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.

Two Stories About Recovery That Hit Differently This Week

On Monday, I heard about two very different stories involving two very famous people. Both made me think about recovery, sobriety, addiction, and something those of us around recovery learn pretty quickly:

There is no finish line.

The first story was about Brad Pitt.

I haven't talked to Brad Pitt. He hasn't called me lately. We haven't grabbed coffee. And until he invites me over to hang out, I can only go by what he actually said publicly.

In a recent Esquire interview, Pitt talked about having been sober for seven years and then deciding to drink again. He described his drinking now as being more restrained and acknowledged that there have already been a couple of occasions when he realized larger quantities weren't good for him.

This is also the same Brad Pitt who publicly thanked Bradley Cooper in 2020 for helping him get sober.

I'm not here to judge Brad Pitt's decision.

Recovery is personal. What works—or doesn't work—for Brad Pitt is Brad Pitt's business.

But his story caught my attention because I've heard versions of it before.

I've sat in meetings and heard people talk about having years of sobriety before eventually deciding they didn't need recovery anymore.

Maybe things were different now.

Maybe enough time had passed.

Maybe they had learned their lesson.

Maybe this time they could drink like a "normal" person.

And sometimes it started exactly that way.

Moderately.

One drink.

A glass of wine with dinner.

Only on vacation.

Only on weekends.

Until it wasn't moderate anymore.

Those are the stories I've heard. That doesn't mean Brad Pitt's story will end the same way. I don't know him, and neither I nor anyone else should pretend we know what his future holds.

But it reminds me why recovery asks us to focus on today.

Not seven years from now.

Not seven years ago.

Today.

Then There Was Hayden Panettiere

The second story was much harder to hear.

Actress Hayden Panettiere died at 36 in Greenville, South Carolina.

I knew her work. I watched Remember the Titans. I watched I Love You, Beth Cooper. I watched Scream 4.

She was somebody I'd seen on a screen for years.

She had also spoken publicly about struggles with addiction and depression.

According to authorities, Panettiere was found unresponsive and in cardiac arrest. Emergency responders attempted to resuscitate her, but she was pronounced dead. An autopsy reportedly found no trauma that contributed to her death.

At the time I'm writing this, her official cause and manner of death have not been determined. Toxicology results are still pending.

That's important.

I'm not going to declare that addiction caused her death when investigators haven't determined that.

I'm not going to turn someone's death into speculation.

But hearing about her death still made me think about recovery.

Because I've seen what addiction can do.

I've known people who got frighteningly close to dying.

I've known people who came back.

And I've known people who didn't.

There Is a Solution

That's really why I'm writing this.

Not because Brad Pitt decided to drink again.

Not because we know what caused Hayden Panettiere's death.

I'm writing it because somebody reading this might be struggling right now.

Someone might be wondering whether they really have a problem.

Someone might have been sober for years and be thinking, Maybe I've got this figured out now.

Someone might have relapsed yesterday and believe they've thrown everything away.

Someone else might be sitting alone thinking there isn't another way.

There is.

Recovery isn't reserved for celebrities.

It isn't reserved for people with money.

It isn't reserved for people who haven't relapsed.

It isn't reserved for someone who has reached some imaginary "bottom."

You don't have to wait until everything is gone.

You don't have to wait until your family gives up.

You don't have to wait until you're sitting in a hospital.

You don't have to wait until you're dying.

There is a solution.

There are meetings. There are treatment programs. There are professionals. There are recovery communities filled with people who understand exactly what it feels like to wonder how the hell life got to this point.

And there are people willing to help.

Sometimes the hardest part is simply admitting:

I can't do this by myself anymore.

You don't have to.

Whether someone has seven hours, seven days, seven months, or seven years, recovery still happens the same way.

Today.

Then tomorrow, we try to do it again.

There is a solution, and it's available to all.

✈️ New York Trip Update: Mother Nature Is Making Her Case

A couple of days ago, I wrote that I’m supposed to fly to New York this Saturday, landing at LaGuardia (LGA) and heading to Astoria, Queens for a yearly gathering.

At the time, the forecast called for about a 55% chance of rain.

I wasn't thrilled, but 55% still leaves room for negotiation.

Well...

Mother Nature has apparently retained counsel.

I checked the forecast again today.

🌧️ Saturday: 77% chance of rain.
⛈️ And now there are thunderstorms involved.

This negotiation is moving in the wrong direction.

Normally, I'd be excited about this trip. It's a nonstop flight. I get to see people I haven't seen in a while. And most importantly, I'd be returning to Queens—the magical land of real bagels, real pizza, and enough incredible food to destroy any reasonable eating plan within approximately four hours of landing.

But here's my problem:

I'm not flying to New York just so I can sit in a hotel room and say:

"Yep. That's definitely rain."

