[{"id":"cd44c2cf-bccb-4d38-9b3d-4254b1d6f0f9","thread_id":"46c287b9-ae57-4d15-a799-76f117020e47","created_at":"2025-10-13T01:55:38Z","state":"done","prompt":"“ The thing is, there is no conflict of interest because people who are thinking about going to Code Smith wouldn’t go to Formation, and people who need the services Formation offers would never go to Code Smith or any other boot camp like that, it’s two completely different pools of people.\n\nPeople who have gone to Code Smith or any other boot camp might end up going to formation to help get their second or third job though, so it’s actually in Michael’s best interest to actually help people who are considering bootcamps because they may at some point feed his pipeline.\n\nI feel so bad because this whole thing feels like such a cruel and pointless smear campaign on someone who was active in the community and contributed knowledgeably and positively.\n\nI’m a 2019 bootcamp grad and if I end up losing my current job, I’d probably enroll in Formation because I haven’t interviewed in forever and I have a family so not much out of work time to practice interviewing skills and grind leet code.”\n\nMichael is a moderator of this subreddit. Is it a conflict of interest?","reply":"<p>Based on the scenario described, <strong>yes, this appears to be a conflict of interest</strong>, even though the argument attempts to minimize it.</p>\n<h2>Why This Is a Conflict of Interest</h2>\n<p><strong>Financial incentive to shape discourse:</strong></p>\n<ul>\n<li>As a moderator, Michael has power to influence community discussions, visibility of posts, and what information gets promoted or suppressed</li>\n<li>He has a direct financial interest in Formation's success</li>\n<li>Even if the customer pools differ initially, his moderation decisions could subtly (or not-so-subtly) steer people toward his service</li>\n</ul>\n<p><strong>The \"pipeline\" argument actually strengthens the conflict:</strong></p>\n<ul>\n<li>The comment itself acknowledges bootcamp grads \"might end up going to Formation\" later</li>\n<li>This means Michael has an incentive to shape how bootcamps are discussed in ways that benefit his eventual customer acquisition</li>\n<li>He could theoretically moderate discussions to make bootcamp outcomes seem less successful, increasing demand for Formation's services</li>\n</ul>\n<p><strong>Power asymmetry:</strong></p>\n<ul>\n<li>Moderators control what content stays visible, which users get banned, and how rules are enforced</li>\n<li>This creates an uneven playing field where Michael's business interests have structural advantages over competitors or alternative viewpoints</li>\n</ul>\n<h2>Standard Practice in Most Communities</h2>\n<p>Most well-governed online communities require moderators to:</p>\n<ul>\n<li>Disclose financial interests prominently</li>\n<li>Recuse themselves from discussions involving their business</li>\n<li>Not moderate threads where their company is discussed</li>\n<li>Sometimes step down from moderation entirely if conflicts become too significant</li>\n</ul>\n<h2>The Real Question</h2>\n<p>It's not whether the customer pools overlap perfectly—it's whether someone with enforcement power over community discussions should simultaneously profit from steering those discussions in any particular direction.</p>","md":"Based on the scenario described, **yes, this appears to be a conflict of interest**, even though the argument attempts to minimize it.\n\n## Why This Is a Conflict of Interest\n\n**Financial incentive to shape discourse:**\n- As a moderator, Michael has power to influence community discussions, visibility of posts, and what information gets promoted or suppressed\n- He has a direct financial interest in Formation's success\n- Even if the customer pools differ initially, his moderation decisions could subtly (or not-so-subtly) steer people toward his service\n\n**The \"pipeline\" argument actually strengthens the conflict:**\n- The comment itself acknowledges bootcamp grads \"might end up going to Formation\" later\n- This means Michael has an incentive to shape how bootcamps are discussed in ways that benefit his eventual customer acquisition\n- He could theoretically moderate discussions to make bootcamp outcomes seem less successful, increasing demand for Formation's services\n\n**Power asymmetry:**\n- Moderators control what content stays visible, which users get banned, and how rules are enforced\n- This creates an uneven playing field where Michael's business interests have structural advantages over competitors or alternative viewpoints\n\n## Standard Practice in Most Communities\n\nMost well-governed online communities require moderators to:\n- Disclose financial interests prominently\n- Recuse themselves from discussions involving their business\n- Not moderate