You keep saying “impartial”...

I don’t think that word means what you think it means [The Hustle]( Thur, Aug 31 If you bite the hand the feeds, prepare to get slapped Barry Lynn, a researcher at “impartial” think tank, the [New America Foundation]( has been fired for a critique of Google he published back in June. Lynn’s article lauded the European Commission for bringing a [record $2.7B antitrust fine]( against Google and “protecting the free flow of… commerce upon which all democracies depend”, after finding it had used its search engine to unfairly steer them to its own shopping platform. Now Lynn, along with his entire 10-person research team, is out of a job. And according to Lynn, it’s all because Eric Schmidt -- Chairman of Google’s parent company -- Alphabet (and major New America donor), “[communicated his displeasure]( with the group’s president, Anne-Marie Slaughter. Wait, what’s a “think tank” exactly? A think tank is a “a body of experts providing advice and ideas on specific political or economic problems.” AKA, the thought leaders of thought leaders. The [Economist]( describes a good t-tank as one that “helps the policymaking process by publishing reports that are as rigorous as academic research and as accessible as journalism.” The New America think tank was created to offer “impartial analysis and pragmatic solutions [for] problems of our 21st-century information-age economy” -- and their reports have helped shaped policy debates in Washington for nearly two decades. But they’re also strongly tied to Schmidt Schmidt was New America’s Executive Chairman until 2016, and his family’s foundation, along with Google, have [donated over $21m]( to the group since its inception. The main conference room in DC is literally named the “Eric Schmidt Ideas Lab.” Little on the nose there, guys… Which is why this firing is such a problem A corporation-backed group influencing federal policies is troubling enough (and frankly, extremely common), but when that group can’t even criticize its backer, it presents a real conflict of interest. New America claims that Lynn’s firing was unrelated to his work. But on his new website, [Citizens Against Monopoly]( Lynn begged to differ: “Google flexed their financial power and got our entire team expelled from our think tank,” he wrote. We understand Schmidt’s frustration at the foundation calling his baby ugly, but it’s Slaughter’s responsibility to protect the academic integrity of her staff (and the foundation) -- and caving to this kind of pressure sets a dangerous precedent. Please don’t fire us from the internet Let’s just go ahead and CC this to everyone… The [Essential phone]( is a pretty little thing, complete with a titanium shell, shatter-proof glass, and a state-of-the-art selfie camera -- and for months, the gadget-hounds who pre-ordered it have been waiting by the window, cursing the mailman. But last night, the company made a major security snafu that’s scaring people into mass-cancelling orders: they blasted out an [email asking for customers’ photo IDs]( -- and CC’d everyone on it. A lot of buzz -- and some logistics issues In January 2017, Andy Rubin, co-founder of Android announced he was breaking off to start his own hardware company. In May, he announced his first product, the Essential phone, with the promise of creating “an entirely new type of company.” Essential promised to deliver pre-orders by June, but thanks to a “[trainwreck]( of unexplained delays, orders just started going out at the end of last week. From bad to worse Yesterday, a litany of customers -- already pissed about numerous shipping setbacks -- received a questionable email asking for [copies of their photo IDs]( in order to complete the purchases: Here’s where things get real bad: every time someone replied with their ID, it went to the entire email list. Sounds “phishy” enough to be a scam -- but, according to a phishing [expert]( it’s more likely a “colossal screw up” on Essential’s end due to a technical misconfiguration. All Essential has offered in way of an explanation is a Tweet that they are “[aware]( [Thanks, guys]( In Keith we trust In 2016, following Etsy’s [ban]( on “witch spells,” Penelope Gazin and Kate Dwyer founded [Witchsy]( (NSFW), an online shop for kitschy crafts and risque art (like their “[Harry Pothead]( or “Butthole Spider” patches), It’s not a massive operation, but in their first year, they’ve had $200k in sales, received an investment from Rick and Morty co-creator Justin Roiland, and turned a small profit. To help them get there, they invented a male co-founder, “Keith Mann,” to sidestep sexism from third parties -- and it’s gotten them some [great press]( in the process. “Listen, girls…” Gazin and Dwyer found that when working with (mostly male) developers and designers to build their site, it would often take days to get an email response. And when they did, it was with a condescending tone -- like the developer who started with the salutation, “Listen, girls…” On the other hand, [Keith Mann]( -- a family man and ex-college football player, according to his fictional backstory -- consistently received prompt, respectful responses that addressed him by name, rather than gender. New dance, same old song The phenomenon is reminiscent of an experiment 2 workers (1 male 1 female) at an