Matt Drange
Verified- Journalist, Freelance
- Journalist, Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP)
Journalist @OCCRP. Educator @Laney_College. 626 grown. More interested in actions than words. What's your story? Contact me securely + confidentially ⤵️
Articles by Matt Drange
Timing is money: Strategic news drops may be boosting executive pay Original
A Business Insider analysis of more than a decade's worth of executive compensation data suggests that some corporate leaders could be enriching themselves by timing market-moving announcements around scheduled stock options grant dates. Stock options give an employee the right to buy company shares at a fixed "strike" price, normally set on the day the option is awarded, and sell them later at market value.
How one Southern California school district kept decades of misconduct records secret Original
Edward Zuniga said he'd given me everything he could. Six years ago, I'd requested every document the school district had going back to 2000 regarding claims of sexual harassment by teachers at Rosemead High School, one of the schools Zuniga oversees as superintendent of the El Monte Union High School District. A two-page reprimand of a longtime business teacher, Paul Arevalo, was all the district could turn over, Zuniga said. But that wasn't true.
At Rosemead High, generations of students were harassed or groomed for sex as they tried to get an education Original
Clara didn't think much of it when the social science teacher gave her his phone number. She'd met Alex Rai in her fifth-period journalism class. He was friends with the journalism teacher, Eric Burgess, and often stopped by Room 16 during his prep period to kill time. Burgess introduced Rai to Clara, telling her that Rai had been his student a decade before. Burgess thought they'd get along.
At Rosemead High, generations of students were harassed or groomed for sex as they tried to get an education
Clara didn't think much of it when the social science teacher gave her his phone number. She'd met Alex Rai in her fifth-period journalism class. He was friends with the journalism teacher, Eric Burgess, and often stopped by Room 16 during his prep period to kill time. Burgess introduced Rai to Clara, telling her that Rai had been his student a decade before. Burgess thought they'd get along.
Police Killings of Transgender People Lack Accountability, De-Escalation Original
By May 5, 2020, Jayne Thompson had been hitchhiking across the desolate Southwestern desert for weeks. She was meandering along the edge of the highway near Moab, a dusty tourist destination in eastern Utah, when a local sheriff's deputy spotted her. The deputy asked Thompson to move to an adjacent walking path, farther from oncoming traffic, police records show. But for about a mile, she kept wandering back to the white line.
Insider seeks tips regarding sexual abuse and misconduct at the hands of high school teachers across the US
Insider is digging into sexual abuse and misconduct at high schools in America. If you'd like to share information, please consider reaching out confidentially to reporter Matt Drange. We're interested in hearing stories of former high school students who say they have experienced abuse at the hands of teachers.
Pain, anger and disgust: Inside Rosemead High's reckoning with decades of sexual abuse of students
Rosemead High senior Xitlalic Palacios knew that she had to speak up. It had been two days since Insider published a story about Eric Burgess, her former journalism teacher, and she'd barely slept. For the past three years, Palacios had served as editor-in-chief of the student newspaper, which Burgess oversaw before school officials removed him from the classroom and investigated his sexual relationships with teenage girls.
How a southern California high-school shielded a beloved teacher who groomed students for sex
Three former Rosemead High students confirmed they had sexual relationships with Eric Burgess, the school's "Golden Boy." School officials repeatedly missed opportunities to investigate allegations against Burgess, allowing his behavior to continue for more than 20 years. The district also obstructed Insider's reporting on Burgess, repeatedly denying its public records requests. Loading Something is loading. "Our Library Clerk sent this to me...
He was my high school journalism teacher. Then I investigated his relationships with teenage girls.
Something was off. It was a hot July day and the classroom at Rosemead High School should have been empty. But when a security guard swung open the door to let several students in to collect supplies, she noticed the motion-sensor lights didn't turn on. A man's voice called out from the darkness, "Oh, I was just looking for some books." Startled, the guard recognized Eric Burgess, a longtime teacher, kneeling on the floor.
He was my high school journalism teacher. Then I investigated his relationships with teenage girls.
