Who’s That Guy (Girl)?
Ben Thompson, author of the blog Stratechery , found this question on Quora , asking who he was. He was bit irritated with the question (I’ll get to why in a minute): Re-read that question again: the person asking the question knows Thompson to be the author of the blog, which, by the way, is how Thompson wants to be known: “I’m a person, I put myself out there on this blog, and I trust that what I write represents me well.” But that’s never enough, is it? Thompson again: “I’ve been quoted as “Microsoft’s Ben Thompson,” as “former Apple intern Ben Thompson,” and “batshit crazy Ben Thompson.” I actually wish the third were true, because, unlike the first two, the descriptor rests on what I write, not on some sort of vague authority derived from whoever is signing my paychecks.” A variant of the Thompson’s point is why authors often write anonymously. As Maria Bustillos explained : “Anonymous is more than a pseudonym. It is a stark declaration of intent: a...