I can watch rain from home.

For free.

And I don't have to deal with airports, flight delays, Uber surge pricing, wet sidewalks, or trying to maneuver around New York City while Mother Nature dumps buckets of water on everyone.

There's also the airport factor.

Rain and thunderstorms in the New York area don't exactly have a reputation for making air travel more efficient. Suddenly my beautiful nonstop flight could become an exciting afternoon of staring at an airport departure board while the word DELAYED slowly destroys my will to live.

The good news?

The forecast could still change.

The bad news?

It already changed—from 55% rain to 77%.

That's not the direction I was hoping for.

So, the great Will Niel Actually Go to New York? saga continues.

The flight is still scheduled.

Astoria is still waiting.

The bagels are presumably still delicious.

The pizza is calling my name.

But at 77% rain with thunderstorms, those bagels are going to have to make a very persuasive argument.

Stay tuned.

The Scammers Missed Me — Apparently My Geek Squad Membership Renewed Again

I was starting to get worried.

It had been an entire week since someone invited me to a Facebook event announcing that I had supposedly purchased something I didn't purchase.

Was I no longer desirable to scammers?

Had they moved on?

Did Karen, Taiba, Callie, and Princess Manahil have a group chat where they decided I wasn't worth the effort?

Thankfully, my fears were put to rest today.

They're back.

This afternoon, I received another Facebook event invitation. This one came from the wonderfully named “Hxer Ahver.”

Hxer has invited me to:

“Payment Confirmation: $439.99 Auto-Renewal for Geek Squad Tech Support…”

Oh good.

Geek Squad again.

My Computer Is Apparently VERY Protected

Last week, Princess Manahil informed me that I had supposedly renewed my Geek Squad protection.

Now Hxer Ahver says I've done it again.

At this point, my computer should be the most protected in North America.

I'm expecting Geek Squad employees to start physically guarding it.

One by the monitor.

One near the keyboard.

Another stationed outside my house.

For $439.99, somebody better be watching the perimeter.

There is, of course, one tiny problem:

I didn't buy this.

Just like I didn't buy the Bitcoin.

Just like I didn't authorize the mystery subscription.

Just like I didn't purchase the previous Geek Squad protection.

My imaginary credit card has apparently been having an incredible summer.

And Once Again, I'm Invited to Attend

The brilliance of this particular scam remains my favorite part.

It's being delivered as a Facebook event invitation.

That means underneath a message claiming I've been charged $439.99, Facebook politely asks:

“Tell them if you can make it.”

And then gives me three options:

Going

Maybe

Can't Go

I appreciate the flexibility.

After reviewing my calendar, however, I'm going to have to select:

Can't Go.

I'd love to attend my $439.99 fraudulent Geek Squad auto-renewal, but unfortunately I have plans that afternoon.

Maybe next year.

Meta Is Still Warning Me

Just like the previous scam invitations, there's a warning sitting right at the top:

“Meta did not send this event invitation. Please be cautious when clicking on links or providing personal information.”

That's probably worth reading.

The clever part of this scam is that the notification itself can arrive through Facebook's event system. That gives the garbage in the invitation a little borrowed legitimacy.

You see a familiar notification.

You see Facebook.

You see a large dollar amount.

You see “Payment Confirmation.”

And the scammer hopes you panic before stopping to ask the most obvious question:

Why in the hell is Geek Squad notifying me about a $439.99 auto-renewal through a Facebook event invitation?

Geek Squad isn't throwing me a party.

The Scam Social Calendar Continues

So let's update the guest list.

Previously, I had:

Karen: Bitcoin purchase.

Taiba: Another Bitcoin purchase.

Callie: Mystery $398.99 subscription.

Princess Manahil: Geek Squad protection.

And now:

Hxer Ahver: Another $439.99 Geek Squad renewal.

I'm beginning to see a pattern.

The names change.

The dollar amounts change.

The supposed purchases change.

But the objective remains remarkably similar: make the recipient believe money has been charged, create urgency, and get them to react before they think.

That's why I don't use the contact information contained in suspicious messages.

If a message says there's a charge on one of my accounts, I'll independently open the company's official app or website and check the account myself.

No panic.

No mystery phone numbers.

No handing over account information.

Please don't attend Facebook events celebrating purchases I didn't make.

See You at the Next One

At this point, I don't think this is over.

We've done Bitcoin.

We've done subscriptions.

We've done Geek Squad twice.

I'm curious what I'll apparently purchase next.

A $799 Norton subscription?

A $1,200 iPhone?

Extended warranty coverage for a car I don't own?

Whatever it is, I have only one request for the scammers:

Please check my calendar first.

I'm getting really busy declining all these invitations.

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.