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Lea Kissner

@leak.bsky.social
8.1K followers 103 following 871 posts

Security, privacy, respect. Was the Twitter CISO until it was terrible. Now LinkedIn CISO. they/them

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Lea Kissner @leak.bsky.social · 16h
To be fair, the things I get from Amazon are pretty much ebooks and paper books I can't get anywhere else. They're not wrong that a solid majority of the things I buy are books, not even counting the library books.
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Lea Kissner @leak.bsky.social · 17h
Uh oh, Amazon has uncovered my deepest darkest secrets.
Part of an page showing what Amazon has inferred about me. It's that I mostly buy books, mostly scifi/fantasy, but that I also read extensively across genres.
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Lea Kissner @leak.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Oh interesting! I suspect some of it will be helpful, a few chapters are more targeted for people who work on this full-time (but they're clearly labeled). I hope it's helpful, let me know
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Lea Kissner @leak.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Oh fantastic! I hope it's helpful, please let me know if you like it
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Lea Kissner @leak.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
I hope you like it!
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Lea Kissner @leak.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Discount may not be combined with any other offer and is not redeemable for cash. Offer subject to change. (Yes I am required to post that whole schpiel)
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Lea Kissner @leak.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Discount code SAFERTECH confers a 35% discount off the list price of ISBNs 9780135589328 or 9780135589359 only when purchased on informit.com. Discount does not apply to “Best Value” or “Additional Savings” book + eBook bundles. Offer expires 11:59pm EDT May 31, 2027.
informit.com
InformIT: The Trusted Technology Source for IT Pros and Developers
Resources from the authors, creators, innovators, & leaders of technology - home to leading publishers Addison-Wesley Professional, & Sams.
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Lea Kissner @leak.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
You'll learn how to prevent failures and also how to manage them gracefully when they inevitably occur, preserving trust and turning crises into powerful learning opportunities.
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Lea Kissner @leak.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Go beyond theory and learn to implement safety practices directly into your workflows and organizational structure. This book provides concrete tools, mental models, and communication strategies for individuals and team leaders to build products that can withstand real-world chaos.
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Lea Kissner @leak.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Building Safer Technology delivers a practical field guide to safety engineering, a practice dedicated to designing systems that are not only innovative but also fundamentally resilient. We teach durable thinking that works even as technology and the ways we interact with it change.
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Lea Kissner @leak.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Technology is changing fast. So are humans. Software and AI are woven into everything from power grids to the devices in our homes, failure is no longer a minor inconvenience―it's a critical business risk that can cost lives, paralyze economies, and erode trust.
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Lea Kissner @leak.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
"Building Safer Technology: A Field Guide to Failing Well" is here and you can get it wherever books are sold (35% discount code for you in this thread). I've spent 20 years dealing with terrible things on the Internet and I've learned a lot about how to build things which really *work*.
A pile of books with the title "Building Safer Technology: A field Guide to Failing Well" in a cardboard box
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Lea Kissner @leak.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
The Pinterest office has a really nifty 📌 giant red pushpin made of Lego📌 They were kind enough to invite me to speak yesterday and had over an hour of great questions, so I'm pretty sure that they liked the talk.
Person with n95 mask, glasses, and a beanie in front of a really huge red pushpin made of Lego
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Lea Kissner @leak.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Is that what y'all were doing in 2020?!?
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Lea Kissner @leak.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Documents were changed from being completely-internally-visible by default in 2010, if I'm not wildly misremembering, and the reason was straightforwardly security.
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Lea Kissner @leak.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
Technically the thing that got you hired was "being smart and caring about people on the Internet" 😁
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Lea Kissner @leak.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
I hope you love it
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Lea Kissner @leak.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
I don't have a copy yet, so you might be able to get one before I do! Get it from the publisher: www.informit.com/store/buildi... Or Amazon: www.amazon.com/Building-Saf...
informit.com
Building Safer Technology: A Field Guide to Failing Well | InformIT
Failure is inevitable. Failing well is a skill. The era of "move fast and break things" is over. In a world where software and AI are woven into everything from power grids to the devices in our homes...
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Lea Kissner @leak.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
I can't believe that our book, "Building Safer Technology: A Field Guide to Failing Well" is here NOW. Learn how to build safely -- security, privacy, trust&safety, AI safety, etc. We concentrate on the underlying thinking and skills so this is durable knowledge even as technology changes.
Copy of the book "Building Safer Technology: A Field Guide to Failing Well"
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Lea Kissner @leak.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
static.klipy.com
Fiery Imp Drawing
Alt: Fiery Imp Drawing
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Lea Kissner @leak.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
From watching Career Ladder I've decided my job is like fugu sashimi because if you mess it up, someone will get hurt and many people would never touch it (On Career Ladder, the host tries to guess someone's job in 2 min and often asks what kind of food the job would be) youtube.com/shorts/0cc4V...
youtube.com
People HATE her job 🇧🇷 Ep. 607 🪜
YouTube video by Max Klymenko
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Lea Kissner @leak.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
I haven't tried it yet, but it's only a brim so probably not much
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Lea Kissner @leak.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
I haven't used it yet, but I'm very excited not to be: a) blinded by the sun and b) so dependent on sunscreen. I'm so used to riding a road bike that sitting up on my new bike is weird. And bright. There is a version with a smaller brim and one which is just a visor. dabrim.com/collections/...
dabrim.com
Cycling Classic Helmet Visor Brim
Da Brim Bicycle helmet visor brim. The Cycling Classic model is the largest of the Da Brim cycling helmet brims and visors offering the most sun protection and shade. Water resistant to keep rain off ...
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Lea Kissner @leak.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
