[Author’s note: This is the original Facebook post that started off the effort to reform FEE and thus, the creation of saveFEE.org. It was written on April 11, 2024, on my personal account. Although it’s a first-person story, the articles to follow on this site will be broader and from different perspectives.]
WHEN ORGANIZATIONS ROT FROM THE INSIDE
As some of you know, I’ve been working with the Foundation for Economic Education [FEE] for many years.
And today, I was summarily dismissed, ostensibly because I asked for a small raise to combat rampaging inflation and cost of living.
Obviously, I’m bitter, so feel free to take what follows with as many grains of salt as you like.
BACKSTORY:
Several years ago, I began working on a series for the organization called “Out of Frame.”
The series was a phenomenal success, with some episodes garnering views in the millions.
After nearly 4 years of working on that series, which was a lot of work for little pay (but much satisfaction for getting ideas and discussions about liberty into the public), I had to walk away. The series continued with another editor and still did well.
I rejoined FEE as an editor almost exactly 2 years ago because I missed working with a lot of great people, and I wanted to continue espousing ideas and philosophies I strongly believed in, even though they were paying me less than 40% of my market rate.
NOW:
During the past couple of years at FEE, I’ve never had a more frustrating work experience, nor have I, ironically, ever felt less empowered as an individual at any point in my life.
The organization has become pure bureaucracy, like a centrally-planned, top-down socialist government, the very same that they constantly harp on about in their missives.
I mean, they immediately shut down my Slack access and my email, basically making me “disappear,” lest I inspire some independent thoughts in the workers… I wouldn’t be surprised if I’m being Photoshopped out of the group photo right now.
Personality-wise, I’m not easily dissuaded, so during my tenure there, I had been trying to change things, but to no avail. I critiqued, offered solutions, ideas, ways to change, to move forward.
Nothing doing.
Nevertheless, I persisted. (Hah!)
My work was top-notch, and my ideas were largely received positively by my cohorts. I have been doing this for a long time after all, you know. But I knew we could do better, and kept pushing for it. Instead of patting ourselves on the back for small, inconsequential things, I pushed for allowing creativity to flourish instead of doing iterative work that wasn’t original and just followed trends on their diminishing tails.
Recently, I even sent a detailed letter to the new president expressing many of the issues and frustrations I believed we needed to solve to become a better organization.
In it, I recounted a story of my time working up at Apple. I was there working on films for the launch of the Watch, and I had expressed my issues and frustrations with Final Cut Pro X, Apple’s editing software that they had completely rewritten, but left out many features pro editors needed.
Apple, the juggernaut, immediately put together a meeting of their software engineers working on FCP with me and my team so that we could talk and make the product better.
Simple. Effective. But obviously completely foreign to an organization dedicated to “economic education.”
There’s a board at FEE that is invisible to the lowly drones.
There’s a man who runs interference between the board and the organization, often obscuring the truth when he sees fit.
And then there’s “leadership” that does nothing to actually lead. Guessing many of them are in the “don’t rock the boat and just play ball” situation…
It’s rot from the inside, but more accurately, from the top down. Call it a mini “China” or “Venezuela” if you like, because many of the people working there not in “leadership” positions, are truly amazing.
And it gets worse.
A few weeks ago, FEE suddenly killed the Revolution of One team. Rev1 was, how do I put this… the “urban outreach” team.
The “black kids,” to put it bluntly.
Sure, the Rev1 team had problems, but they were largely left to fend for themselves. In fact, early on, I basically volunteered to work with them to try help bring the team’s work up to par, because I could see that the organization wasn’t doing what it needed to help them.
Honestly, it was pretty gross.
So now, FEE, I believe, is down to one black employee, in an organization headquartered in Atlanta, where nearly 50% of the population is black.
And now they got rid of the Middle Eastern guy too… ha!
[FEE does have a sizable team of Latinos for what it’s worth, though taking a look at the board of trustees and seeing a sea of only “white men” is kind of hilarious…]
And no, it’s not just “POC” they treat poorly. They recently laid off a guy after he and his wife just had a kid, after making a big show of “coming together” to support him and his family.
So why go on this rant?
Well, a few reasons:
1. FEE’s legacy demands better.
2. There are amazing, talented people working there whose potential and youth are being frittered away by the bureaucracy.
3. Donors’ gifts are being wasted when they could be used better and more effectively.
4. I really give a damn about liberty, and want to create better work to engage people.
I sacrificed a lot to go work for FEE. My bank account has suffered tremendously. I’ve lost contact with many past clients. But so be it. That was my choice.
It was also my choice to do far more than my contract as “editor” entailed: writing, directing, mentoring, all for the same low, low price that, as it stands, is more or less twice what a burger flipper in California makes.
However, I did expect better from an organization purportedly dedicated to lifting the individual and preaching freedom.
I very well may make myself persona non grata with every other liberty organization out there, but there’s no way I’m staying quiet about how this legendary organization is being driven into the ground.
I’ll keep fighting for liberty, even if it’s on my own.
ONE LAST THING:
On a couple of occasions, including the episode of “Out of Frame” I wrote about Iran, I was shut down for suggesting “regime change.”
Never really understood that. If that’s the only solution for a brutally oppressed people, and if FEE stands for liberty, why would they take such a stance?
Well, now I get it.
Because the Foundation of Economic Education itself needs regime change.