Something was off. It was a hot July day and the classroom at Rosemead High School should have been empty. But when a security guard swung open the door to let several students in to collect supplies, she noticed the motion-sensor lights didn't turn on. A man's voice called out from the darkness, "Oh, I was just looking for some books." Startled, the guard recognized Eric Burgess, a longtime teacher, kneeling on the floor.
Apple behauptete, dass es Ex-Mitarbeiter nicht durch Klauseln zum Schweigen bringt — interne Dokumente einer Whistleblowerin zeigen, dass das nicht stimmt
Apple Whistleblowerin Cher Scarlett. Cher Scarlett. Die Geheimhaltungsvereinbarung einer Whistleblowerin mit Apple bringt den Vorschlag der US-Börsenaufsichtsbehörde SEC auf den Prüfstand. Das Dokument zeigt, wie weit Apple geht, um ehemalige Mitarbeiter zum Schweigen zu bringen. „Wenn wir das größte Unternehmen der Welt nicht zur Rechenschaft ziehen können, wer dann?“ sagt die Apple-Whistleblowerin Cher Scarlett.
Apple told the SEC it doesn't silence employees regarding workplace harassment or discrimination. New whistleblower documents show that isn't true.
Apple whistleblower Cher Scarlett.Cher Scarlett A whistleblower's nondisclosure agreement with Apple brings new scrutiny to SEC proposal. The document demonstrates the lengths Apple will go to silence former employees. "If we can't hold the biggest company in the world accountable, who can we?" Apple whistleblower Cher Scarlett said.
Facebook undersea cable project marred by 'frac outs,' sinkholes, a drone dispute, and buried broken equipment on the Oregon coast
Regulation of undersea cable projects was passed this year in Oregon, in large part due to Facebook's problems. After an initial drilling incident, construction caused several more issues recorded by conservation groups. Oregon is getting less than $500,000 for decades of land use by the largest social media company. Facebook recently completed a connection on the Oregon coast for 8,500 miles of fiber optic cable running under the Pacific Ocean.
内部告発を考えている人へ…安全に行うためのハンドブックを公開
内部告発を考えている人のための｢手引書｣が、その困難なプロセスを明らかにしている。 これは、ピンタレストの元従業員で内部告発を行ったイフェオマ・オゾマら、いくつかのグループによるプロジェクトだ。 このハンドブックでは、弁護士の見つけ方や秘密保持契約などについてアドバイスしている。 シリコンバレーのハイテク業界では、セラノス（Theranos）の劇的な破滅やフェイスブック（Facebook）幹部による告発など、内部告発がニュースになることが増えている。だが、内部告発の内容が大きく報道される一方、告発した人物がなぜ名乗り出ることを決意したのかは、多くの場合、謎だ。 先ごろ発表されたハンドブックは、この状況を変えようとしている。『Tech Worker Handbook（テック界で働く人の手引き）』は、起こり得る法律上の面倒な問題から、報道関係者との連携、考えなければならないセキュリティー対策まで、豊富な資料で内部告発のプロセスを段階ごとに詳しく教えてくれるものだ。 プロジェクトの指揮を執るのは、ピンタレスト（Pinterest）を内部告発したイフェオマ・オゾマ（Ifeoma...
The woman who went public about Pinterest's workplace problems created a handbook to help tech workers safely become whistleblowers
A new handbook for would-be whistleblowers provides key insight about the daunting process. The project is the work of Ifeoma Ozoma, the former Pinterest whistleblower, and several other groups. The handbook offers guidance on finding a lawyer, understanding nondisclosure agreements and other issues. Loading Something is loading. Email address By clicking ‘Sign up’, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider as well as other partner offers and accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
New Google documents reveal just how involved a top executive was in the ousting of a right-wing engineer championed by Trump
One of Google's most senior executives was at the center of a politically-charged altercation with an engineer several years ago, in an incident that federal regulators have said violated labor laws and whose ripples continue to affect the company today.
How Michael Saylor rebooted his career and his company by becoming the world's biggest bitcoin bull Original
Michael Saylor is no stranger to the limelight. The MicroStrategy CEO is perhaps best known for losing $6 billion in a single day during the height of the dot-com bubble, when the software business he had founded at age 24 nearly collapsed. Two decades later, Saylor is once again at the center of a jittering conversation, thanks to his unprecedented embrace of bitcoin.
