Nextdoor Has an AI Day. Maybe It Needs a Communication Day.

I came across an interesting HR Brew article about Nextdoor's HR team dedicating one full day every month to AI experimentation.

Full article:

https://www.hr-brew.com/stories/nextdoors-hr-team-halts-people-work-once-a-month-and-dedicates-the-day-to-ai

First, credit where it's due.

As someone with a Learning & Development background, I like this idea.

Nextdoor Head of People Tony Castellanos told HR Brew that the HR team clears its calendars one day each month—no meetings, interviews, or reports—so employees can experiment with AI and build solutions.

That's experiential learning.

That's giving employees permission to experiment, iterate, and learn.

I can get behind that.

But given everything I've been documenting about Nextdoor, another thought immediately crossed my mind:

Could we dedicate one day to communication?

I've spent more than two months trying to obtain a Nextdoor Insights study from Jacob Chavis.

I've contacted Jacob, Nirav Tolia, Sarah Leary, Investor Relations, and Communications.

Then Nextdoor published another Insights report directing readers who want detailed information to—you guessed it—Jacob Chavis.

I followed those instructions again.

Short email. Kinder, gentler reset. Two studies requested.

I'm still waiting.

That's why this article fascinates me.

Nextdoor can pause routine HR work for an entire day each month so employees can explore AI.

Great.

But technology doesn't solve every organizational problem.

Sometimes the solution isn't another AI agent.

Sometimes it's:

"Hey, somebody answer that email."

HR Brew also reports that Nextdoor's "People Brain" reviews content published to public channels to help ensure messaging and policy align with the People team's core content.

Now that makes me curious.

If AI is helping evaluate Nextdoor's public messaging, I'd love to know what it thinks about:

Community without conversation.

Communication posts with comments disabled.

Research advertised as available while requests go unanswered.

A shareholder spending more than two months asking for an answer.

Maybe those aren't AI problems.

Maybe they're leadership and execution problems.

I've repeatedly said I want Nextdoor and NXDR to succeed. I'm a shareholder. Financially, that's in my interest.

AI Days could genuinely improve efficiency.

But innovation shouldn't distract from the basics.

Artificial intelligence is impressive.

Answering an email doesn't require it.

Perhaps alongside AI Day, Nextdoor should try a Communication Day.

I'll volunteer my inbox for the pilot.

Full timeline at NielFlamm.com/blog.

Day 66: The Kinder, Gentler Reset Continues

It's Day 66.

Yesterday, I tried something different.

A kinder, gentler reset.

No lengthy email. No dissertation about corporate culture. No recap of the previous 65 days.

I emailed Jacob Chavis and asked for two Nextdoor Insights reports:

The Home Insurance Insights study I've been requesting, and the newly published Financial Advising and Investing study.

Short. Polite. Direct.

Now I'm wondering something beyond my own experience:

Is anyone actually able to obtain the detailed studies referenced on the Nextdoor Blog or LinkedIn?

Nextdoor's latest Insights post directs readers who want the complete report and detailed data to contact Jacob.

So I'd like to hear from someone who has done it.

Did you request one? Did you receive it? How long did it take?

That comparison matters as I examine whether I'm experiencing terrible communication or being treated differently.

Meanwhile, Back at NXDR...

The broader market slid yesterday, and NXDR followed suit.

The stock had been making gains following Nextdoor's Q2 results and was approaching its two-year highs. That enthusiasm appears, at least for now, to have been short-lived.

As a shareholder, I want NXDR to succeed. That's what makes my feedback counterintuitive: financially, I'm rooting for the company I'm criticizing.

I've also noticed E*TRADE now provides additional visibility into options activity, giving investors another interesting data point to watch.

And Then There's the Legal Question

Finding an attorney interested in evaluating a potential discrimination claim isn't as simple as announcing, "Lawyer wanted!"

There's a process.

An attorney would need to determine whether the facts support a viable claim, which law applies, what damages are available, and whether others have experienced comparable treatment.

The same applies to a potential class action. There needs to be an identifiable class with common legal and factual issues.

I'm exploring those questions.

Nextdoor also has substantial cash on hand. Using the figures I've been reviewing—approximately $377.97 million in cash against $27.70 million in debt—that's roughly $350 million net of debt.

But that's not a pot of money automatically available to plaintiffs or attorneys. Any recovery would require an actual viable claim followed by a settlement or judgment.

So I'm not counting imaginary settlement checks or contingency fees.

First comes the simpler experiment.

I sent the polite email.

I asked for the studies Nextdoor tells people they can request.

Now let's see what happens.

And I'd particularly like to hear from anyone who has successfully requested and received a Nextdoor Insights report.

Day 66. Kinder. Gentler. Still documenting.

The complete timeline is at NielFlamm.com/blog.

Day 65: A Reset—But Not of the Clock

It's Day 65 since I originally requested Nextdoor's Home Insurance Insights study.

That clock isn't resetting.

What I'm getting at with a semi-reset is my approach.

I've written plenty. I've sent detailed emails. I've asked questions about communication, leadership, moderation, accountability, and most recently, whether my experience represents differential or discriminatory treatment.

Today, I stripped all of that away.

Simple. Short. To the point.

I sent Jacob Chavis an email requesting two things:

1. The Home Insurance Insights study I've been requesting for 65 days.

2. The full “How Neighbors Approach Financial Advising and Investing” study, which Nextdoor recently published and specifically tells readers to contact Jacob for additional detailed data.

