter suppression.
     
    • Funny Funny x 2
  19. Garmel

    Garmel 5,000+ Posts

    I'd be against it if it actually existed.
     
    • Winner Winner x 2
    • Agree Agree x 1
  20. ProdigalHorn

    ProdigalHorn 10,000+ Posts

    "Our democracy is at stake. So stop thinking for yourself and vote like I do, because we only have one option."

    Yeah, that seems about right for this year.

    Honestly, emails like that give me hope for this election. Because I don't see this pushing anyone to Biden who isn't already intending to vote for him.
     
  21. Phil Elliott

    Phil Elliott 2,500+ Posts

    I have some friends, a husband and wife, who do medical research trials. They use expensify for billing and for reporting results. They told me they were bombarded by phone calls and emails last week over this from angry clients who were sent the email. They are yanking expensify immediately and going to a competitor.
     
    • Like Like x 6
    • Winner Winner x 1

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