Michael Slaby
{{short description|American entrepreneur}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Michael Slaby
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| alma_mater = Brown University (AB)
| website = {{URL|www.michaelslaby.com}}
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Michael Slaby is an American entrepreneur, currently serving as the chief strategist at New York-based nonprofit, Harmony Labs. He previously ran the Chicago-based startup he founded, Timshel,{{cite web|last1=Rekdal|first1=Andreas|title=Obama's former CTO gives organizations the tools to build movements|url=https://qz.com/520652/groundwork-eric-schmidt-startup-working-for-hillary-clinton-campaign/|website=builtinchicago|access-date=March 21, 2017|date=April 7, 2016}} which developed the platform known as The Groundwork.{{cite web|last1=Keeley|first1=Colin|title=Social Impact, Helping Clinton Beat Trump & Engaging Communities - Michael Slaby / Founder of Timshel|url=http://www.techinchicago.co/episodes/2016/6/1/013-michael-slaby-founder-of-timshel|website=techinchicago|access-date=March 21, 2017|date=June 2, 2016}}
Background
Slaby attended Brown University, where he earned an A.B. degree in English literature and Biochemistry.{{Cite web|url=https://harmonylabs.org/michael-slaby|title=Michael Slaby|website=Harmony Labs|language=en-US|access-date=2019-11-22}} Slaby was the chief technology officer of Obama for America in 2008 campaign.
In 2012, he rejoined the campaign as chief integration and innovation officer.{{cite magazine|last1=Dickinson|first1=Tim|title=The Obama Campaign's Real Heroes|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/the-obama-campaigns-real-heroes-119221/|magazine=Rolling Stone|access-date=December 7, 2012|date=December 7, 2012}} When that campaign finished, he began work on social impact organizations that leverage technology to create social movements.
Hillary Clinton also used the technologies developed by Slaby and his team in her presidential campaign.{{cite news|last1=Higgins S|first1=Tim|title=Clinton Campaign Doubles Down on Data Analytics|url=http://www.govtech.com/data/Clinton-Campaign-Doubles-Down-on-Data-Analytics.html|access-date=March 21, 2017|publisher=govtech|date=May 23, 2016}}
Slaby is the former chief technology strategist for TomorrowVentures, which is an angel investment fund for Eric Schmidt.{{cite web|last1=Pasick|first1=Adam|last2=Fernholz|first2=Tim|title=The Groundwork: The stealthy, Eric Schmidt-backed startup that's working to put Hillary Clinton in the White House|url=https://qz.com/520652/groundwork-eric-schmidt-startup-working-for-hillary-clinton-campaign/|website=QZ|publisher=Quartz Media LLC|access-date=March 21, 2017|date=October 9, 2015}}
examines disinformation and promoting divisiveness
In 2021, Slaby authored a book entitled, For All the People: Redeeming the Broken Promises of Modern Media and Reclaiming Our Civic Life, in which he addressed disinformation, the encouragement of divisiveness, and those profiting off of it and conspiracy theories. He stresses that the rationalization offered by those reaping enormous profits off of Internet platforms used to communicate dialogue promoting them, "protecting free speech", is baseless because the free speech amendment of the United States Constitution relates to prohibiting suppressive actions by the government, not private entities.
Slaby then examines how Facebook and Google are seen to have polarized their users, allowed hate speech, and created an environment in which conspiracy theories could thrive. He cites the social basis for the Internet entities to have optimized their profits massively in this way and he calls for reigning in those with such profound influence in the public sphere through new governmental regulations, engagement by politicians, encouragement of moral leadership, and collective action by users in order to reestablish healthy discourse.Smith, David, [https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2021/mar/01/facebook-google-big-tech-regulation-michael-slaby-interview Optimizing for outrage: ex-Obama digital chief urges curbs on big tech], The Guardian, Monday, March 1, 2021
References
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Category:Year of birth missing (living people)
Category:Barack Obama 2008 presidential campaign