Just started reading this book this week - and oh boy (pun intended) it is relatable AF.
Really unfortunate that we lost him at so early an age. He really could have changed the world for better.
Never forget Aaron Swartz they said.
But they did.
Yes, not many remember anymore. Now he is removed from mentioning as co-founder of Reddit, and Reddit has moved from open to proprietary software. And nobody over there cares, probably most don’t even know the values Reddit was originally based on.
Steve Huffman (u/spez) is basically pissing on his grave.
But at least he hasn’t been removed from the Wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reddit where he is still mentioned as co-founder.
Aaron tried to make things better, and for that he was threatened on his life by the authorities. May he rest in peace.
The recent BtB episode about him hit me so hard. I feel like I relate a lot to Swartz because I really value knowledge. The episode ultimately made me feel hopeful but with a deep underpinning of sadness. The point Margret and Robert made about his death being a turning point really stood out to me.
Behind the Bastards did a really good two part series on him. Highly recommended.
https://podcastaddict.com/behind-the-bastards/episode/168581432
