Interesting, maybe it was lost in translation as English isn't my first language, but "here is some background" doesn't mean "here is the brief summary" for me. It also doesn't mean here is the complete story and the only truth. Sorry if I wasn't clear. IMHO, I still think that if people take the time to read the thread and the articles written by media like New York Times, The Register and Business Insider, it should give a proper "brief summary" (of what can be said without bringing any legal issues) for the person who asked for it.
I agree with someone else comment in this news about the fact that his reputation will be intact that way for people who didn't know about the situation at npm. As much as I don't like this at all and I hope I would never lie in a situation like that, it's unfortunately a good PR move to do it like this...
Actually, it was also about the layoff itself, not just how it happened. At the beginning of the thread, I wasn't to shared details for legal reasons, but it became a NLRB case for union busting. See this article from The Register for more details https://www.theregister.co.uk/2019/04/22/npm_fired_staff_uni...
Thanks for sharing your personal opinion, I appreciate.
The fact that I shared my story like I did and doing now was beneficial on all levels for me. I stayed true to my principles and values. I was approach by companies and managers who have the same values also. It helped me go back on my feet emotionally and professionally way more quickly.
My personal take is that whatever you do, no matter if it's about deciding to not care or not say anything, or being vocal, stay true to yourself, and be proud of what you share.
It wasn't just about other employees. I lost my job. I got fired in a shitty way. I lost my income source. I lost a job I love. I lost faith in a company I cared about. I was afraid for the future of the ecosystem and my friends still there (most of them resigned since). It was an emotional moment for me and others. Things can be about others AND you, it's not a zero sum game.
If you read a little more, you would have seen that it was a case of union busting (which is illegal) that was taken by NLRB. It is just part of what happened.
Note that I'm a Developer Advocate at DigitalOcean.
AFAIK, there is no plans to move to paid service. It makes sense to make DNS management easier for developers if you have your applications or websites running on our droplets.