Gaslighting for likes

I see a lot of VC and founder content on my LinkedIn. As with most cycles, It all started with glamorising the industry, then demonising investors, and finally a healthy amount of sober reality – which may be in line with the market correction companies experienced after the “funding crunch” of the last few quarters.

While people are coming to terms with the harsh reality of the industry (long hours, bad salaries, high failure rates, burnout, sexism, classism) there is a concept, borrowed from Stephane Nasser, which I quite like: ‘gaslighting for likes’.

How does that work? It is a moderate version of the humblebrag, and happens (generally) in 3rd person: someone finds an inspiring story that gives (false) hope, by negating a few important facts.

A recent example I recall is the story of David Choe, the graffiti artist who became millionaire by painting a mural at Facebook’s headquarters. While he had been a troubled individual, he was already well regarded, and far from starving as the story portrays him when he took the gamble of accepting stock instead of cash. He also got a deal many employees didn’t: 0.25% of a company with already a value of $98m.

This works in the same vein as the ever growing story of Sylvester Stallone “buying back his bulldog” after scoring big with Rocky. Again, there was a bulldog, and actor, and a contract for a film… but all other facts are exaggerated and distorted, and even Stallone accepted that.

There is a risk here, and a rather big one: people aren’t looking at these stories in the same way one would think of greek mythology, where it is clear these are allegories or metaphors: people read them as news or hard facts.

Perhaps this is because we are lacking a narrative of contemporary gods or titans, so legends are built upon businessmen, celebrities and entrepreneurs… but still, and more important, these narrations are created for the writer’s gain and may encourage people who are actually starving to gamble how little they have.

I believe we owe each other more accountability over what we publish, what we say, and how much we analyse stories that make us feel good, but sound a bit too good to be true. Because sadly they may not be true at all.

PS – the image is Midjourney‘s interpretation of an entrepreneur lying through their teeth. Does it look accurate?