Former Pinterest whistleblower Ifeoma Ozoma talks about why confidentiality agreements harm tech workers Original
Former Pinterest employee Ifeoma Ozoma has become a leading face in the effort to prevent nondisclosure and non-disparagement agreements from silencing workers from discussing instance of workplace misconduct, such as harassment and discrimination. After Ozoma went public last year with allegations of racism and discrimination that she said she experienced at Pinterest, she has repeatedly broken her own NDA by speaking about her experience.
Read the complete NDAs Insider obtained in its investigation and see how Facebook, Google and Apple enforce silence among employees
The Wayback Machine - https://web.archive.org/web/20210801155754/https://www.businessinsider.com/read-nda-show-how-facebook-google-apple-enforce-worker-silence-2021-7 US Markets Loading... H M S Premium Apple CEO Tim Cook Reuters This story is available exclusively to Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now. In Silicon Valley, strict secrecy provisions in nondisclosure agreements prevent workers from discussing all sorts of things about their jobs.
Read the complete NDAs Insider obtained in its investigation and see how Facebook, Google and Apple enforce silence among employees
US Markets Loading... H M S Premium Apple CEO Tim Cook Reuters This story is available exclusively to Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now. In Silicon Valley, strict secrecy provisions in nondisclosure agreements prevent workers from discussing all sorts of things about their jobs. Insider collected dozens of these NDAs as part of a sweeping look at how money and power enforce silence in the tech industry.
The painful cost of confidentiality agreements: 5 tech workers reveal how restrictive NDAs left them struggling to get a job and isolated from friends
Evading questions from family. Seeking treatment for depression and PTSD. Struggling to land a new job after dozens of interviews. Signing a separation agreement to keep access to health insurance. These are a few of the circumstances tech workers experienced after they were bound to silence by strict nondisclosure and non-disparagement agreements. The workers shared their stories with Insider anonymously as part of a sweeping NDA transparency project published this week.
'A gag order for life' — How nondisclosure agreements silence and control workers in Silicon Valley
Kira isn't allowed to talk about the business trip she took to Texas in 2019, when she says a male colleague drugged and raped her. She awoke the next morning to find his credit card on the floor of her hotel bathroom, her underwear torn, and her body bruised. Kira canceled the second leg of her trip and flew home, where she called her boss to describe what happened.
These are the 6 most important things to watch out for when you sign an NDA
Despite the widespread use of NDAs, many workers say they are confused by the confidentiality agreements their employers make them sign. Insider reviewed 36 NDA's from workers at giant tech firms and at startups. Here are the most important things we learned about nondisclosure and non-disparagement agreements. If you work in Silicon Valley, chances are you've signed a nondisclosure agreement. Maybe you've signed a non-disparagement agreement, as well.
A 'bulldog' who 'cuts through the bulls---': Here's how insiders describe early Robinhood investor Jason Calacanis
US Markets Loading... H M S Jason Calacanis This Week in Startups YouTube channel Jason Calacanis has had several incarnations during his more than two decades in tech, making waves as a publisher, a blogger and an entrepreneur. Today, he's living his latest, and seemingly most successful, life as a startup investor. He was among the first VC investors in Uber, Calm and Robinhood, among others, and he runs the boot-camp-like Launch "accelerator" to help startups founders make it to the big leagues.
Court documents from the prosecution of a fake doctor who administered bogus vaccines give a glimpse into Kamala Harris' thinking on immigration Original
Kamala Harris' first international trip as vice president will address immigration policy. President Joe Biden has tapped Harris as his administration's point person on border issues. It "got under her skin" when people took advantage of immigrants, a former aide told Insider. See more stories on Insider's business page.
Got an NDA at Your Tech Job? We Want to Hear From You.
