To Walker, authenticity is about being honest and transparent with intentions rather than sneakily attempting to curry favor. Because Walker worked for the hot startup Foursquare when I interviewed him, he was privy to a great deal of obsequiousness. Obviously, flattery and sycophancy come hand in hand with business dealings, but it was difficult for any potential investor to disguise his intentions given sites like CrunchBase and AngelList, which provide detailed biographical information about tech people. Walker's definition of authenticity made sense given the realities of startup investment.

Alice E. Marwick, Status Update, loc. 657