Plus: Decades-old security flaws, a wave of startup layoffs, and multiple “thousand-year” rainfalls.
, Zatko has previously testified before Congress, worked for Darpa, and most recently held a key post at Stripe. The dominant thread in his messaging is an urge to improve security. “He is the most credentialed person you could ever want and super articulate about everything and just a great guy,” says Tye. But not such a great guy if he’s against you. His complaint is 84 pages of strident arguments that Twitter’s substandard practices are linked to intentional malfeasance.
Then there’s the explosive Elon Musk angle. Tye denies that he or Zatko coordinated with the Tesla billionaire, who is trying to slither out of his commitment to buy Twitter. Indeed, Zatko’s whistle was lodged firmly in his lips beforethis April. Nonetheless, Zatko’s complaint steers straight into this minefield, with a whole section alleging Twitter’s perfidy in responding to Musk’s gripes about bot numbers. Seems gratuitous.
But that’s part of the whistleblower dynamic. We journalists will hungrily grab at any opportunity to humanize an important, but esoteric, issue. Everyone is fascinated by the truth teller, but what really matters is what truth they’re telling. I wonder whether the security issues Zatko exposed would get nearly as much attention had a dashing figure with a mysteriousnot been attached to them.
This doesn’t mean that whistleblowers aren’t courageous. Even with the current protections, putting yourself in the public light by exposing information you once vowed to keep secret is a risky enterprise. And powerful enemies are a guarantee. But I wonder whether Zatko’s takedown of a company he professes to love might contribute to its further erosion. After all, if Musk gets to walk away from his commitment, that would be a disaster for the company.