That's it.

No lengthy explanation.

No 65-day history.

No commentary about Nirav Tolia, Sarah Leary, Communications, or Investor Relations.

Just two requests.

Now let's see what happens.

Maybe Jacob responds.

Even better, maybe I simply receive both studies, and we can finally put this particular question to rest.

If I don't?

Then the question I've recently raised about discrimination or differential treatment becomes even more interesting to me.

I'm not asserting that unlawful discrimination has occurred. Whether there is a viable legal claim—and whether any broader group has experienced comparable treatment—is something an attorney would need to evaluate based on the facts and applicable law.

So I'll put this out there:

Is there an attorney experienced in discrimination, corporate practices, consumer rights, or shareholder matters who finds this situation worth exploring?

Potentially even whether there's a broader pattern affecting others?

If an attorney believes the facts support an individual or class-action case and is willing to evaluate it on a contingency-fee basis, I'm open to a conversation and, if appropriate, serving as a lead plaintiff.

Reach out.

But I'd much rather have the simpler outcome.

Two studies requested.

One short email.

Let's see if Nextdoor responds.

The reset starts today.

The 65-day clock does not.

Full timeline at NielFlamm.com/blog.

Day 64: I’m Not Asking for the C-Suite. I’m Asking for Someone.

It's Day 64.

I sent another email today regarding the study I originally requested from Jacob Chavis.

This time, I want to make something clear:

I don't expect a C-Suite executive to contact me personally.

I'm a shareholder with a relatively small position. I understand that Nirav Tolia, Sarah Leary, and other senior leaders have responsibilities far beyond answering my emails.

But here's what I don't understand:

Why hasn't anyone been delegated to respond?

Sixty-four days.

No study.

No substantive explanation.

No, "We can't provide it."

No, "You've reached the wrong person."

No, "Let me connect you with someone who can help."

Not even, "Niel, the answer is no."

That's what makes this increasingly fascinating to me.

Today I expanded the email distribution list to include Kelsey Grady and Michael Kiernan, along with the people I've previously contacted.

Why?

Reach.

And hopefully, finally, an answer.

At this point, I'm no longer asking only:

Where is the study?

I'm asking:

How does a publicly traded company allow a relatively simple shareholder inquiry to reach Day 64 without assigning someone to handle it?

That's a process question.

That's a communication question.

And, increasingly, I believe it's a culture question.

Someone inside Nextdoor could end this particular chapter with one email.

The answer doesn't have to be what I want.

It doesn't have to come from Nirav.

It doesn't have to come from Sarah.

It doesn't even have to come from Jacob.

I'm asking for someone to respond.

One person.

One email.

One clear answer.

I've spent 64 days documenting what happens when communication doesn't happen.

I'd much rather spend Day 65 writing about what happened when someone finally decided to communicate.

The email has been sent.

Your move, Nextdoor.

Join the discussion at NielFlamm.com/blog. Leave some feedback—I'd genuinely love to hear your perspective.

Day 62: What Do Nextdoor’s Partners Think?

It's Day 62.

I'm not surprised.

And somehow, I'm still surprised.

Sixty-two days since I requested a study from Jacob Chavis without receiving the study—or a response.

62 days. Unbelievable.

Yesterday I wrote about Nextdoor reposting content from Groundworks Commercial. Since Jacob seems to have vanished from the Insights landscape—perhaps abducted by aliens 👽—I've started watching what Nextdoor is publishing.

Something is interesting about reposts.

When Nextdoor publishes its own LinkedIn content, comments are typically disabled.

When Nextdoor reposts someone else's content, the original post's comments may remain available.

And, well...

I do what I do.

I commented on the Groundworks Commercial post about my experience with Nextdoor.

Then last night, I noticed Josh Jones from Groundworks Commercial viewed my LinkedIn profile.

Hello, Josh. 👋

I'm genuinely curious:

What do you think about all of this?

Not just Josh, either.

That has me thinking about Nextdoor's broader network of partners.

Nextdoor works with businesses, advertisers, local organizations, news outlets, government agencies, and other companies.

Those organizations lend something besides money or content.

They lend their names.

So what are decision-makers at these organizations seeing?

Do they look only at Nextdoor's WAU, advertising opportunities and neighborhood reach?

Do they examine the moderation controversies?

Do they look at how critical feedback is handled?

Do they notice comments are disabled on corporate posts?

Do they examine how small businesses experience the platform?

Do they care how shareholders are treated?

And does corporate culture factor into deciding whether another organization wants its brand associated with Nextdoor?

I'm not suggesting Groundworks Commercial—or any Nextdoor partner—agrees with my views.

I have no idea what Josh thinks.

That's why I'm asking.

But partnerships work both ways.

When two brands associate publicly, each company's reputation becomes part of the other's equation.

I've spent 62 days asking questions on Nextdoor.

Maybe there's another group worth asking:

What do Nextdoor's partners think?

Local news organizations.

Small businesses.

Advertisers.

Corporate partners.

Public agencies.

What are their experiences behind the scenes?

After 62 days, I'm increasingly interested not only in what Nextdoor says about itself...

but what organizations doing business with Nextdoor say about Nextdoor.

Josh, since you stopped by my profile, I'd welcome your perspective.

And if anyone from another Nextdoor partner is reading this, yours too.

Day 62. The conversation keeps getting bigger, even if Nextdoor isn't participating.

Join the discussion at NielFlamm.com/blog.

Leave some feedback—I'd love to hear your perspective.