1% done - Angela Zäh on Hacker Culture at Facebook

Facebook’s hacker culture is what has helped to company grow and reinvent itself through unexpected solutions over and over again. There is no guarantee that this will still be the right recipe for success in the future, but for now it works…

What do you do when you are faced by a problem that calls for an unconventional solution? You hack it! 

Hacker culture is a phenomenon that has helped open doors for many start-ups and their employees, but nowhere has the approach had greater impact than Facebook.

“Hacker culture is about finding solutions that are new, with low cost and innovative,” says Angelas Zäh, International Growth Manager at Facebook. She has come to offer a public lecture on hacker culture to a number of students and other listeners, most of whom are hackers themselves.

Her lecture at the second DLDL Open Campus begins after a brief introduction by partners from CDTM and IBC, and a couple of welcoming words from Hubert Burda Digital’s own Chief Scientist, Jean-Paul Schmetz.

Zäh takes the audience on a virtual trip around Facebook headquarters, showing off a handful of motivational posters that embody the company culture. 

“What would you do if you weren’t afraid?” says one. “Done is better than perfect” says another. 

“Hacker culture is a lifestyle, it can be applied to things outside code,” Zäh says as she describes how employees “hacked” their office space to gain more space. At Facebook, these things are normal, she says. 

Hackathons - all-night sessions of hacking, coding and project building at the company offices - have paved the way for unforeseen innovations. Like the “Translate post” function, which came almost by coincidence from the hands of intern during a hackathon. 

The audience tunes in with questions about Facebook’s role in a mediatized world, its ambitions and outlook for the future. Zäh answers by showing a number of big yellow poster, saying “This journey is 1% finished!” 

A participant wants to know whether this attitude will still be there in 20 years, as the company grows. “Will hacker culture still be relevant? Or will you be 99% finished then?”

Zäh smiles and shrugs as she gives her answer.

“We’ll see.”

Drivers of Prevention: The Female Touch

Prevention: incredibly important yet far less in a spotlight when compared to development of a medicine. That is probably why women dominate it. This is a unanimous view of the participants of the panel that focuses on cancer prevention.

It is not about big money. It is not about fame. It is simply about playing defence and not a glorified offense, says Brigitte Mohn, board member of the Bertelsmann Foundation, adding that the strive for a ‘silver bullet’ - a strive for a cure - gets most of the attention. However, things are slowly improving, Carolyn Aldige, President of Prevent Cancer Foundation, argues. Still, there is a long way to go.

Yet, there are more and more examples of success, such as the tobacco legislation that for instance bans smoking in public places. Tobacco lobbyists were pressing hard against it. “They even launched a personal attack against me and tried to discredit me. But they failed,” recalls Martina Poetschke-Langer of the German Cancer Research.

Other panelists tell a story of neglect. “I was never attacked. But they did not join me,” says Aldige adding that instead of cheering for prevention majority kept looking for a medicine. “You need to advertise the right data at the right time. You need to present these data to the press. It is effective, when you do it right,” offers recipe for success Poetschke-Langer.

At the same time, it is important to fight prejudices. “When we set up our foundation, stroke was considered an old people’s disease,” remembers Mohn adding that such a notion is simply wrong. Stroke can hit a young person, a mother-to-be, it can hit just about anybody and spreading the word thus can make a huge difference. As Poetschke-Langer sees it, this task is – and is going to be – largely up to women. “Prevention relies on communication and women are better in communicating than men,” she explains.

It only follows that women need to be proactive on the personal level as well. Men often refuse to get checked, says Christa Maar, a Founder of Felix Burda Stiftung, adding that it requires women to change the men’s minds – or to act on their behalf.

“We need to make appointment for the men. We are the gatekeepers after all,” agrees Aldige suggesting that sometimes it is simply about dragging ones partner to the doctor. Other time, it is all about getting the word out. For instance, lung cancer is the most preventable of all the types of cancer. Stop smoking and the chance of getting sick decreases significantly, explains Poetschke-Langer.

