Saying the quiet part out loud.

This is a place for clear thinking in a noisy world.

I’ve spent decades inside complex systems — cybersecurity, leadership, organizations, technology, and people — watching the same patterns repeat. We avoid hard conversations. We optimize for comfort. We reward confidence over competence. Then we act surprised when things fail.

This site is where I think out loud about the things we’re often encouraged to soften, oversimplify, or ignore. Not to provoke. Not to posture. But to understand what’s actually happening — and what responsibility looks like when systems get messy.

If you’re new here, start with my latest writing:

  • Meet Rita, Our 4.5-Pound Head of Security

    ByEvan Francen

    Last week, I introduced you to Violet. Violet is presence. Violet is authority. Violet doesn’t bark because she doesn’t need to. She walks into a room and the room adjusts. Today, I’d like you to meet Rita. Rita weighs 4.5 pounds. Rita barks whenever she wants to. And Rita believes everything is her responsibility. If Violet represents quiet authority, Rita represents something equally important in…

What you’ll find here.

This isn’t a personal brand. It’s a working space.

Here you’ll find writing about:

  • Cybersecurity and why the industry keeps failing despite decades of effort
  • Accountability — personal, organizational, and systemic
  • Leadership in complex, imperfect environments
  • Risk, incentives, and unintended consequences
  • Mental health, burnout, and being human inside broken systems
  • Life lessons learned the hard way

Sometimes it’ll be technical.
Sometimes it’ll be personal.
Often it’ll be uncomfortable.

That’s intentional.

What this space is — and isn’t.

This space is:

  • Curious, not certain
  • Direct, not cruel
  • Principled, not performative
  • Grounded in experience

This space is not:

  • A sales funnel
  • A hype machine
  • A place for fear-based narratives
  • Interested in clicks more than clarity

I care less about being liked than being useful.

If this resonates…

You don’t have to agree with everything you’ll read here.

But if you value:

  • Clear thinking over comfortable narratives
  • Honest questions over easy answers
  • Responsibility over excuses

You’re in the right place.

Take what’s useful.
Leave what’s not.

Just don’t ask me to pretend something is fine when it isn’t.