Robert Scoble: “I apologize.”

https://www.facebook.com/RobertScoble/posts/10155785962004655

by minimaxir • 9 years ago

64 79 9 years ago

facebook.com

koolba• 9 years ago

Context? I have no idea who this is or for what he is apologizing.

camus2• 9 years ago

Some context on HN :

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15511285

minimaxir• 9 years ago

Additionally, the Facebook apology was immediately posted after new accusations on TechCrunch: https://techcrunch.com/2017/10/20/robert-scoble-has-allegedl...

Slaul• 9 years ago

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Scoble#Controversies

for those like myself who didn't know what this was about.

danso• 9 years ago

FWIW, Quinn Norton's post that seemed to set off yesterday/today's spate of accusations happened sometime in the early 2010s. Scoble had announced in 2015 that he was going sober. However, at least one of the accusers has said that Scoble propositioned her (repeatedly) after 2015:

https://techcrunch.com/2017/10/20/robert-scoble-has-allegedl...

oxryly12• 9 years ago

Hence public announcements and public apologies are too be taken with (at least one) large grain of salt. It's up to his victims to forgive him -- not us.

baudehlo2• 9 years ago

Wait, what? Why does he need to be forgiven?

oxryly12• 9 years ago

Why is he apologizing to us? Seems very self-serving.

SolaceQuantum• 9 years ago

I think for the audience I would want much less an apology and more an explanation: what was he thinking and how did he view women when he sexually harassed them and how has his mindset changed in how he views women that will cause him not to do it anymore?

It’s not for me to forgive him, but I can’t see an apology without an explanation as for how his mindset has changed and a full admission of not only his actions but the mindset that has caused these actions to occur. Otherwise he is being cheap and saying that just because he’s sober now his actions will drastically change without any evidence there’s any motivation to that change other than “oh shit got caught”.

cisea• 9 years ago

It's really upsetting to see men just need to say 'i see what I did was bad,I'm sorry, I'll try to fix it and be better'. But the victims, in this case are highly educated women, have to live with this painful experience the rest of their life.

solipsism• 9 years ago

I'm curious what the "highly educated" part has to do with anything. Would anything be different if they weren't?

atomical• 9 years ago

Since he wants to be part of the solution I will give some ideas:

* Always have a chaperone (for meetings, business activities, work social events, etc) when women are present.

* Do not attend social functions unless your wife will be attending with you.

* Attend weekly cognitive behavioral therapy sessions.

Mz3• 9 years ago

Well, it is sort of weak. But:

A) How many actually good examples do we have to draw upon? Most such things are pretty blatant attempts at saving face. This at least has some sincerity to it.

B) He isn't justifying, excusing or denying. He did quit drinking already, which is perhaps the most important thing he could do to prove he is taking it seriously that he needs to stop hurting other people. He is fairly realistic that being better in the future is the primary thing he can do. He also acknowledges that it doesn't undo his past actions or somehow make things okay for people he hurt.

Amends are really hard to do. They also don't always come in a form readily recognizable as directly related to the bad act.

Also, he kept it short and didn't make it about him and his big feels or sob story. It is reasonably gracious in that regard.

discoursism2• 9 years ago

Amends are really hard to do.

I'd just once love to see one of these abusers make some kind of serious penance. I mean something that costs more than a few words written on a page. Donating x% of their wealth to organizations of the victim's choosing (where x is a fraction large enough to be uncomfortable), entering some kind of monastic or hermetic lifestyle for more than a day or two, committing to X hours of anonymous volunteer labor, resigning their positions of authority and power, retreating from public life.

Occasionally something like this is forced on the perpetrator, but I've yet to see any of them take it upon themselves to take this step. Personally I think an apology is worth about as much as the effort put into it, and this is low effort.

Still, you're right that it's better than most.

Mz3• 9 years ago

Amends and penance are not the same thing. Amends are about reparations for the victim. Penance is about suffering for the perpetrator. These things are mostly not related.

baudehlo2• 9 years ago

Well it’s years later and frankly at the end of his career. He has no downside to admitting this.

