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:

  • When Debate Dies, Insults Take Over

    ByEvan Francen

    How to Disagree Like an Adult — Part 1 This post is part of the How to Disagree Like an Adult series, exploring why productive disagreement is disappearing—and how to do better. Something is broken in how we disagree. People don’t debate ideas anymore. They attack people. Disagree with someone today and you’re rarely met with reasoning or evidence. Instead, you’re told what you are:…

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.