The Path to a Higher Nextdoor Stock Price? Stop Fighting Reality.

Nextdoor CEO Nirav Tolia talks frequently about AI, human connection, and reducing friction between neighbors.

I have a different idea.

Lean into what Nextdoor already is.

Years ago, talk shows like The Jerry Springer Show, Maury, and programs hosted by Geraldo Rivera started with serious discussions and traditional journalism.

Then they discovered something.

Viewers loved the chaos.

The louder the arguments, the bigger the audience.

The bigger the audience, the more advertisers paid.

The more advertisers paid, the more profitable the shows became.

Nextdoor already resembles a digital daytime talk show.

Parking disputes.

Political arguments.

HOA drama.

Leaf blower controversies.

Lost pets.

Neighborhood feuds.

Instead of pretending the platform is something else, perhaps the winning strategy is embracing what users actually show up for.

If the goal is growth, engagement, and shareholder value, history suggests conflict often attracts a larger audience than harmony.

And if you dislike Nextdoor as much as I do, there's a Facebook community discussing many of the same frustrations:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1423019659311825

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Human Connection or Digital Conflict?

I recently watched Nirav Tolia's interview discussing AI, community, reducing friction, and helping neighbors connect.

Interview:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwwDTRW8UEw

I agree with one thing completely:

People are finding each other.

The question is what happens next.

Because for many users, the experience isn't neighbors discovering friendship over lemonade and block parties.

It's neighbors finding each other, arguing about politics, barking dogs, leaf blowers, parking spaces, HOA elections, e-bikes, and whatever crisis is occurring on any given Tuesday.

Let's call it what it is.

For many communities, Nextdoor has become the digital equivalent of a daytime talk show.

The audience shows up for the drama.

The platform sells ads to the demographic.

The outrage generates engagement.

The engagement generates impressions.

The impressions generate revenue.

In the interview, Nirav talks about reducing friction and enabling more human connection through AI. That's a compelling vision.

But friction isn't always the problem.

Sometimes friction is the product.

The challenge isn't helping neighbors find each other.

They already found each other.

The challenge is figuring out whether the platform is creating stronger communities or simply creating a more efficient way for people to yell at one another.

As a shareholder, that's the discussion I'd like to see.

Not the narrative.

The reality.

While Nextdoor stock is no longer at its lows, it still hovers around the $2 range and remains far removed from the promises that accompanied its public debut.

Perhaps the next phase isn't another story about AI and human connection.

Perhaps it's a story about transparency, accountability, and understanding what keeps people coming back in the first place.

I'd encourage anyone interested in social media, community platforms, AI, or shareholder governance to watch the interview and decide for themselves.

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Heading To Customer Contact Week Las Vegas 2026

I'm excited to share that I'll be attending Customer Contact Week (CCW) in Las Vegas from June 22-25, 2026.

For those of us who have spent our careers in Customer Experience, Contact Centers, Learning & Development, Workforce Management, Operations, Quality, Technology, and BPO leadership, CCW remains one of the most valuable events in the industry.

This year's event brings together leaders focused on AI, automation, digital transformation, customer experience innovation, workforce engagement, operational excellence, and the future of customer care. It is one of the few conferences where executives, practitioners, technology providers, and operations leaders are all having the same conversations in the same place.

One of the moments I'm most looking forward to is reconnecting with Natalie Beckerman, EVP & Chief Business Officer at iQor and a member of the CCW Advisory Board. Natalie has been an incredible friend and mentor who helped shape my career and offered support during one of the most challenging health setbacks of my life.

I'm especially excited to hear Natalie speak about her upcoming book, When Did You Stop Caring?, where she challenges leaders to think differently about empathy, accountability, culture, and the human side of customer care.

Pre-order your copy here:
https://a.co/d/0dHRj6KZ

If you're in the customer contact industry and have never attended CCW, I encourage you to consider making the investment regardless of your role.

Why?

✅ Learn what is actually working in AI and automation

✅ Network with leaders facing the same challenges you are

✅ Discover emerging technology before it becomes mainstream

✅ Gain practical ideas you can implement immediately

✅ Build relationships that often become career-changing opportunities

I've attended enough conferences throughout my career to know that sometimes the best idea, partnership, mentor, or future opportunity comes from a conversation in a hallway rather than a presentation on a stage.

If you'll be attending CCW Las Vegas, let me know. I'd love to connect.

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I Asked A Silly Question. I Won A Silly Prize.

In my previous post, I questioned the transparency of a Nextdoor survey and joked:

"Has nobody at Nextdoor watched John King on CNN election night?"

After thinking about it, that was a silly question.

The answer is obviously no.

If anyone from the top down — including CEO Nirav Tolia — spent much time watching John King drill into data, methodology, assumptions, and details behind the numbers, perhaps we'd see more transparency in areas like moderation, appeals, and internally published survey results.

Then I started thinking about other groundbreaking studies Nextdoor could publish without providing full methodology:

🏆 The Lawn Blade Encroachment Survey
How many inches onto a neighbor's property can grass grow before it becomes an international incident?

📦 The Missing Amazon Package Emotional Impact Index
After receiving a delivery notification, how long should a neighbor wait before accusing porch pirates, nearby residents, and organized crime?

🍂 The Neighborhood Leaf Migration & Border Security Report
Who owns leaf cleanup responsibilities after leaves illegally cross property lines?

🚲 The Emergency E-Bike Teen Threat Assessment
Which represents the greater threat to civilization: teenagers riding e-bikes or teenagers staying indoors staring at screens?

🐕 The Official Barkonomics Report
At what decibel level and dog count do connected neighbors formally declare war on one another?

Maybe the results would be fascinating.

Just don't ask for the sample size, methodology, demographics, margin of error, weighting, response rates, or full questionnaire.

Those details might get lost somewhere

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Waiting for the Call

Three days a week, dialysis keeps me going. It also serves as a constant reminder that I'm waiting for something bigger.

This week, a fellow patient received a kidney transplant after about two years on the waiting list. Hearing that news gives hope to the rest of us still waiting for our turn.

I'm now keeping an overnight backpack ready so that when the call finally comes, I can grab it and head to the hospital.

Watch the full vlog:
https://www.nielflamm.com/videos/esrd