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Other mods are leaving as a sign of protest for recent and well-known facts.

By now, mods resignations appear to be just ordinary business and common users have probably started to get used to it, but since their departure doesn’t seem to really worry SE I wonder if mods as a category were actually a target (or one of the targets) of recent changes in SE.

Were mods a sort of lobby within SE? Did their (supposed) power ever disturb or represent a “menace” to SE? That would explain much of what we have seen so far in terms of disruption of the old order on SE sites.

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    Mods have more influence now than they ever had. They're the only user group that the corporation still listens to at all. Mods have been cited in the corporation's new "user group" strategy.
    – user102937
    Nov 27, 2019 at 16:18
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    @RobertHarvey - mmm, reading their posts, it appears that the main problem is that they are not listened to.
    – Gio
    Nov 27, 2019 at 16:21
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    Not for the things that the corporation doesn't care about, no.
    – user102937
    Nov 27, 2019 at 16:23
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    Practically, the CMs are the one group of folks in the company we actually can work with closely. We're not a menace to them - on the contrary, they're the one group of folks in the company who I feel get what happens on the ground Nov 27, 2019 at 16:32
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    @JourneymanGeek - I suppose you are right, unluckily the impression common users can get from what they see (with no insider) is a much less friendly one.
    – Gio
    Nov 27, 2019 at 16:34
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    I think it might be useful to make a distinction between CMs and the company. CMs are often the voice of the company, but they also don't necessarily have significant power when it comes to policy changes. We have closer individual relationships with them, and perhaps we might be able to sway their personal opinions, but that might translate to absolutely nothing in terms of the company's opinions and official stance.
    – HDE 226868
    Nov 27, 2019 at 16:54
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    @HDE 226868 - I understand the “defensive” stance of yours as well as other comments posted so far, but the strong reaction from a considerable number of mods who’d rather opt out of SE rather than stay in charge at current conditions must mean something. Just a bad dream? Who ever will tell users the untold story? Nobody I guess.
    – Gio
    Nov 27, 2019 at 17:54
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    @Gio Many of the departing mods have told the users their story. I don't really see it as "untold" except for bits and details that should and must remain private. I think the overall summary is that every mod who has left has done it for their own reasons; there are some overlapping reasons, but a lot is unique to each person as well. Pretty much what you would expect from independent people. Nov 27, 2019 at 18:14
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    @Gio yes, those mods are angry at SE. And with good reason (I have put down two of my three diamonds over this, but am waiting for SE to process the request). We are just trying to point out that the CMs are a part of the company who are not part of the problem. The CMs are fine and helpful. But they have absolutely no control over the company itself as far as we can see. So when you said "CMs", I think you mean "SE". While the CMs are sometimes speaking for the company, they are not the people who make any decisions at all.
    – terdon
    Nov 27, 2019 at 18:26
  • @terdon-stopharmingMonica - do you really believe that Monica was done away with for the “pronoun” issue? Or was that just an excuse to send a signal to the community, especially the mod community?
    – Gio
    Nov 27, 2019 at 19:10
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    @Gio I am not talking about that at all. I am trying to explain that this is on the company and not on the CMs. She was not removed by a CM, she was removed by someone higher up the chain of command. I am just trying to explain that CM != SE. That's why edited your question because as you see, we've all gotten side tracked onto whether the CMs are to blame. But you are clearly referring to the company's actions and not to the 6 specific people who are "CMs".
    – terdon
    Nov 27, 2019 at 19:17
  • @terdon-stopharmingMonica, when you edited the question did you intentionally retain "CMs" in "doesn’t seem to really worry CMs"?
    – DK Bose
    Nov 28, 2019 at 1:37
  • @JusticeforMonica um, no, I just missed that, thanks.
    – terdon
    Nov 28, 2019 at 9:38
  • @JourneymanGeek "(CMs are) the one group of folks in the company who I feel get what happens on the ground" – I hope you will take me at my word when I say that there are many others at the company, beyond the CMs, that get what happens on the ground. Nov 28, 2019 at 11:51
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    Also, now that I look at it - @YaakovEllis, the comment responded to an earlier version of the question- that specifically referred to us being a manace to CMs. I'm certainly not trying to minimise the contributions and effort of those employees who actually communicate and obviously care about what happens on the network and the community as a whole. Nov 28, 2019 at 12:31

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There's no clear answer to this because the company has shown mixed behavior. On one hand, they removed Monica and that caused a great stir among the mod community, but on the other hand, they have let the mods voice their opinion (for the most part) without much censorship beyond the usual for all users.

They could have such evil intentions, or they could just be living in blissful ignorance of what they've done, but I think it's foolish to choose one side of the issue. There's definitely factors of both views that could be true.

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    They are probably just looking at the bottom line and pushing forward hoping to leave it behind them. If there were a campaign like adblockers for monica or something they'd probably start paying attention
    – SCFi
    Nov 27, 2019 at 18:58
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    "they have let the mods voice their opinion (for the most part) without much censorship beyond the usual for all users" So you say they are allowed to talk only silightly less than an ordinary user? How is that a positive point?
    – sth
    Nov 28, 2019 at 18:15
  • @sth It's the truth, and it's not a positive point in any sense. It aims to show both sides of the story and why it would be foolish to conclude one side is correct.
    – moltarze
    Nov 28, 2019 at 18:37

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