We're pulling back the curtain in a first-of-its-kind project examining Silicon Valley secrecy. Want to participate in our reporting process? Please consider sending us a copy of your NDA. Help us tell the definitive story of how money and power enforced silence across an entire industry. Loading Something is loading. Email address By clicking ‘Sign up’, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider as well as other partner offers and accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
'Blind to the data': Behind the effort to anonymously track COVID-19 carriers
As U.S. tech companies and government agencies rush to use phone location data to fight the spread of COVID-19, they're straddling a volatile line: seeking the benefits that countries across Asia and Europe have reaped by mapping residents' movements and interactions, but without forcing people to divulge intimate details of their whereabouts. This is the challenge — and business opportunity — for firms such as TripleBlind.
Eventbrite lays off half its workforce as coronavirus crushes events business
Eventbrite CEO Julia Hartz announced Wednesday during a companywide meeting that 45% of employees were being laid off, Protocol has learned. Two sources familiar with the meeting said Hartz was emotional as she delivered the news to staff around the world via video call. Employees were told they would be notified individually if they had lost their job. Eventbrite has more than 1,000 employees, two people familiar with the matter said.
Tesla's bid to keep Fremont factory open revealed in emails, memos
After Tesla's Fremont auto factory was hit with an Alameda County shelter-in-place order related to COVID-19, senior company leaders made a last-ditch legal argument to that city's police force.
Tesla's bid to keep Fremont factory open revealed in emails, memos
After Tesla's Fremont auto factory was hit with an Alameda County shelter-in-place order related to COVID-19, senior company leaders made a last-ditch legal argument to that city's police force.
Facebook to Congress: We’re (still) trying to eliminate gun sales
Facebook told a group of U.S. senators that its years-long battle to eliminate peer-to-peer gun sales across its platforms "is not done" and that it will "continue to strengthen" enforcement. The 13 lawmakers had publicly sent the questions to Facebook following a Protocol investigation in February, which found that private groups on the website remain a popular place to buy and sell firearms despite Facebook's 2016 ban on gun sales.
Facebook 3-12-2020 gun sales letter to Sen. Menendez and colleagues
Facebook 3-12-2020 gun sales letter to Sen. Menendez and colleagues (PDF) Facebook 3-12-2020 gun sales letter to Sen. Menendez and colleagues (Text)
In for a penny: Meet the Nashville songwriter taking on the streaming services
Of all the professions in all the industries that the internet has upended over the past 20 years, songwriting may be the only one in which a legal decision to award fractions of a penny to content creators was deemed cause for celebration.
2020 03 10 7 Minutes No 19 1028 George Johnson v LOC, Oral Arguments Tuesday Final Pages
2020 03 10 7 Minutes No 19 1028 George Johnson v LOC, Oral Arguments Tuesday Final Pages (PDF) 2020 03 10 7 Minutes No 19 1028 George Johnson v LOC, Oral Arguments Tuesday Final Pages (Text)
In for a penny: Meet the Nashville songwriter suing the streaming services
Of all the professions in all the industries that the internet has upended over the past 20 years, songwriting may be the only one in which a legal decision to award fractions of a penny to content creators was deemed cause for celebration.
Facebook Private Group Gun Sale Letter
Source document contributed to DocumentCloud by Matt Drange (protocol).
13 senators demand answers from Zuckerberg on Facebook gun sales
More than a dozen Democratic senators demanded Thursday that Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg explain why his website's users appear to have little trouble engaging in private, unregulated gun sales more than four years after the company banned them. In a letter sent Thursday morning, 13 senators led by Bob Menendez of New Jersey and Ed Markey of Massachusetts said they had serious concerns that Facebook's effort to eliminate private gun sales on its platforms had fallen short. Sens.
13 senators demand answers from Zuckerberg on Facebook gun sales
More than a dozen Democratic senators demanded Thursday that Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg explain why his website's users appear to have little trouble engaging in private, unregulated gun sales more than four years after the company banned them. In a letter sent Thursday morning, 13 senators led by Bob Menendez of New Jersey and Ed Markey of Massachusetts said they had serious concerns that Facebook's effort to eliminate private gun sales on its platforms had fallen short. Sens.