To get the message of the power of prevention out, women need to be heard, all the participants of the panel agree. In a male-dominated environment, that often requires to turn into an alpha dog. “I am an alpha dog,” admits Cornelia Ulrich, Director of NCT Heidelberg, adding that she has to be an alpha dog. Otherwise, her department would not get any funding. It is simple like that.

“We don’ t want to take over the world,” says Ulrich. We just want to do our jobs. “We want it to be normal that there are women in leading positions,” she adds.  

Do Good with Social Entrepreneurship

Social entrepreneurship has the potential to improve our world and accelerate opportunities for women - this is the mantra promoted by the Womanity Foundation and its Changemakers project. 

Womanity, represented by Antonella Vischer, works to empower women and girls around the world though further their contribution in economic, political, communities. The organization focuses on projects in Brazil, Palestine and India for the moment, but ambitions are high and expansions just around the corner. 

Social entrepreneurship is a commercial business, a private initiative, Antonella clarifies. It has to be sustainable, viable and sometimes even attractive to investors to be really successful. 

Through Changemakers, Womanity has encouraged women and girls to reach out to their dreams while doing the common good in the process. The organization goes way beyond concerns about funding and instead provides contact with professionals, consultants, networks, other social entrepreneurs.  

The return is growth, empowerment and added social value to the communities of their collaborators. 

Social retailer Asta in Brazil is one such project. The start-up was founded by young Rio de Janeiro native Alice Freitas, who joins the conversation via Skype. 

She is a firm believer that the model can succeed. Under her helm, Asta has experienced a growth of more than 300% since its start in 2008. Freites started out with 5 salesladies of crafts and goods. Now she has more than 800. 

And there is potential for others too, both directly and indirectly. 

“Studies show in data that social entrepreneurs do make an impact,” Vischer says.

This can happen for instance through pushing policy change, promoting awareness and pushing the common perceptions of gender boundaries.  

In terms of cold cash, “there is a very interesting opportunity in the relationship between businesses and social businesses,” she insists. 

But investment is not necessarily for those who only look for profit. Supporters of social entrepreneurship can build strong brands, and expect a social return on investment. 

It’s a journey towards the greater good, with a myriad of opportunities for partners and actors in all corners of the industry. 

Towards A Cosmic Society - Let Nancy Abrams Blow Your Mind

Cosmologist Nancy Abram takes center stage with an ambition to thrill. “What is the biggest question faced by the human race?” she asks, as the crowd wakes up from their delayed lunch. 

It would not take long for everyone’s eyes to be wide open in amazement, laughter and awe. 

Abrams represents a school of scientists that are occupied with the study of the universe as a whole. And what they have found is that we - the human race - is not coincidental, random or in any way insignificant. This approach, she says, is “1700-year science.”

We are in fact central to everything. New evidence shows that we are central in form, time and space.

“Humans are made from stardust” Abrams educates, and goes on to show how we are intimately connected to the very fabrics of the universe, dark matter. As it turns out, we are also central in terms of size. From the biggest known scale of the universe to the smallest particles, the size of the human being is proportionally to be found in the middle. 

Most importantly, however, we are central in time. Our generation is the first to fully understand the concept of space and time, and by that we are also handed a piece of motivation to act and solve the problems we face. 

“Since the 1800s, CO2 levels in the atmosphere have doubled every 30 years. This will need to stop,” Abrams says. Now, as we understand where we belong to a pivotal moment in time, we can motivate ourselves to act in the face of our challenges. 

“You can’t just tell people scary facts. They will run away,” Abrams says. “Real change comes from finding a whole new reality. This how we fall in love, how alcoholics recover. It’s change through a new identity, the real way to spiritual awakening.”

“Who we are is the sum total of our history. How far back we claim that history, is up to us. We are the first generation to realize this history. And realizing this story may be what is needed to impose the change.”

We may be the most significant generation ever to have existed, is the claim, and that in itself is an awe-inspiring thought. 

But wait! There’s more!

Abrams is not entirely done yet! To make sure the message sinks in, she jumps to her laptop, microphone in hand, and burst out singing a sexy, catchy tune about corrupt scientists, lobbyists and the political malaise that sours our efforts towards creating a better earth.