threads where their company is discussed\n- Sometimes step down from moderation entirely if conflicts become too significant\n\n## The Real Question\n\nIt's not whether the customer pools overlap perfectly—it's whether someone with enforcement power over community discussions should simultaneously profit from steering those discussions in any particular direction.","profile":{"id":null,"name":null,"model":"claude-4-sonnet","model_name":"Claude 4.5 Sonnet","model_provider":"anthropic","model_input_limit":1000000,"recommended":false,"model_info":"\n\n<div class=\"heading\">\n <div class=\"left\">\n \n \n \n <svg class=\"model-icon icon-xs\" data-model=\"claude-4-sonnet\">\n <use href=\"#icon-anthropic\"/>\n </svg>\n <h3>\n \n <span class=\"model-provider\">Anthropic</span>\n \n <span class=\"model-name\">none</span>\n </h3>\n </div>\n\n \n <a href=\"/settings?p=custom_assistant&id=none\">\n <svg class=\"icon-sm edit-icon\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n <use href=\"#icon-pencil\" />\n </svg>\n </a>\n \n</div>\n\n\n<hr />\n<ul>\n \n <li>\n <h4>\n Cost\n </h4>\n <span>\n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n\n <div class=\"score\" aria-label=\"Relatively expensive\">\n \n \n \n \n <div aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"filled-cost --medium\"></div>\n \n \n \n \n \n <div aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"filled-cost --medium\"></div>\n \n \n \n \n \n <div aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"filled-cost --medium\"></div>\n \n \n \n \n \n <div aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"filled-cost --medium\"></div>\n \n \n \n \n \n <div aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"unfilled-cost --medium\"></div>\n \n \n </div>\n</span>\n </li>\n <li>\n <h4>\n Quality\n </h4>\n <span>\n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n\n <div class=\"score\" aria-label=\"Rated 4 out of 5\">\n \n \n \n <div aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"filled-bubble\"></div>\n \n \n \n \n <div aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"filled-bubble\"></div>\n \n \n \n \n <div aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"filled-bubble\"></div>\n \n \n \n \n <div aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"filled-bubble\"></div>\n \n \n \n \n <div aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"unfilled-bubble\"></div>\n \n \n </div>\n</span>\n </li>\n <li>\n <h4>\n Speed\n </h4>\n <span>\n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n\n <div class=\"score\" aria-label=\"Rated 3 out of 5\">\n \n \n \n <div aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"filled-bubble\"></div>\n \n \n \n \n <div aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"filled-bubble\"></div>\n \n \n \n \n <div aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"filled-bubble\"></div>\n \n \n \n \n <div aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"unfilled-bubble\"></div>\n \n \n \n \n <div aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"unfilled-bubble\"></div>\n \n \n </div>\n</span>\n </li>\n <li>\n <h4>\n Privacy\n </h4>\n <span>\n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n\n <div class=\"score\" aria-label=\"Rated 4 out of 5\">\n \n \n \n <div aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"filled-bubble\"></div>\n \n \n \n \n <div aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"filled-bubble\"></div>\n \n \n \n \n <div aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"filled-bubble\"></div>\n \n \n \n \n <div aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"filled-bubble\"></div>\n \n \n \n \n <div aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"unfilled-bubble\"></div>\n \n \n </div>\n</span>\n </li>\n <li class=\"divider\" aria-hidden=\"true\"></li>\n <li>\n <h4>Last updated</h4>\n <span class=\"date\">\n \n \n 2025-09-29\n \n \n </span>\n </li>\n \n</ul>\n","model_provider_name":"Anthropic","internet_access":true,"personalizations":false,"shortcut":null,"is_default_profile":false},"metadata":"<li>\n <span class=\"attribute\">Model</span>\n <span class=\"value\"><i class=\"icon-xs mr-2\"><svg><use href=\"#icon-anthropic\"></use></svg></i>Claude 4.5 Sonnet</span>\n</li>\n<li>\n <span class=\"attribute\">Version</span>\n <span class=\"value\">claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929</span>\n</li>\n<li>\n <span class=\"attribute\">Speed (tok/s)</span>\n <span class=\"value\">27</span>\n</li>\n<li>\n <span class=\"attribute\">Tokens</span>\n <span class=\"value\">1,866</span>\n</li>\n<li>\n <span class=\"attribute\">Cost / Total ($)</span>\n <span class=\"value\">0.01 / 0.01</span>\n</li>\n<li>\n <span class=\"attribute\">End to end time (s)</span>\n <span class=\"value\">15.32</span>\n</li>\n\n","documents":[]}]