Napping Before Power
These were the words not of Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales, but of Craig Newmark, the ever-humble mind behind Craigslist.org, as he conducted a video news briefing for the Washington Foreign Press Center on Tuesday titled “Nerd Values and How the Craigslist Organization Can Be a Force for the Public Good.”
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Discussing the “culture of trust” on which Craigslist relies, he said the big lesson is “if you treat others the way you want to be treated, that works. … And we are pretty simple, which is also nice.”
He didn’t let the reporter-heavy audience stop him from taking shots at the media, saying, “We need people speaking truth to power. That has been the tradition of the press, [but now] trust in American media has
diminished.”
Nevertheless, he admitted, “We don’t advertise. We rely on the kindness of the press.”
As for any future political involvement, Newmark said, “I’m out of my depth in politics. … I have no interest in power. I worry it will interfere with my napping.”
