Banned: Why I was fired from Twit.

Saturday note from John C. Dvorak

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This special edition of the newsletter is to answer questions about my being banned from Twit.

Note from John C. Dvorak

Unceremoniously fired by Leo for tweeting. The real explanation.

Producers,

I was unceremoniously fired without warning from ever doing the Twit podcasts again based on a casual tweet made concerning the media (and Leo and Jeff Jarvis) for all buying into the obvious bullcrap of Ahmed the clockmaker which Adam thoroughly deconstructed and eviscerated in a classic No Agenda take down that was a work of well-researched art.

The series of tweets are below. I’m not sure why Leo just couldn’t call and discuss this, but he did a similar thing to Brian Brushwood under even more sketchy circumstances. Leo pays his co-hosts $500 per appearance and I’m sure he figured he’d hurt me in my pocketbook by banning me.This is a person I thought was my friend.

This had been building up for a couple of reasons, primarily my take on Net Neutrality of which he was a major booster. Ever since the net neutrality debate began, people have sent me all sorts of recordings of Leo constantly bad mouthing me during his live in-between show banter. I have never complained about this. The last episode of this was actually sent in by a No Agenda Producer. It’s from April-May 2015 where Leo was caught saying the following about me.

[Leo talking to some guest] “I always think of you as a little more liberal than, say, somebody like Dvorak…who is definitely a money-obsessed Republican tool.”

You can listen to this yourself here. This was another reference to my take on net neutrality – it makes me a Republican tool.

According to Leo and Jarvis, this kid is an innocent victim of racism. I objected to that interpretation. I'm fired. Called a blowhard. Cripes.

Being called a Republican tool was a major signal that discontent was affecting the relationship. You can combine this with a number of other instances of sniping and his apparent bad-mouthing me at a Q&A in Austin at a meet up. The “Republican tool” comment though was very offensive as I am a registered Independent.

I was going to call out Leo on this, but figured he was “just being Leo,” which is a phrase people who know Leo commonly use. And I was curious to see where this hatred of me was headed.

As my opinions increased, this hatred continued and I knew my days were numbered working on Twit. Adam thinks that Leo is very jealous of No Agenda and its success. Recently Leo was recorded saying that he thinks he could do a better job than we do at No Agenda and he has every so often commented about doing a political show. This is funny in itself because he rudely likes to say that he never listens to No Agenda.

But you have to wonder why he and Jeff Jarvis were pontificating on the Ahmed clock boy story in the first place. The show is called “This Week in Google.” What did this have to do with Google? In fact that show, like many shows lately, all re-hash the same general tech news, show after show. The New Screen Savers now talks about stories that used to be exclusive to Twit.

My last few times on Twit were greeted with “there’s no tech news” which is laughable.

I’ve seen a lot of companies go through this process where they let the cash cow languish and put their energy and money into speculative endeavors rather than bolster the cash cow and make the cash cow bigger.

So I’m out, perhaps as part of this process. Being one of the few co-hosts who actually drives to Petaluma to do the show in-studio rather than Skype-calling it in, I found the dust up to be bizarre, if not psycho nutty.

I got a lot of support by No Agenda fans and Twitter followers. One tweet caught my attention and I figured we should just make it part of the show and part of the donation structure.

So it ends there. This story will not be part of the No Agenda Show tomorrow, since there is plenty to discuss besides my appearances on Twit. This notice was written to explain the situation. You can show your support in any way you want. No Agenda will amp up the “tech news” segment of No Agenda when needed, but for those of you expecting a tech show from myself or Adam, that is never going to happen. We do No Agenda and we do it for you. No time and resources will be spent on speculative endeavors.

Tomorrow’s show promises to be exciting again with Adam on the road in Wyoming.

Your co-host,

PS We want to thank those of you who decided to set up payment plans via online banking or who just like to send checks. Remember it is No Agenda Show, Box 339 El Cerrito, CA 94530
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