Zuckerberg sends signal: Big tech bracing for tax-shelter reforms
In what figures to be a stunning moment in the usually arcane world of corporate taxes, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg plans to voice support for a landmark overhaul of rules that could limit the ability of tech firms to shift profits overseas. His remarks will be given at a high-profile security conference in Munich on Saturday, and come at a critical juncture for talks over a tax reform proposal backed by the Organization for Economic Cooperation.
Facebook tried to ban gun sales 4 years ago. It’s still trying.
In early 2016, Facebook took a political stand unlike any it had before, prohibiting private gun sales on its website. Four years later, the fallout — gun enthusiast groups moving into the shadows where sales remain common, sellers gaming the Marketplace feature, and the well-documented use of coded language by gun owners — demonstrates how difficult it is for Facebook and other platforms to monitor and control the powerful forums they provide.
Facebook tried to ban gun sales 4 years ago. It's still trying.
In early 2016, Facebook took a political stand unlike any it had before, prohibiting private gun sales on its website. Four years later, the fallout — gun enthusiast groups moving into the shadows where sales remain common, sellers gaming the Marketplace feature, and the well-documented use of coded language by gun owners — demonstrates how difficult it is for Facebook and other platforms to monitor and control the powerful forums they provide.
Can an Alphabet spinoff use phone location data to transform urban planning?
Replica's technology is so new, urban planners don't know what to do with it. To understand its biggest selling point to communities across the country, consider the laborious transportation studies Kansas City has done for the last 50 years or so. About once a decade, planners ask residents to fill out a travel diary in a low-tech effort to assess how people move about the metro area.
Export of Sensitive U.S. Technology Slows Under Trump
The Trump administration has made it harder for U.S. tech companies to export sensitive U.S. technologies, such as encryption software, semiconductors and drones. Export license approvals have dropped and rejections have risen in recent years, data obtained by The Information shows, and lawyers advising companies seeking export licenses say it’s taking longer to win approvals.
Briefing: Congressman Calls for More Scrutiny of Corporate Funding for Academic Research
Congressman Jim Banks on Friday called for closer scrutiny of corporate funding for university research, after The Information published an article detailing Huawei’s extensive support of UC Berkeley research projects. Banks, a Republican from Indiana, called for the Defense Department to set up program to monitor academic research and engineering activities related to national defense, and in some cases partly funded by the DoD.
The Information lawsuit against UC Berkeley
Source document contributed to DocumentCloud by Matt Drange (The Information).
Matt Drange
Matt Drange Reporter Matt Drange covers money and power in Silicon Valley. He was previously a staff writer at Forbes magazine, where he reported on Donald Trump's business dealings and the intersection of technology and government. Prior to Forbes, Matt spent four years as a business reporter at The Center for Investigative Reporting. He earned a master's degree from the Columbia Journalism School, and has won numerous national and local journalism awards.
Briefing: Former Google executive Anthony Levandowski hit with federal charges
Ex-Google engineer Anthony Levandowski has been charged by federal officials with theft of trade secrets and attempted theft of trade secrets. The charges, announced by US Attorney Dave Anderson on Tuesday, are strikingly similar to the allegations brought by Google’s autonomous vehicle company Waymo in civil arbitration against Levandowski in 2017.
Briefing: Eventbrite Still Wrestling With Ticketfly Integration
Eventbrite’s acquisition of Ticketfly is still weighing the company down. That’s one of the main takeaways from Eventbrite’s second-quarter results announcement, during which management cautioned against expecting a strong third quarter while the company works to complete the delayed integration of Ticketfly, a high-profile concert ticketing firm it bought in 2017.
Briefing: Survey finds drivers more likely to misuse Tesla’s “Autopilot” than rival systems
Drivers are more confused about the limitations of Tesla’s semi-autonomous “Autopilot” mode than other, similar technologies from other carmakers, a survey released Thursday by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety shows.
Briefing: Investigators: Tesla Was on “Autopilot” at Time of Deadly Crash
Jeremy Banner, who died when his Tesla Model 3 slammed into the side of a semi-truck in March on a Florida highway, had put the car on its semi-autonomous “Autopilot” mode 10 seconds prior to the collision, investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board said Thursday.
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