White male elitist and Wired.com writer Mat Honan tweeted:
Waterboard of directors
— Mat Honan (@mat) April 10, 2014
Tech journalist Ed Bott thinks Dropbox’s move to bring Rice on board was short-sighted, and he believes the company is selling out to the NSA:
Look, my disbelief over Condi Rice and Dropbox is not over who she is or what she believes. It is about WHAT SHE DID.
— Ed Bott (@edbott) April 9, 2014
Liberal (and alleged) comedian Wil Wheaton tweeted:
Are you fucking kidding me, @Dropbox? You added CONDI RICE to your “leadership team”? Are you looking to be lead into a war based on lies?
— Wil Wheaton (@wilw) April 10, 2014
The backlash toward Dropbox’s decision to add Rice to their board came just days after Mozilla forced out its CEO Brandon Eich all because he donated to a traditional marriage campaign in 2008. Mozilla’s move to push out Eich prompting some to expect Dropbox to do the same and give Rice the boot in order to avoid potential political and financial backlash.
However, as Houston writes, Dropbox is standing by its decision and is “honored to have Dr. Rice join our board.” The company also says it will continue to ensure customers’ privacy.
Dropbox’s full statement:
There’s nothing more important to us than keeping your stuff safe and secure. It’s why we’ve been fighting for transparency and government surveillance reform, and why we’ve been vocal and public with our principles and values.
We should have been clearer that none of this is going to change with Dr. Rice’s appointment to our Board. Our commitment to your rights and your privacy is at the heart of every decision we make, and this will continue.
We’re honored to have Dr. Rice join our board — she brings an incredible amount of experience and insight into international markets and the dynamics that define them. As we continue to expand into new countries, we need that type of insight to help us reach new users and defend their rights. Dr. Rice understands our stance on these issues and fully supports our commitments to our users.
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