His apology means nothing. He needs to be ostracized, and hopefully this might send a message to anyone else thinking their status and influence means they have sexual power.

oculusforever3• 9 years ago

He didn't quit drinking or doing drugs. https://techcrunch.com/2017/10/20/robert-scoble-has-allegedl...

trgv• 9 years ago

Amends aren't hard to do, especially if you get to type them out and proofread them.

He says the question is "how can I do better?" That's not the question. The question is, will he be charged, and, if he is, what conclusion will the jury come to?

That's how this system is supposed to work.

justboxing2• 9 years ago

Can't seem to find any details on the extent of his mis-behaviour. Wikipedia page says "sexually assaulted", and that "Sarah Seitz, a sustainability analyst at NASA, replied accusing Scoble of also having assaulted her"

Isn't sexual assault a serious crime? Why didn't these women report it to the Police. Or does touching without consent or grabbing someone or trying to grope someone (like our current President is alleged to have done to many women) also constitute sexual assault, but is generally not reported by the female victims for fear of getting ostracized or receive backlash from friends and co-workers?

[Not trolling serious question. The difference I see between Dave McClure and Robert Scoble is that the former was accused of 'sexual harrassment' whereas Robert Scoble appears to have been accused of 'sexual ASSAULT' by a couple of women atleast ]

olliej2• 9 years ago

Have you ever looked at the accounts of women who /have/ reported it? If it actually goes to trial basically the defense finds every single thing you ever did and tries to portray you as a slut who was asking for it. If the person is famous people will say you’re lying and trying to get rich out of a settlement. You’re required to repeatedly go over every step of the assault whether it was harassment or rape. They ask if you orgasmed (because that means you wanted it), that your jeans were too tight for a rapist to remove them, you were partially responsible because you passed out (so it wasn’t rape), ...

Then even if they do get found guilty they punishment may be insignificant (think Stanford rapist)

And then there’s how you get penalized, irrespective of whether the person was found guilty * if you’re on social media you get harassed by the bigots on chan, Reddit, etc your name on google ends up publicizing the assault * if the person you’re accusing has power/influence you lose your career (which is why so many victims in film didn’t say anything about asshole guy). Tech has a similar problem - look at what happens to women who call out anything at tech conferences.

The result of saying anything is typically catastrophic to the victim and frequently has little impact on the abuser.

If you ever actually pay attention you can find out about the people women tell each other to avoid at cons or parties because they are known predators. Because doing it that way is less harmful or and damaging to your own life than going public.

pfg• 9 years ago

The Stanford case is a really good (and chilling) example of what victims of these crimes can go through. This is the letter the victim read to the rapist at his sentencing[1].

[1] https://www.buzzfeed.com/katiejmbaker/heres-the-powerful-let...

belorn2• 9 years ago

What is the benefit of going public through media but not reporting it to the police? Do women really get less harassed from chan/Reddit if they only go public on media? How would trial by media be better for the victim? Trial by media benefits no one.

you were partially responsible because you passed out (so it wasn’t rape)

In practically every country in the world it is rape if someone has sex with a unconscious person. What legal system where you referring to that has that as a legal defense?

RealGeek• 9 years ago

I was shocked to learn that most of the women I know have faced sexual assault (unwanted grabbing or groping), but none of them ever reported to the police. Similarly, most men I know have suffered some sort of physical assault but none reported it.

How many men do you know who have been punched by someone? Did they report it to police?

The reason why they don't report is because such crimes are very hard to prosecute and prove in court. Prosecuting them takes a toll on victim's life and rarely result in anything positive for the victim.

edanm2• 9 years ago

I'm pretty sure it depends on the level of the sexual assault.

E.g. groping - if we're talking "groped someone randomly, with their clothes on" and nothing more, then even if this gets reported, what could happen? This probably won't result in too much of a punishment, and is pretty hard to prove. And, unfortunately, as you can probably see by now, it happens to pretty much all women and is extremely common. It doesn't make it right or mean that we shouldn't stop it, but I kind of understand why people who are used to it happening don't do much with it.

I think that's why we need to change the norms, both of how people who see this happening deal with it, and of how OK it is. If you see someone groping someone without their consent, say something! It's probably not going to get reported to the police, but if we as a society don't accept it, then it will get better.

