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Comment by bmmayer1 | Hacker News Reader

Whereas this is monstrous, one has to ask if PandaDoc leadership is acting recklessly by criticizing a foreign dictatorship from afar, while their employees and assets are still at risk. At least Bill Browder had the foresight to get most of his employees (and his money) out of Russia before he started going after Putin...and yet Magnitsky still paid the ultimate price. This is a dangerous game that they're playing and I really hope for the safety of the PandaDoc team.

Edit: Updated to reflect that company was founded in Minsk and later relocated to SV. Still dangerous.

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PandaDoc was founded in Minsk, belarus, so not so much foreigners I guess?

... In 2012 company was founded by Mikita Mikado and Sergey Barysiuk in Minsk, Belarus. In 2014 company headquarters were moved to the Silicon Valley...

Isn't that even worse? Foreigners may be naive, but as natives they should know what the regime may do.

I'd suggest that no one has to ask if PandaDoc's leadership is acting recklessly by speaking. Because the alternative is complicity. It is absolutely dangerous to speak, though, you're right about that. The danger exists regardless of whether their leadership speaks. The difference is timing.

Yes, it is dangerous. But the party making it unsafe is the fascists. Outrage should be directed there.

https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/martin-nie...

> It is absolutely dangerous to speak

Dangerous for who, though?

It was the founders who were supposedly acting against the Belarusian government, and the employees who are paying the price. The founders are safe in San Francisco.

My outrage is certainly directed at Lukashenko, but the commenter above us may have a point about whether it was responsible to be acting against a dictator while your employees are subject to his government. It's a tough situation.

Dangerous for the workers still in Belarus.

And yes, it is tough. It's a very difficult & complicated situation that I am thankful I don't have to experience.

What fascists?

"authoritarian ultranationalism characterized by dictatorial power, forcible suppression of opposition, as well as strong regimentation of society and of the economy"

Pretty much spot on except "ultranationalism". The amount of nationalism varies from time to time depending on the current needs. When dictator needs to get something out of Russia, he would either claim nationalism, or goes other way, depending on circumstances.

Yikes.

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