Our conditions for ending the strike

[...]

The data dumps must be re-enabled, and SEDE and API access guaranteed.

The data dumps of Stack Exchange content serve to further the goals of free knowledge-sharing. The content posted to the Stack Exchange network was done so to further that goal and with the understanding that it would be freely distributed to anyone seeking knowledge. The data dumps safeguard that collected knowledge and must be continued.

The Stack Exchange API and Data Explorer both serve as major parts of moderation. Userscripts, queries, bots, and others are used to find, identify, and improve content across the Stack Exchange network. Access to these resources and the data dumps must be allowed to continue unimpeded.

Stack Exchange, Inc. must communicate, gather feedback, and act on that feedback before making major policy or software changes to the public platform.

Stack Exchange, Inc. has consistently made harmful changes to both policies and the software running the public platform that run counter to the knowledge-sharing goal of the network. Moving forwards, Stack Exchange, Inc. must consult with the community to gather feedback in order to safeguard the goals of the platform.

I see two things happening:

• As history has shown us, SO will make a whole lot of promises and commit to a whole bunch of things and they'll never follow through. But, it'll give them enough time to smooth things over so people start contributing once again until their next inevitable mess
• SO will not budge

Regarding the first demand, SO has potentially found a way to further monetize our contributions probably in a massive way as AI is currently the "new thing".

I really can't see them reversing this.

As for the second, fundamentally SO is not interested in communicating and gathering feedback from us. We're not the target audience, we're the thorn in their side that gives them bad press.

They're at the stage in the company where they believe they've exploited us enough for content to be able to kick us to the curb and continue running smoothly. They want our time and effort but not the constructive criticism.

If SO does come bearing gifts and empty promises I hope we as a community will be more critical and reluctant to go back to business as usual without some proper guarantees and a plan to return to the strike if they start failing on these guarantees.

What they're doing with the data dumps flies in the face of everything that these sites originally stood for.

With that in mind, I also hope everyone involved is ready and willing to let their respective communities decay for the greater good if things don't change - ironic, right?

^{I'd be more than happy to be proved wrong but history is not on SO's side.}

Our conditions for ending the strike

[...]

The data dumps must be re-enabled, and SEDE and API access guaranteed.

The data dumps of Stack Exchange content serve to further the goals of free knowledge-sharing. The content posted to the Stack Exchange network was done so to further that goal and with the understanding that it would be freely distributed to anyone seeking knowledge. The data dumps safeguard that collected knowledge and must be continued.

The Stack Exchange API and Data Explorer both serve as major parts of moderation. Userscripts, queries, bots, and others are used to find, identify, and improve content across the Stack Exchange network. Access to these resources and the data dumps must be allowed to continue unimpeded.

Stack Exchange, Inc. must communicate, gather feedback, and act on that feedback before making major policy or software changes to the public platform.

Stack Exchange, Inc. has consistently made harmful changes to both policies and the software running the public platform that run counter to the knowledge-sharing goal of the network. Moving forwards, Stack Exchange, Inc. must consult with the community to gather feedback in order to safeguard the goals of the platform.

I see two things happening:

• As history has shown us, SO will make a whole lot of promises and commit to a whole bunch of things and they'll never follow through. But, it'll give them enough time to smooth things over so people start contributing once again until their next inevitable mess
• SO will not budge

Regarding the first demand, SO has potentially found a way to further monetize our contributions probably in a massive way as AI is currently the "new thing".

I really can't see them reversing this.

As for the second, fundamentally SO is not interested in communicating and gathering feedback from us. We're not the target audience, we're the thorn in their side that gives them bad press.

They're at the stage in the company where they believe they've exploited us enough for content to be able to kick us to the curb and continue running smoothly. They want our time and effort but not the constructive criticism.

If SO does come bearing gifts and empty promises I implore everyone to be more critical and reluctant to go back to business as usual. Those who are striking, have a plan to return to the strike if they start failing on these guarantees.

Don't be fooled by their words. Talk is cheap and SO has shown us that enough.

We've had too many fake apologies/guarantees made to us and then had the rug pulled from beneath us, over, and over, and over, and over, and over again.

What they're doing with the data dumps especially flies in the face of everything that these sites originally stood for. SO has had the stench of empty suits sacrificing this site on the altar of profits for quite some time now. It's nothing new.

With that in mind, I also hope everyone involved is ready and willing to let their respective communities decay for the greater good if things don't change - ironic, right?

^{I'd be more than happy to be proved wrong but history is not on SO's side.}