Michael Slaby

Michael Slaby
Alma mater	Brown University(AB)
Website	www.michaelslaby

Michael Slabyis an American entrepreneur, currently serving as the chief strategist atNew York-based nonprofit, Harmony Labs. He previously ran theChicago-based startup he founded, Timshel,which developed the platform known asThe Groundwork.

Background

Slaby attendedBrown University,where he earned anA.B. degreein English literature and Biochemistry.Slaby was the chief technology officer ofObama for America in 2008campaign.

In 2012, he rejoinedthe campaignas chief integration and innovation officer.When that campaign finished, he began work on social impact organizations that leverage technology to create social movements.

Hillary Clintonalso used the technologies developed by Slaby and his team in herpresidential campaign.

Slaby is the former chief technology strategist for TomorrowVentures, which is an angel investment fund forEric Schmidt.

examines disinformation and promoting divisiveness

In 2021, Slaby authored a book entitled,For All the People: Redeeming the Broken Promises of Modern Media and Reclaiming Our Civic Life,in which he addresseddisinformation,the encouragement ofdivisiveness,and those profiting off of it andconspiracy theories.He stresses that the rationalization offered by those reaping enormous profits off of Internet platforms used to communicate dialogue promoting them, "protecting free speech", is baseless because thefree speech amendmentof the United States Constitution relates to prohibiting suppressive actions by the government, not private entities.

Slaby then examines howFacebookandGoogleare seen to have polarized their users, allowed hate speech, and created an environment in which conspiracy theories could thrive. He cites the social basis for the Internet entities to have optimized their profits massively in this way and he calls for reigning in those with such profound influence in the public sphere through new governmental regulations, engagement by politicians, encouragement of moral leadership, and collective action by users in order to reestablish healthy discourse.