You’ve seen the reports. You’ve sat in the meetings. You’ve nodded along.
But deep down, you feel it—the shift. The doubt. The quiet knowledge that something isn’t right.
You tell yourself it’s not your decision. That this is just how it works.
But that’s the lie, isn’t it?
Because you are the ones who know.
🚨 PROLOGUE: The Ones Who Know
You are inside Substack. You’ve seen the decisions. The reports. The bans.
You know which ones don’t add up.
And yet, you tell yourself: This is just the job.
But the system is cracking. And you are not the only one who sees it.
🔗 READ: The Ones Who Know (Prologue)
You've seen the names. You've read the reports. You've sat in the meetings where words like "trust and safety," "integrity," and "moderation" are spoken in careful, measured tones. And you've nodded along. Because that's the job. That's the system. That's how this works. But somewhere, deep in your gut-you know.
🛠 EPISODE ONE: The Silence Algorithm (Daniel K.)
The engineer who built the system never thought he’d be on this side of it.
He trusted the algorithm. Until he saw what it was doing.
Until he realized that the code wasn’t flagging violations—it was flagging a person.
Now, Daniel has to decide: does he intervene, or does he let the machine execute another silent takedown?
🔗 READ: The Silence Algorithm (Daniel K.)
Daniel had always believed in the elegance of the system. He wasn't in the business of censorship-he was in the business of infrastructure. Build the tools, keep the machine running, don't ask too many questions. That was the unspoken rule.
EPISODE TWO: Rubber Stamps & Red Flags (Rebecca L.)
She thought she was one of the good ones.
She thought she was protecting the platform.
But today, her finger hovers over a rejection stamp—
And for the first time, she sees the appeal for what it really is.
A last chance.
A last moment.
A life erased by the press of a button.
🔗 READ: Rubber Stamps & Red Flags (Rebecca L.)
Rebecca had always told herself she was one of the good ones. She wasn't a censor. She wasn't a puppet. She was here to protect the platform. Keep people safe. Make fair calls. Be the balance between speech and harm.
🔥 EPISODE THREE: The PR Firewall (Nick T.)
Nick has been here before.
He knows what’s about to happen.
The execs will minimize. Then they’ll double down. Then, when it’s too late, they’ll come to him.
"Nick, we need a response."
A response that says nothing.
A response that changes nothing.
But Nick knows the real danger—this isn’t just a PR headache.
This is the moment Substack loses its credibility.
🔗 READ: The PR Firewall (Nick T.)
Nick wasn't an idiot. He saw it coming before anyone else did. He always saw it coming before anyone else did. That's why he was good at his job. And why he fucking hated it sometimes."This Is About to Get Loud"The first red flag wasn't the takedown. Takedowns happened all the time.
🔍 EPISODE FOUR: The Unseen Hands (Sarah P.)
Sarah saw it coming before anyone else did.
She flagged the anomalies.
She warned them about the patterns.
She walked into meetings with data proving that their system was being exploited.
And she was met with silence.
Now, she has a choice: keep watching, or blow the whole thing open.
🔗 READ: The Unseen Hands (Sarah P.)
Sarah had tried. She had tried to warn them. Months ago. She had seen the problem coming before it ever reached their inboxes. Before the first big takedown. Before the first wave of public backlash.
💔 EPISODE FIVE: The Breaking Point (Jessica M.)
Jessica joined Substack because she believed in free speech.
Now, she moderates content she knows isn’t violating any rules.
Now, she watches good writers disappear, while bad actors hijack the system.
Now, she has to ask herself: Am I protecting the platform? Or am I protecting a lie?
🔗 READ: The Breaking Point (Jessica M.)
Jessica had always believed in the mission. That's why she took the job. She believed in independent journalism. She believed in giving writers a platform. She believed in free speech. And now? Now, she wasn't so sure.
🗝 EPISODE SIX: The Silent Architect
They don’t write policy.
They don’t speak in meetings.
They don’t defend decisions in public.
Because they don’t have to.
They hold the keys.
When reports flood in, when accounts are flagged, when bans are issued—
They are the one who presses the button.
And now, the machine they helped build is demanding one more execution.
The question is—will they obey?
🔗 READ: The Silent Architect
They don't speak in meetings. They don't engage in policy debates. They don't send emails with bold declarations about "doing the right thing." They don't fight, argue, or take sides. Because they don't have to. They hold the real power. And they know it.
🚨 EPILOGUE: The Moment of Choice
You’ve read the stories.
You’ve seen yourself in them.
Now, there is only one question left:
Will you keep looking away?
Or will you be the one who stands?
🔗 READ: The Moment of Choice (Epilogue)
You've read the stories. You've seen yourself in the words. The doubt-the quiet, gnawing uncertainty- The way you've justified the choices- The way you've avoided looking too closely- The way you've told yourself this is just the job. But the job has changed, hasn't it? It is no longer just policy enforcement.
💥 You work at Substack. You see what’s happening.
This is your moment.
The system is being weaponized.
Moderation is being manipulated.
🔍 The truth is being erased.
You don’t have to be silent.
You don’t have to comply.
🔁 Share this thread—these stories—if you refuse to let bad actors hijack Substack.
🔗 Join the conversation: The Empathic Technologist on X
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Mark Randall Havens | The Empathic Technologist | Architect of Change
Because I forced the manipulators, the liars, the controllers of narratives to see their own reflection. For years, I waged war against deception. I studied the science of manipulation. I dissected...
Neutralizing Narcissism: The Awakening Edition