It’s a wonderful, inspirational, abrupt moment - and one that triggers standing ovations as the last tunes run out. A superb performance from Abrams and a true DLD moment. 

Well done, Abrams - you truly rocked the house! 

See much more about Abrams work in cosmology here. And if you missed the song, do not worry, because we have a link right here… (Thanks to @PHenriettaK).

An Intimate Story of Success

Sung-Joo Kim is the first Asian women to acquire a luxury brand after taking over MCM Holding AG. Being a rebel and a fighter helped her to her enormous success, she says as she rushes to the stage after arriving to Munich just an hour ago. 

Kim is a remarkable woman. She is a Young Global Leader and was named one of Fast Company’s most Creative People in 2010. She speaks a clear impeccable English that oozes of thoughtfulness and consideration, as she shares an intimate story of an unlike success.

No wonder. As a student, she decided against her family’s will and “married her sweetheart” instead. 

Facing an arranged marriage, the decision drew the family apart. She was disowned by her father, a rich industrial tycoon in South Korea, and was removed from the family tree. 

The incident, however, didn’t stop her. On the contrary. “I was motivated, and began working my way to the top,” she says with a big smile. 

She now holds a top position as a CEO of a successful fashion company, employing 830 people from 15 different countries. A position that she agrees is “rare for women to reach in the industry, sadly.”

She compares the way to the top as a mixture of “hard work and suffering” using an analogy from the world of dance. 

“Everyone wants to be the ballerina in the Swan Lake. But very few realize how much that dancer, that person, suffered on her way to the role, how much it takes and how painful it can be. In fashion, it’s no different. There is a lot of work involved.”

Beware of the Youth-Quake!

Farah Pandith is the first ever Special Representative for muslims to the US government. Her role is to engage in dialogue and handle complicated muslim global issues - a job which is both demanding and rewarding at the same time.

Pandith has served three US presidents, but her works crosses party lines, cultures and religious backgrounds. An American Muslim born in India, she was raised in the US, but for the past two-and-a-half years, she has spent time traveling to more than 65 countries to reach out to muslim communities.  

What she tries to do, she tells moderator Edith Schaff of Women without Borders, is to attack the issue of identity and the question of navigating between being young and muslim in a globalized world. 

And this is no small task. There are 1.4 billion muslims today, about one third of the world’s population. What is perhaps even more challenging is that 65% of them are under 30, with many battling the divides between culture and religion.  

“They grow up seeing the words ‘islam’ and ‘Muslim’ on the front pages of newspapers every day. We need to listen to these young people and learn.”

“There is a youth-quake going on in the world. Young people’s opinions matter. And that’s across genders.”

“They are really interested in building and giving back to communities. But we have to listen to solve their problems.”

With regards to women, one of the biggest challenges is to “find more voices that give alternative narratives for young muslim women.” 

“In this regard, literacy is incredibly important.” 

A big part of this battle can be won by moving beyond stereotypes and look for genuine grassroots engagement, she says. It’s a bottom-up approach that can help move mountains.

Artists, local community leaders, social networkers, rappers - every little bid on what it means to be young and muslim today can prove an invaluable help in the fight for better understanding. 

Extremism is “real” and needs to be thought careful about in the name and progress and peace, Pandith ends. 

“But we need to understand the many versions of Islam that is out there today, and not just the stereotypes. It is critically important that we think about the multifaceted ways we can push back.” 

Of Responsive and Responsible Innovation

It doesn’t matter whether it is a corporate social responsibility or innovation, dialogue and partnership is a crucial stepping-stone towards success. In both instances the shift from a top-down approach towards a more democratic one can untapped an existing potential that largely has not been utilized yet.

Lindt (DHL): First talk then do

Often, companies develop a product and only after they are done with that they look around for a potential buyer. That is wrong. You need to keep the (potential) consumer in mind right from the beginning, says Irma Lindt of DHL adding that, paradoxically, buyers – or end users – are often not really consulted in instances where there is a product or a service developed with their well-being in mind.