employment agency ran this year, where they [switched email signatures]( for 2 weeks. Clients were considerably more difficult and condescending with Martin (writing emails as “Nicole”), while Nicole (writing emails as “Martin”) “had the most productive week of her career.” As Dwyer says, “this is clearly just part of this world that we’re in right now.” But that doesn’t mean they’re gonna stop making [Meat Blankets](. [Oh, Phew]( How to make meetings suck less Every day in the US, there are an estimated 25m business meetings -- about 99% of them are a complete waste of time, complete with focus-less drivel, disinterested attendees, and stale muffins. Luckily, there are a few ways to make them a little more engaging. Amp yourself up by eating a breakfast frog “If it’s your job to eat a frog,” Mark Twain once [said]( “it’s best to do it first thing in the morning.” In other words, tackle your most unappetizing task in the morning, pre-meeting, and you’ll walk into sit-downs with a spring in your step. Stop multitasking A whopping [92%]( of workers admit to multitasking during meetings, including 69% who check their email, and 49% who do unrelated work (re: Facebook). Focus on the people in the room: if you’re not engaged, expect the same from others. Keep things short and sweet The best advice for meetings: spend less time in them. There are very few things that warrant a 60-minute chat -- and unfortunately, that’s the default on most digital calendars. Plan for [shorter meetings]( (think 15 minutes) that are more intensive and focused. Send prep in advance Don’t be the person who asks for brilliant feedback on the spot: [blind brainstorming]( sessions rarely produce anything valuable. Instead, send out all meeting materials in advance and give people time to formulate thoughts on their own before brain-farting all over the conference room. [Slightly less sucky]( things you should... STOP: Spending hours searching for the right movie, FREE An all too real first-world problem any of us late night Netflixers have stumbled across. Fortunately, “A good movie to watch” has staff-picked recommendations by mood, to help you find that perfect movie. [NEXT UP: GROUP PIZZA TOPPINGS →]( UPDATE: Your car insurance, if your kids are going to college, FREE Are your kids going to college in a location at least 100 miles away from you (in a decidedly more remote town)? Then make sure to contact your agent -- you could be saving hundreds a year in cheaper car insurance. [DRIVING UP SAVINGS →]( CHEER ON: Your favorite NFL team on the cheap, $24.99/mo We’re not so out of touch as to not realize most of you college kids are probably watching your games free via your favorite free Russian streaming site. But if you wanna stop dealing with endless broken links and Spanish commentary, then pick up this 60% deal off RedZone via DIRECTV. [ONLY STUDENTS ELIGIBLE →]( DEVELOP: Your dream app on the cheap, deal for $25k Don’t pay a developer to build a Facebook integration for your app that they’ve already built 100 times -- automate the repetitive bits using Engineer.ai, then let their engineers focus on the important details. Plus sign up here and get a Hustle exclusive: develop your first app for $25k and get your next two at half price -- that’s $12.5k in savings apiece. [THE SOFTWARE’S MAKING SOFTWARE →]( CHECK OUT: The “Billion Dollar Lineup” from DraftKings, Free Tired of seeing your expert picks going unnoticed? DraftKings is giving away $1B if you pick the perfect Week 1 lineup and guaranteed cash prizes to the first 135k entries. [THAT'S BILLIONS, WITH A "B" →]( This edition of The Hustle was brought to you by 11 hours of damage That’s how long the average American spends blasting their eyeballs with bright screens everyday. The results are itchy dry eyes, migraines, and to be honest -- a whole lot of bad stuff we’re not even sure of yet. Decreased eyesight in heavy computer users gives doctors reason to believe we might even see our vision go 10 years earlier than before. We all know it’s a problem, but not one of us does anything about it -- probably because the only solution are those nerdiest-shade-of-yellow “gamer” glasses. Protect your eyes in style [Felix Gray]( is changing the eye protection game with computer glasses that look just like normal ones. Seriously, [look at them](. Actually, normal is an understatement. These glasses are made from the same premium acetate that Versace uses -- so technically these are like $300 luxury glasses. They protect your eyes and look like italian fashion wear...probably gonna cost a month’s paycheck, right? Nope. These bad boys are [only $95](. You shouldn’t choose between your eyes and your pocket. So if you want to save your vision for all the cool tech that’ll be around when you’re 80, step up your glass game and [get Felix Gray.]( 0 [SHARE THE HUSTLE]( REFERRALS Lindsey Quinn WRITER Kamran Rosen WRITER Zack Crockett WRITER John "Won't bow to Google" Havel BACKSEAT EDITOR Theresa Crowd STAFF CHAPERONE [SUBSCRIBE]( [JOBS]( [ADVERTISE]( [EVENTS]( You opted in by signing up, attending an event, or through divine intervention. [771 CLEMENTINA STREET, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103, UNITED STATES]( • [415.506.7210](tel:+1-415-506-7210) Never wanna hear from us again? Break our hearts and [unsubscribe](