Why I’m Leaving Facebook (Sort of)

European Straits #50

Dear all,

I’ve long been an enthusiastic user of Facebook (the product). But for the past several weeks I’ve stopped using it and I think it’s for the best. Since the coming year looks like it’ll be a turning point for Facebook (the company), I thought I’d use the opportunity to explain in more detail.

My friend Elise Colette first told me about Facebook around 2008, along the lines of “it’s designed to help you get news from your friends without the need to exchange emails”. I’ve used it a lot ever since, both personally and professionally, climbing up to 3k+ ‘friends’ and sharing with them things as diverse as political thoughts, business articles, and pictures of my kids. I would add that I’m a great admirer of Facebook’s leadership and achievements over the years and I’m in awe of Facebook’s corporate culture because it’s so focused on hacking and design. I also enjoyed The Social Network by David Fincher, one of the best and most enlightening films on entrepreneurship.

The main moti…