Just consider the problem of waste disposal or an issue of regular traffic jams in large cities. We have all the data, we have numbers, but we don’ t know what these mean, argues Lindt adding that this – or rather the result of this state of affairs – is yet another reason why to opt for an alternative model that is user-centered. Design thinking is an example of such an approach, Lindt says.

Design thinking - or more generally alternative to the prevailing approach - concentrates on a (more intensive) dialogue. It means to go to the streets rather than rely too much on general market studies; it means to work with simple prototypes that yield more honest and rich feedback; and it means involving partners which leads to new ideas, faster implementation and better scalability.

Seling (GoTeach): Doing CSR our way

Corporate Social Responsibility is often heavily externally determined, Michael Porter, an authoritative voice on CSR, says. Many companies feel like that they simply have to do it. So they do it without making it a part of their business strategy. DHL opted for an alternative path that helps disadvantaged and yields benefits to the firm at the same time. The idea is to develop existing potential.   

DHL does business in many countries all around the world. As such, it is very much concerned about – and influenced by – the quality of education. This is why it decided to get involved in this area. It chose the NGO SOS Children’s Villages as its partner. “It was because of its very holistic approach that contains an education of kids living in difficult conditions,” says Christoph Seling of GoTeach.

These kids, this talent, can and should be nurtured from early stages says Seling. Kids involved are being provided with basic soft skills, with career guidance, and with a first work experience. This benefits both sides. Moreover, the company already plans for a deepening of the program that should enable the cooperation of developed talents on social innovations and business solutions. Yet again, the idea is to employ communication and partnership to untap a potential that would otherwise remained hidden behind the veil of disadvantageous conditions.      

Alanis Morissette: “Anger is a Very Important Driving Force”

“Anger creates intimacy; hiding your feelings, whether it’s love or anger, destroys intimacy and could be self-destructive”, says Alanis Morissette to the DLDwomen audience on a really inspiring talk moderated by Maria Furtwängler-Burda.

Alanis Morissette made a surprise visit where she offered to share insights on womenhod, artistic expression, social activism, relationships and wellness. The outcome was a remarkably enlightening panel debate where Alanis managed to project some of the many secrets behind her massive successes as an artist, woman and mother.

“Thank you much for coming, Alanis. It’s so nice being here with you”, says Maria Furtwängler-Burda. “You are such a committed artist, where do you find all that courage to do what you do?”

 “I am honoured to be here Maria,” the singer says. “Thanks for inviting me. As for your question, I think it’s about lack of censorship, not being afraid of who you are.”

“In the old days women were not allowed to show their anger, but we actually need that anger. These are feelings we have to focus on, but as an artist, I need to take the courage to confront them and use them on my behalf.”

“Alanis, do you think men and women are different, or are we just equal?,” the DLD Chairwoman further inquires. To Morissette, the answer is a combination of context and connection.

“We are built incredibly different. In today’s context men provide different things than in the old days”, claims the artist. “It’s not about providing money anymore. For instance, if my husband wasn’t taking care of my child now I couldn’t be here. We, women, are moving to a connective version of ourselves, to interdependency”.

As far as artistic expression is concerned the Canadian artist points out: “silence is very inspiring, I like it because it allows me to hear myself.  For me there are two stages within the creative process; firstly I write for myself – this is the spiritual part of it – and the second stage is when I share my feelings with public using my voice and music. The most important aspect of creation is connecting with your inner self; creations allows for catharsis.”

Morissette has not just won 16 Juno Awards and 7 Grammys, she’s also a very proud mother. “Being a mum is a big commitment and I have to confess that coffee became my best new friend. Women can actually serve and be in the driving seat”.

“Alanis, yesterday different women expressed their mottos in front of the DLDwomen audience… what one would you say is yours?” Furtwängler-Burda asks, as the session comes to an all-too-soon end.

The reply from Morissette is prompt and delightful: 

“Hello you little piece of god, how are you doing?”

A huge thanks to Morissette for joining DLDwomen and for sharing her visions with our guests today. Her new album “HAVOC AND BRIGHT LIGHTS” will be out later this year, and we will be sure to bring you more news on that as soon as it is released.

Remember that you can also review the entire speech by Morissette on our website, in a few moments, thanks to our partners from Livestream.com.