HEY GUESS WHAT YOU CAN ATTACH A GIANT BRIM TO YOUR BIKE HELMET AND MAKE IT INTO A GIANT HAT!
Maniacally grinning person wearing a bike helmet with a large attached brim. Yes, I know that sounds odd. It is.
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Lea Kissner @leak.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
It's amazing how many things in life come down to "killing people is not good".
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Lea Kissner @leak.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
I've been asked about how to get a signed copy. In this case, message me, we don't have anything set up.
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Lea Kissner @leak.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
It's back! bsky.app/profile/leak...
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Lea Kissner @leak.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
InformIT: www.informit.com/store/buildi... Books A Million: www.booksamillion.com/p/Building-S... Barnes And Noble: www.barnesandnoble.com/w/building-s... Walmart: www.walmart.com/ip/Building-...
informit.com
Building Safer Technology: A Field Guide to Failing Well | InformIT
Failure is inevitable. Failing well is a skill. The era of "move fast and break things" is over. In a world where software and AI are woven into everything from power grids to the devices in our homes...
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Lea Kissner @leak.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
Pearson: www.pearson.com/en-us/subjec... Amazon: www.amazon.com/Building-Saf... OReilly: www.oreilly.com/library/view... Google Play Books: play.google.com/store/books/...
pearson.com
Building Safer Technology: A Field Guide to Failing Well
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Lea Kissner @leak.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
Thanks also to @stamos.org @lizthegrey.com @jeffdean.bsky.social @lorriecranor.bsky.social Sam Shillace and Mark Russ for taking time out of their extremely busy schedule to look the book over and write us blurbs. /5
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Lea Kissner @leak.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
I've been lucky to work with amazing people in my career and on this project. Yonatan Zunger and I have worked together for nearly two decades and have been meaning to write this book for over 10 years. We also have Phillip Misner, JP Hernandez, Harmony Mabrey -- and the inimitable Danielle Cass. 4/
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Lea Kissner @leak.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
... like metrics that drive effective action (and not perversity), communication, and team design. I had to learn all of these things the hard way, both on my route to Distinguished Engineer and as a CISO. This is the book I wish I'd had and I hope it helps you, well, build safer technology. 3/
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Lea Kissner @leak.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
_Building Safer Technology: A Guide to Failing Well_ covers topics all the way from design to incident response to programs all the way to the nitty gritty critical things that no one talks about but are so often the difference between good intentions and effective impact. 2/
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Lea Kissner @leak.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
Did I mention that we've been writing a book? Fundamentally, security, privacy, trust&safety, AI safety -- all the fields aimed at dealing with dealing with how technical systems hurt people and how to avoid it -- share a foundation. We cover how to think and achieve *truly* effective practice. 1/
Cover of the book "Building Safer Technology: A Field Guide to Failing Well" by Yonatan Zunger, Lea Kissner, Neil Coles, Juan Pablo Hernandez, Harmony Mabrey, and Phillip Misner. Cover includes an illustration of a fuse repaired with kintsugi
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Lea Kissner @leak.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
... Apologies, I just deleted the thread because I forgot the cover 🤦 It'll be back up in just a second
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Lea Kissner @leak.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
What *does* a hacker look like to you? I probably shouldn't admit how many black hoodies I own, should I? (Spy Museum in NYC, BTW. My kids loved it.)
Person in a black hoodie standing in front of a wall with text asking "what does a hacker look like to you?"
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Lea Kissner @leak.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
Yes. Signed, The TL of getting everything else to integrate with Google+ (And security and privacy)
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Lea Kissner @leak.bsky.social · 15/06/2026
I think the difference is that they're made out of cake scraps and profit margin
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Lea Kissner @leak.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
I can't really walk this week for mysterious reasons* and boy is my dog happy with my inability to get into the office. * Literally I don't know why and the doctor doesn't have appointments for weeks. Please feel free to suggest good concierge doctors around Mountain View this is silly.
Very fluffy large black dog lying underneath my desk
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Lea Kissner @leak.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
Excitement is generally not *good*, at least. I may enjoy my job, but surprises range from "annoying" to "code brown".
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Lea Kissner @leak.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
I realize I'm boring but I prefer to skip that step if possible.
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Lea Kissner @leak.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
You can use coding-machine tools to pay down tech debt! Then your coding machine can go brrrrrr faster and less scary!
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Lea Kissner @leak.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
Handshake meme where security and reliability shake hands over "making you pay down your technical debt"
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Lea Kissner @leak.bsky.social · 06/06/2026
It's really rough on people without a fixed address, though. I worked with a guy who used to live on the streets and even 5+ years ago he was effectively locked out of a bunch of places
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Lea Kissner @leak.bsky.social · 05/06/2026
Pepcid not doing it? Xolair is pretty dang awesome, if you can get a competent allergist.
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Lea Kissner @leak.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
The oddest part about making such a reference is that "male and female" in this context is a merism -- using both ends of a spectrum to represent the whole. Merism is a literary device is used extensively in the story! intertextual.bible/glossary/mer...
intertextual.bible
Merism | intertextual.bible
Merism is a literary device that expresses totality by naming two contrasting or opposite parts. By mentioning the extremes of a range, the text signals that everything between them is included, even ...
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Lea Kissner @leak.bsky.social · 31/05/2026
I worked with Thunder something like 10 years ago and that's his actual real-life name (though not his birth name) and has been for decades. Seriously.
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Lea Kissner @leak.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
Not *all* write access, but a shocking amount of it for sure. Now I'll have to remember to tell my kiddo
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Lea Kissner @leak.bsky.social · 26/05/2026
I'm sorry your experience has been different
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Lea Kissner @leak.bsky.social · 26/05/2026
It absolutely does not for most bugs. The weird cases, we absolutely do.
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