Ask HN: Is it a bad idea for a founder/CEO to engage in social media?

2 points by searchableguy 1 year ago | 1 comment

Because you are going to receive an incredible amount of hate. Over time, people change due to all the micro aggression and behavior they notice. If you look at the twitter feed of someone 10 years ago and now, you will notice the change in tone and curiosity.

As a bystander whenever there is a controversial decision, I see the response so incredibly toxic. I would curl up in my bed if I were to receive such a vitriolic response to what I say on a bad day or a mistake.

Imagine thousands possibly millions hating on you for weeks. It feels like a good idea to cut off any media as a founder and CEO to focus on your business. Pay no attention or off load it to someone else like PR. How do people deal with it? Should companies be run facelessly?

t_hinman_esq 1 year ago |

My suggestion -- if you engage with folks on social media, make sure that the tone and content represents the company, not necessarily you as an individual. The company's social media presence should contribute to go-to-market success. Whether or not you engage with negative comments should always be in that light. Good luck!