Photo of Page 208 of the book Bring Up The Bodies by Hilary Mantel, describing how Thomas Cromwell manages King Henry VIII. Sorry, it's the physical book so I don't know how to copy and paste the full text here.
From Bring Up the Bodies, here is Hilary Mantel's description of Thomas Cromwell's advice for working with King Henry VIII, and I genuinely think Harvard Business Review should reprint it every year as an article called "How to Manage the Unmanageable CEO"
09.03.2026 20:26
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It's been really lovely reading all the tributes to Dan. Many people have asked if they can contribute to support his wife and son. You can do so here: everloved.com/life-of/dan-...
02.02.2026 21:32
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Defector's @jaspercwang.bsky.social on why it's ok for business owners to choose integrity over survival. With host @greenwell.bsky.social. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/d...
21.01.2026 17:33
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"Did you really not like your boss?" asks Defector's @jaspercwang.bsky.social. What if you were all each other's bosses? With host @greenwell.bsky.social on The Kicker. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...
20.01.2026 12:28
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TOO LONG HAVE I BEEN FORCED TO SPEAK A VARNISHED TRUTH. (Thank you to @greenwell.bsky.social for having me on, and for the @columjournreview.bsky.social audio editor for helping me sound not insane.)
16.01.2026 20:02
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Iβve been listening to the Lonely Island rewatch pod, where theyβre revisiting each one of their SNL Digital Shorts, and itβs remarkable how many of them hold up just fine. I often think about Andy Sambergβs anti-roast at the James Franco roast, their comedic sensibility just almost never skews mean
18.12.2025 03:32
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An enormous honor to be a Normal Gossip guest, and in Malala's season! (I did NOT threaten to withhold anyone's paycheck unless they put me on. Stop telling people I threatened to withhold paychecks.)
10.12.2025 20:22
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ICYMI, Normal Gossip is BACK with new episodes! If you're traveling for Thanksgiving, it's the perfect opportunity to catch up on the new season. Today's episode is a cozy holiday whodunnit:
26.11.2025 20:51
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hey thanks for flagging!
21.11.2025 14:10
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hey, since I'm here right now - does anyone have a hiring platform / applicant tracking system they really like? Just went to reactivate Recruitee to start the summer internship process, and it turns out they don't offer monthly subs anymore, and I refuse to pay $5k/year
19.11.2025 18:27
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blogged my first bylined blog for defector dot com
19.11.2025 17:18
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Spent the entire World Series feeling completely ambivalent between these two teams but after that 9th inning Iβm somehow going to be completely gutted if the Jays lose
02.11.2025 03:48
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Email notification from Eventbrite with the subject line "Selling out has never been so simple"
the subject line on Eventbrite's weekly product marketing email accidentally encapsulates This Moment perfectly
28.10.2025 17:15
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I waited until the end of the bottom of the tenth (Raleigh IBB and Julio ground out) to leave a bar in deep Brooklyn, did a 90 minute commute to uptown Manhattan, and am now seated in my apartment for the top of the 15th.
11.10.2025 04:56
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The moment I start Remembering Some Yankees Middle Relievers is the moment you learn exactly the seasons I was ~13 years old.
02.09.2025 17:06
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Slack message that reads: flax has arrived at "would i be better off if the nats got blown up" after publishing three editions of his newsletter
27.08.2025 19:27
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before you ask, FYI defector will never be in the business of M&A for nationals sickos newsletters
22.07.2025 16:58
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Generally bad practice to sign yourself up for a second job but some things are worth the effort. Grateful to Press Forward for seeing the vision, and very excited to work with Start.coop to get this program up and running
17.07.2025 15:37
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@defector.com's WNBA comedy show is TONIGHT at Littlefield in Brooklyn! We've still got ~15 seated tickets left and plenty of standing room ones. defector.com/wnbashow, use code LETSGOLIBS
15.07.2025 14:51
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i'll be reading and analyzing all of these responses! i'd love to present your ideas to the rest of the staff. we're especially interested in hearing:
1. about how and where you find stuff to read online; &
2. from people who don't (yet!) subscribe to the site.
03.07.2025 18:27
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Poster for comedy show on July 15th at Littlefield in Brooklyn
We had such a good time with TEN MINUTE QUARTERS in May that @defector.com is running it back for the All-Star break. On July 15 we'll be joined by Devon Walker (SNL), Julia Shiplett (Overcompensating), Grace Johnson (Don't Tell), and Joey Dardano (Wild 'n Out) www.eventbrite.com/e/defector-m...
18.06.2025 20:52
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PoopBaloon, I apologize that I did not see your question before. Yes, we have representation at United Talent Agency
19.05.2025 18:18
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I would disagree that "most pods" get 50-50 or less (though I'm assuming you pay for production/editing/mixing; if Vox pays for all that, then 50-50 starting point makes sense), but for sure IP is critical - we've left money on the table to own IP outright, and i list it above as top noncash factor
19.05.2025 18:05
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In the end: the Pivot pods stayed put; Vox didn't have to guarantee any $; Swisher got a lengthy profile. Read the profile, or not, but don't get worked up over that big $ number (which is an estimate from the cohost, but btw doesn't seem THAT wild to me, depending on ad load and pub frequency)
19.05.2025 16:19
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There are a LOT of other terms that get negotiated that could turn you off from a new network (off the top of my head, things that haven't worked for us: treatment of IP, requirement that we approve 95%+ of sponsors, too rigid/rapid release schedule, limiting where people can listen to the pod)
19.05.2025 16:18
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