I can’t find the post off hand, but I saw the document pages with this suicide pledge software license on it abd thought it was a joke! Knowing it’s not is disgusting!
I thought it was some sick, edgy joke about the state of tech companies. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that modern tech companies and even nonprofits are trying to build the torment nexus from within their own walls, but here I am.
If I had to legally defend the foundation my main argument would be that any proposed thousand-year policy is clearly satire, and that this was actually a test to weed out those who didn’t get it.
Reality has gone off the rails…
And on page 11 — nestled between a winking anime woman and three yellow cats — was a suicide pledge. Authors, maintainers, editors and distributors of “this software” would pledge to ensure the software remained free and publicly accessible, and would also vow to “take his or her own life with a sword upon failure to uphold any of the pledges in this license,” the illustration read. It was labeled “Source Seppuku License,” an apparent reference to a traditional Japanese ritual suicide. When the document went out on that Friday in March, employees were told to commit to the principles in the mandate by Monday or quit their jobs, according to the lawsuit brought by Kayleen Fulton, a Boulder woman who was fired from the Ethereum Foundation after she led employee resistance to the suicide pledge.
Winking character, keep it free… I am not a crypto holder but something seems off with the article.
The people running that company are nut jobs who demand cult like loyalty because they sell a scam product with a cult like following. I could totally see them doing some kind of sovereign citizen type of joke contract like this as some kind of loyalty test.
I agree, I want to know what, exactly, is going on.
If you’re reporting facts on something that is wildly unfortunate and bizarre, it’s not the facts that are off, it’s* the thing you’re reporting on that’s off.
Again, I want to know what’s going on with this. Is this another Thiel? Do you know anything about the company executives? I don’t own crypto so I don’t really follow it.
Here’s a much longer article including the official court cases filed against the suicide pact or fire document.
It’s like the Linux foundation issuing a vision that the software should remain free. Members of foundation should pledge towards that mandate. If a scumbag is going to rug pull it to a commercial license, violating the pledge, they will probably reneg on any voluntary penalties that they also pledged for violating the first pledge.
While its all a bit dramatic, the game theory of the drama should have been explained better, in that drama for traitors traitoring will include their pledge to kill themselves which as traitors will just have to dismiss, while enduring drama.
Yeah this story is weird and confusing.
That they would produce a legal document with a clause like that and in such a childish format speaks of the general sleaziness of crypto.
I think this would be the best contract to sign. Including BS like that in it would make it easy to argue the contract is completely void. And given the timeline and threat of being fired. You can also argue it was obviously signed under duress.
Risky in the current political climate, though. We’ll see where things go from here but the side that would support slavery for life contracts still has a sitting president (who is acting a bit too calm at having just lost the house and senate).
Yeah, but any litigation about this kind of thing always takes years. So either we have new leadership, or we are already totally screwed worse than the contract.
Hence it being risky as its impossible to tell what kind of people will have authority over the decision process if it ends up in court and what their values will be. What might be ridiculous to some are exactly the kind of “gotchas” that predatory people love.
Nearly 80 of the foundation’s 250 or so employees voted to nix the suicide pledge after the draft was released
Nearly 80… So the other 170 employees were okay with this? I’m going to go out on a limb here and suggest that just maybe this is a cult of some sort.
Edit: I pledge to not math before coffee anymore.
Titled “The Ethereum Foundation Mandate,” the document featured ethereal illustrated scenes of glowing lights and anime-style characters voyaging through dark forests. The pages featured white text against a navy blue background and were adorned with cartoon flowers, rainbows and diamonds.
And on page 11 — nestled between a winking anime woman and three yellow cats — was a suicide pledge.
Authors, maintainers, editors and distributors of “this software” would pledge to ensure the software remained free and publicly accessible, and would also vow to “take his or her own life with a sword upon failure to uphold any of the pledges in this license,” the illustration read. It was labeled “Source Seppuku License,” an apparent reference to a traditional Japanese ritual suicide.
To work in crypto you have to have a fairly high baseline separation from reality but this is impressive.
Looks like the funny money bros running the fucking cringeshit cult must come from 8chan.
This is on par with Aum Shinrikyo and Happy Science. Shades of Lychee Light Club.
Another reason to yell FUCK CRYPTO.
Had to look up Lychee Light Club, and despite the stort synopsis, it looks like an interesting read, in a very morbidly curious kinda manner.
So, probably not intentional on your part, but thanks for sharing a dark story I’m now morbidly curious about checking out.
For anyone looking for the full PDF: https://ethereum.foundation/ef-mandate.pdf
Thanks. It’s full of cringe “animu Lain suicide cult” pictures, I don’t understand how they have employees at all.
What in the AI psychosis? This whole thing is bat-shit crazy.
This is the only part mentioning a license
Supported projects must pledge that they will not change their open source or copyleft license in the future. Permissive licenses are accepted, viral copyleft licenses are appreciated, but merely source-available licenses are not tolerated.
Edit: my bad. it’s in an image on page 11
What a pathetic way to lose ~50 employees/volunteers
Wow. I’m not into kink shaming or telling people they’re have fun the wrong way, but how broken do you need to be to cosplay the Bushido code for the sake of magic money? 🤦🏻♂️
comic sans?? everything about this is unhinged
I wish people could just be grown-ups.
There’s this concept in biology called “neoteny.” It’s when adult organisms retain the physical characteristics of juveniles. Hairless bodies in humans is an example.
I think we’re seeing an accelerated psychological version of this in society. We’ve got people , including leaders, going around acting like 10-14 year olds.
holy shit
Here make a legal declaration regarding this anime cartoon that’s contains some clauses which are binding and others which are just there for color.
And your job depends on it. Some of the content is a joke but not the part where you sign.
Seppuku if they don’t keep things open source? Wow that’s messed up!
Omg, leik so messed up!
It would be horrible if it was national law.
Jesus Fucking Christ.
The decomposing corpse of the blockchain cult is getting even weirder than it was at the peak of the mania.
Can’t wait for Line Goes Up 2
He was always weird though.
Downvoted for paywall. Sorry.
I often run into paywalls and move on, but I didn’t see one here.
Not saying you’re wrong, but I wonder if it’s regional or something?