Of course, once you get to things like rape, then that's a much more serious offense that can definitely have the police involved.

dragonwriter5• 9 years ago

E.g. groping - if we're talking "groped someone randomly, with their clothes on" and nothing more, then even if this gets reported, what could happen?

It's both a tort and a crime, usually, so there is a lot that could happen; which is not to say that it is likely that the consequences available in principle would be applied.

dragonwriter5• 9 years ago

Isn't sexual assault a serious crime?

In theory, yes; in practice police, prosecutors, and judges all too often don't treat it (or even actual rape) seriously.

With regard to judges, the Stanford rape case is the banner example recently; but earlier in the chain the fact thatany departments collect but then do not process rape kits is a huge problem.

The difference I see between Dave McClure and Robert Scoble is that the former was accused of 'sexual harrassment' whereas Robert Scoble appears to have been accused of 'sexual ASSAULT' by a couple of women atleast

McClure was accused of sexual assault as well (and not strictly legally speaking sexual harassment at all, AFAIK, but acts, both the assaults and lesser acts, that would have been harassment if VC-founder relationships were governed by the same legal rules as employer-employee relationships.)

tbcj• 9 years ago

in practice police, prosecutors, and judges all too often don't treat it (or even actual rape) seriously.

You might have more experience with police, prosecutors, and judges than I do, but in my experience this isn't the case. I've known many to be dismissive of drug crimes and even property crimes, but sexual assaults and rape are both addressed earnestly.

That's not to say that sexual assaults and rapes are not nolle pros'd and often. As recent events demonstrate, unless people feel comfortable coming forward, then it is impossible to prove the case. The Confrontation Clause is an obstacle that is difficult to overcome in these cases without a profusely willing victim.

This is to say saying that law enforcement is the problem is an oversimplification.

With regard to judges, the Stanford rape case is the banner example recently; but earlier in the chain the fact thatany departments collect but then do not process rape kits is a huge problem.

In a lot of states, crime labs are independent of police departments. There are severe backlogs because they are understaffed. If you want more processing, you need to ensure your state representatives properly fund these bodies.

Consequently, it's not up to the police in many cases when and if a rape kit is tested. Thankfully, there are organizations like SAKI[1] that are pursuing rape kit testing reform in many places where there are impediments to testing these kits.

[1] https://www.sakitta.org/

pvg• 9 years ago

"Not trolling serious question."

Given how much has already been written about this, many times by the victims themselves, this is pretty much trolling and not a serious question.

praneshp2• 9 years ago

The tweet linked in the article about letting this "play out" paints him worse, if that was possible. https://twitter.com/gtlpearson/status/921480719381254144

aaron-lebo• 9 years ago

Why was Redesk CEO Guy Pearson looking to hire someone for a speaking engagement the day after they were accused of sexual assault?

I stole that from Twitter, but it's not a good look. Did he just not really care or did he figure that he could act duplicitous and insert himself into a situation that has nothing to do with him? Who benefits from that?

Would rather not make this comment at all because there's an actual issue worth talking about here, but let's not applaud toxic behavior.

oculusforever3• 9 years ago

you don't know what the timestamps are, he probably asked him the previous day or even a week ago.

goldenkey• 9 years ago

I know Guy for years. He enjoys these theatrics. Look at Redesk.com, it's not even finished. There is no conference. Guy basically social engineered him. I have to almost laugh at how he still has the energy for shanigans at our age.

praneshp2• 9 years ago

I'm sorry. I meant to post "I don't know what I think about ...." then my comment.

I think the tweeter's intention was to see what he could get out of this, but it also showed Scoble's attitude about the whole incident.

oculusforever3• 9 years ago

He's not even a little sorry. He's apologized like 5 times for this stuff:

https://techcrunch.com/2017/10/20/robert-scoble-has-allegedl...

dfabulich3• 9 years ago

A real apology requires a clear statement of what you did wrong, why it was wrong, and what exactly you'll do better in the future.

This apology doesn't even say what he did wrong. (He "damaged trust," "caused pain," "behaved in ways that were inappropriate.") He didn't admit that he sexually harassed anyone, say nothing of sexual assault.

