Chris Sacca's 'What is left?'

Heading Back to Oxford

I am excited to say that I was recently invited to be an Associate Fellow at the Said School of Business at Oxford University.

Last November, I had the distinct privilege of spending a few enlightening days at Oxford as part of an event hosted by the Said School entitled "Silicon Valley Comes to Oxford." In addition to touring the wondrously historic campus, and being introduced to the unique Bodleian library by none other than Reg Carr himself, we visitors also participated in a pair of panel discussions and delivered masterclasses for the Said students.

The entire event was remarkable and deeply impressed me. In particular though, I was moved by the chance to get into the classroom with students and talk over some of the current issues Google and the Internet were facing. Instead of the customary unilateral Q&A from the audience that follows most of my speeches, I could finally turn the tables and fire queries right back. I loved the dynamism of such an exchange.

So, it was without hesitation, and with visible glee and humility that I accepted Dean Anthony Hopwood's invitation to come back to Oxford as an Associate Fellow. Of course, this does not mean I am leaving Google. No, in my role at Oxford I will dedicate a few weeks a year to being physically present there teaching a course module or two. I will also be participating again this year in the Silicon Valley Comes to Oxford event and will likely be contacting a few of you to join me and bring your unique perspective to the students as well. During the rest of the year, I look forward to being a resource to Oxonians in the Valley.

Thank you to all of the warm and genuine folks I have befriended across the Oxford and Said communities who made this possible. I am eager to see you all again soon, and can't wait to meet so many more fabulous people in the days to come. Until then, if I can be of service, please be in touch.

(Photo Credit: Image Zen )

McCain: Waffling on Creationism, Loses Me

Virtually anyone who has spent five and a half years as a prisoner of war earns my default endorsement as a worthy leader. Until recently, it was nearly impossible for my generation to fathom being held indefinitely without charge and tortured. (Guantanamo has provided a current, vivid reminder.) I have undying respect for anyone who survived such an ordeal, let alone to come back and dedicate their lives to public service. John McCain is no exception to this rule.

As such, when I was invited to a fundraiser for him to be held over the weekend, my initial reaction was to attend. However, recently, the legislative dynamo who we grew to love for his fierce independence and willingness to break from Republican orthodoxy, has seemingly fallen right back into the party fold and is reading from the Rove-approved messaging. The New York Times has noticed and featured a piece yesterday about how McCain has grown notably closer to Dubya and his platform.

Case in point - at the Fortune Brainstorm conference in Aspen, I watched a concerned audience member question McCain's position on teaching creationism in public schools. From the Fortune Brainstorm blog:

QUESTION: [What's your stance on teaching creationism in schools?]
MCCAIN: I think that students should be exposed to every theory and every thought that we can...I don't like communism, but I think students should be exposed to communism.... There are people that believe this is the the way the earth was created. I'm not saying it should be forced on them, but I don't get this dispute....
QUESTION: But in science class?
MCCAIN: I'm not on the schoool board. I'd let them decide that. One of our fundamental beliefs is local control...

The room audibly groaned. McCain's attempted distinction between teaching creationism in sceince classes as another scientific explanation for the existence of man, and the exploration of alternative political ideologies in a social studies or history survey fell completely short on this audience. This wasn't a political rally, after all. These were sharp folks who were here to dive deeply into these issues. Spin and faulty analogy found no purchase with these listeners.

I was really disappointed. I am often able to look past superficial Republican platitudes about the importance of family and flags. However, to turn such an evangelically blind eye to the hard, empirical truth of evolution and its vital role as a tenet of scientific education was inexcusable.

That said, it appears I was not the only one who was let down. Two private Aspen fundraisers later, McCain gave a public talk here and, according to the Aspen Times, was once again questioned regarding his creationism stance:

MCCAIN: I think Americans should be exposed to every point of view. I happen to believe in evolution. ... I respect those who think the world was created in seven days. Should it be taught as a science class? Probably not.

I guess money still talks. . .