Coinbase, Basecamp and steering clear of uncomfortable issues

Why read this story?

Editor's note: There is a lot going on around us, so it is quite likely you may have missed out on an important update from the internet ecosystem this past week. In The Morning Context newsroom, we have spent the last few days discussing this update and finally decided that this needs a wider conversation. Something tells us that this is going to snowball into an important discussion in the near future. So, here we go. This week, Jason Fried, founder of 22-year-old software company Basecamp, released a controversial memo, announcing some changes to the company’s culture. No more societal and political discussions on our company Basecamp account. Today's social and political waters are especially choppy. Sensitivities are at 11, and every discussion remotely related to politics, advocacy, or society at large quickly spins away from pleasant. You shouldn't have to wonder if staying out of it means you're complicit, or wading into it means you're a target. These are difficult enough waters to navigate in life, but significantly more so at work. It's become too much. It's a major distraction. It …