Without a clear admission of what he did, I have no idea if he knows why it was wrong. He's done this many times! Does he think sexual assault is a bad thing only because it would "damage trust" in him, because it tarnishes his reputation?

KGIII4• 9 years ago

On the list of public apologies, I give him a B+. he could have done better and he is not going to make everyone happy with his effort. It looks written by him. It looks sincere. It looks honest.

Yeah, a good apology should be several pages long but this was pretty good and well above some of the others we've seen.

'I am sorry that you felt abused and that your friends encouraged you to humiliate yourself in public...'

So, yeah, it's pretty good compared to some of them.

throwa34943way• 9 years ago

A real apology requires a clear statement of what you did wrong, why it was wrong, and what exactly you'll do better in the future.

He might have apologized directly to his alleged victims we don't know that. I don't think he should admit anything to anyone else, but to his alleged victims on a personal level.

If I read this forum, it sounds like nobody has never done anything wrong, behaved inappropriately in anyway, ever. I don't believe it one second, harassment(or even assault) isn't just sexual, it can manifest through other sorts of psychological violence at work for instance, and nobody is ever called out for it.

I'm not talking about leniency or understanding, something despicable happened and anybody can judge, but it should not be about one name or one guy everybody can scapegoat to mask their own shortcomings and wrongdoings, in a way to expiate them, as it happens way too often when things like that get public.

mercer4• 9 years ago

Could it be to avoid legal issues? Which would only make the apology worse.

lsh123• 9 years ago

I am not going to any event, conference, etc. where Scoble is present. I think he is a pathological liar and I am surprised that he is still considered a public figure worth inviting to speak.

ironchef253• 9 years ago

Imagine the 30+ year backlog of material across all the rich and powerful men in Silicon Valley. What is going to be left once all of that is outed?

tptacek4• 9 years ago

No, I'm pretty sure I can say that I never sexually assaulted a woman when drunk (or, of course, sober) 7, 10, 15, 20, or 40 years ago. So, I think, can most of us.

chris_wot2• 9 years ago

He shouldn’t have touched her leg.

chris_wot2• 9 years ago

How can it be an apology if he doesn’t say what he did? This almost looks like he has been blaming alcohol.

sidcool4• 9 years ago

Are there any legal grounds for criminal prosecution here?

mercer4• 9 years ago

That's been my number one question for a while now also in regards to other cases and other 'apologies'.

Would it makes sense for the perpetrator to go to the police and admit guilt? Would there still be consequences in that case? And if so, is that part of the reason why these apologies always seem to be very vague about details?

And if all that, should we expect anything less from an 'apology'?

sidcool4• 9 years ago

Exactly, what's an apology without punishment? There have to be repurcussions of illegal behavior. Else I would just say sorry after murdering someone and get sympathy.

Remember, he's not sorry he did it, he's sorry he got caught.

sidcool4• 9 years ago

This makes me feel that no matter how reasonable ppl seem, once in power there is always a high probability of abuse of that power.

AlexCoventry• 9 years ago

Does Scoble seem reasonable to you? I think I'd stopped paying attention to him by the turn of the century, certainly by the early naughties.

eradicatethots• 9 years ago

Is there anything better than this kind of drama? Obviously I feel sorry for those hurt, and this sort of behavior is awful, but as an onlooker I live for these days. Nothing more entertaining than all the drama in the wake of something like this. Hope no one takes this as an endorsement of the behavior or support of being a bad person. Maybe you can look at this comment as directed at other people like me, with less involvement in this world, and maybe that will make it easy for you to ignore if you’re involved in this drama! Sorry for the monologue I just don’t like getting downvoted

nikofeyn• 9 years ago

i didn't even know who this guy was and still kind of don't. what makes these tech bloggers such a thing?

sidcool4• 9 years ago

He's just sorry he was caught and not that he did it. Else he would have apologized earlier.

AIXDrone• 9 years ago

Something is very wrong with our industry when a self-aggrandizing mouth-breather like Scoble enjoys more fame and influence than someone like D. Richard Hipp. Worse still that because they're both "in tech," the former's atrocious conduct will, by broad brush strokes, reflect negatively on the latter, as well as everyone else "in tech."

Robert Scoble: “I apologize.”

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