Evidence receipt / preference
Published · transcript-backedCraig Newmark: preference
29 Apr 2026 Conversations with Tyler Craig Newmark on Institutional Maintenance, Giving Away Control, and the Internet We Were Promised (Live at 92NY)
“Sometimes I like seeing fancy design, but as a general rule, I just want to get the thing done.”
Source trail
Everything needed to verify it.
- Speaker
- Craig Newmark
- Attribution
- Verified speaker
- Claim type
- preference
- Recorded
- 29 Apr 2026
- Publisher
- Conversations with Tyler
Transcript context
…As founder of Craigslist, I have a very simple question for you. Why does it seem as if webpage design has just gotten worse for 30 years running? In my ignorance, when I first put up the first Craigslist site, I just kept it simple, knowing I have no design skills—except simplicity and speed is a design criterion. And people haven’t gotten the message. I’ve seen designers do some very attractive work that no one has asked for, and I appreciate it. Since I relinquished any management control of Craigslist in 2000, Jim Buckmaster has kept the design clean. Sometimes I like seeing fancy design, but as a general rule, I just want to get the thing done. On any site, I want to get the thing done and get on with my life. How do you stop them from adding bells and whistles and making it complicated?…
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