Real correspondence from the people running real companies — and what it reveals about leadership.
Topic
Regulators, antitrust, and the rules of the game.
23 letters · most recent first
Shanna Velez & Mike Marchak & Purnima Kochikar & Alyssa Ablao & Josh Kim & Randy Gelber ·Google ·15 DEC 2021
When you can't grant a carveout, invent a program — same economics, but the rule stays intact.
Brandon Barras & Sameer Samat & Kirsten Rasanen ·Google ·27 JUN 2017
The real cost of a discount isn't the revenue you lose — it's the pricing power you can never rebuild.
Dan Jackson & Colin Smith & Hiroshi Lockheimer ·Google ·9 JAN 2020
Internal words become external weapons — pick them like a reporter will read them, because eventually one will.
Nick Clegg & Kang-Xing Jin ·Meta Platforms, Inc. ·27 AUG 2021
When your policy team is writing your product roadmap, you've already lost the timing war.
Margaret Stewart & Mark Zuckerberg & Sue Young & Nick Clegg & Monika Bickert & Naomi Gleit & Andy O'Connell ·Meta/Facebook ·12 MAY 2020
When you require proof of harm before acting, you've already decided in favor of the risk.
Karina Newton & Monika Bickert & Elisabeth Diana ·Meta/Instagram ·10 OCT 2019
The moment your own team says 'we are in a very bad place defending this,' that's not a PR problem — it's a product problem.
[REDACTED] & Justin Osofsky & Mark Zuckerberg & Javier Olivan & David Fischer & Dan Rose & Mike Vernal & Mike Schroepfer ·Meta/Facebook ·10 JAN 2013
When a small revenue line helps a rival build a business that could replace you, the trade isn't close.
Sam Bankman-Fried & Ryan Pinder & Daniel Friedberg ·FTX Trading Ltd. ·10 NOV 2022
When you can't save everyone, be honest about who you're choosing to save first — and expect the rest to notice.
Kirsten Rasanen & Sameer Samat & Wilson White & Paul Feng ·Google ·17 OCT 2017
When you're about to close a door on a big partner, walking through it in person costs you nothing and buys you information you can't get any other way.
Kirsten Rasanen & Jamie Rosenberg & Sameer Samat ·Google ·18 SEP 2017
When a policy will anger your biggest partners, negotiate them into it privately before the world hears about it.
Purnima Kochikar & Tia Arzu & Paul Gennai & Jamie Rosenberg ·Google ·23 JUN 2018
Before you negotiate, know exactly how much the other side needs you — and make sure your team does too.
Purnima Kochikar & Tim Sweeney & Donald Harrison & Hiroshi Lockheimer ·Google / Epic Games ·10 DEC 2019
When you're picking a fight with a giant, don't ask for an exception — demand a rule change, and make sure everyone is watching.
Kirsten Rasanen & Samer Sayigh ·Google ·21 DEC 2023
The best-designed policy loses to the loudest possible critic — until you honestly weigh the cost of doing nothing.
Apple Legal Department ·Apple Inc. ·4 SEP 2020
When someone attacks your pricing, don't defend the price — redefine what they're actually paying for.
Apple Legal Department ·Apple Inc. ·8 SEP 2020
When someone attacks your price, don't defend the price — redefine what they're actually paying for.
Apple Legal Department ·Apple Inc. ·15 SEP 2020
When someone attacks your fee, don't defend the fee — redefine what they're actually buying.
Elon Musk & Greg Brockman & Ilya Sutskever & Jared Birchall ·OpenAI ·21 JUL 2017
The most important strategic decision isn't where you start — it's knowing which structure you'll need next, and when to trigger the shift.
Dario Amodei & Emil Michael ·Anthropic ·26 FEB 2026
When the other side rewrites your redlines into meaningless words, name the trick precisely — then keep the door open.
Mark Zuckerberg & Elon Musk ·Meta, Tesla/X ·13 DEC 2024
The most valuable currency between competitors isn't money — it's a heads-up before the news breaks.
DoorDash Leadership ·DoorDash ·15 FEB 2024
Growth and efficiency aren't opposites — they're phases. Knowing which phase you're in is the job.
Tim Sweeney ·Epic Games ·30 JUN 2020
When you can't beat a gatekeeper on their terms, reframe the fight as being about their customers, not you.
Tim Sweeney ·Epic Games ·17 JUL 2020
When a business dispute stops being about money and starts being about principle, the other side's lawyers are no longer the audience — the public and the courts are.
Tim Sweeney ·Epic Games ·13 AUG 2020
When you deliberately break a powerful partner's rules, the letter you send isn't a negotiation — it's the opening statement of a lawsuit you've already prepared.