Brian Armstrong—Banned workplace political discussions at Coinbase, causing 5% of staff to quit
In September 2020, Brian Armstrong declared Coinbase a 'Mission Focused Company' and banned employee activism and political discussions. He offered severance to those who disagreed; 60 employees (5%) left. Black, Latinx, LGBTQ, and female employees had reported hostile conditions. Women were paid 8% less and Black employees 7% less than peers.
Scoring Impact
| Topic | Direction | Relevance | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| DEI Programs | -against | primary | -1.00 |
| Worker Rights | -against | secondary | -0.50 |
| Overall incident score = | -0.443 | ||
Score = avg(topic contributions) × significance (medium ×1) × confidence (0.59)
Evidence (1 signal)
Banned workplace political discussions at Coinbase, causing 5% of staff to quit
In September 2020, Brian Armstrong declared Coinbase a 'Mission Focused Company' and banned employee activism and political discussions. He offered severance to those who disagreed; 60 employees (5%) left. Black, Latinx, LGBTQ, and female employees had reported hostile conditions. Women were paid 8% less and Black employees 7% less than peers.