I have seen some real rage mobs on Twitter. Some of them get really horrid and full of hate. But I just saw one that was polite. Maybe this is the way people should exchange ideas on Twitter.
The interaction I’m talking about was discussed in a Cyberscoop post by Sean Lyngaas titled “Ex-NSA employees criticize Mike Rogers’ role with Israeli venture firm”
The summary reads in part:
Some former National Security Agency officials have strongly criticized ex-NSA Director Adm. Michael Rogers’ decision to join the advisory board of a venture capital firm that is closely linked with an Israeli intelligence agency.
The company, Team8, announced Rogers’ position last week. Founded by former members of the elite Israeli army intelligence group known as Unit 8200, Team8 researches cybersecurity market demand, raises investments from big tech companies, and creates startups based on those demand signals. It also describes itself as a think tank, and does its own threat research.
You can read the negative views and potshots from the peanut gallery in the Cyberscoop piece. They all seem consistent with the Tweet that seemed to start the pile-on of criticisms from Robert Lee:
I know no good will come from me saying this. But I feel compelled to say that former senior govt officials especially the head of our most significant intelligence agency profiting from that experience to work with foreign intel backed companies bothers me on a deep level. https://t.co/rMJ9UKHgnZ
— Robert M. Lee (@RobertMLee) October 19, 2018
The pile on of criticism continued but in the views of some was really not well thought out, from the big scheme of things. For those who believe there is a struggle between open societies and closed societies and a need to improve the security of the globally connected Internet there are other views. Here from Crucial Point founder Bob Gourley:
Another view: Why should cyber be different from any other domain? Should Airbus, BAE, Deutsch Bank all be off limits for former General Officers? I think all good companies from open societies should have access to talent.
— Bob Gourley (@bobgourley) October 19, 2018
For all in the struggle on the good side, we stand with you and hope you always have access to the talent you need. And if you are producing technologies that can help defend open nations from closed dictatorships, kleptocracies and communist nations please keep creating. Innovation for the good guys is clearly needed so we can stand a chance in the global cyber war underway today.
For more see:
- VC, PE and Finance Firms
- The CTOvision Guide To The Cybersecurity Technology Marketplace
- Bob Gourley Named One of the Top 100 Big Data Influencers
- About Crucial Point
- American Industry Benefiting From Government Cybersecurity Executive Transitions
