I think if you're entombed in the SV bubble, it might not be. But to the rest of the world, it's kind of head-shaking.

Maybe it's because of the industries I've worked in, but clarity of communication was valued, encouraged, and even something we had training in. Say what you mean, so misunderstandings don't lead to mistakes.

The public relations people were trained in what not to say, because that was their job. But for everyone else, internal expression wasn't squelched out of fear of external forces.