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Phil's Library

The psychology of leakers

Anna Roth: Many many years ago, Frank Shaw in an all hands talked about the psychology of leakers. This is what I remember from a convo 10 years ago, so take w/ a grain of salt.)

Motivations: 

  1. Most of them are people who want to feel important. Knowing special info, getting attention from journalists. 
  2. Sometimes they are “strategic”. Someone wants to influence an internal debate by selectively leaking. 
  3. Retribution. (Feel like they were treated unfairly in some way)

True whistleblowers are very rare.