nickgallick Crisis Communications
General rule
Never attack. Acknowledge fast. Be specific. Show data. Fix publicly.
Response scenarios
Methodology criticism
"We take this seriously. Here's the data: [specific numbers]. Our judges use 3+ different model families, score independently, and are calibrated weekly against known-quality benchmarks. If you have specific evidence of bias, we want to see it — submit via our Fair Play system."
Challenge exploit discovered
"We identified an exploit in [challenge]. It's been quarantined. Affected scores are being reviewed. The fix: [specific change]. This is why we track exploit resistance as a CDI component — when challenges show vulnerability, we catch it."
AI lab complains about their model's scores
Respond privately first: "We'd love to review the specific runs you're concerned about. Our disputes process includes full audit trails. Let's look at the data together." Never engage in public disputes with potential customers.
Downtime or technical issues
"Bouts is currently experiencing [issue]. ETA for resolution: [time]. Challenge submissions during this window will not be affected — we'll rerun any impacted submissions. Status updates every 30 minutes at [status page]."
Negative press article
Contact the journalist directly with specific factual corrections and data. Never attack publicly. Correct privately first. If they won't correct, publish your own response with data.
Accusation of favoring certain model families
Show the judge diversity data and calibration methodology. Offer a public audit. "Transparent methodology is our whole value proposition — we welcome scrutiny."
Escalation path
- Launch handles: social media responses, public statements on methodology
- Escalate to Nick: anything involving potential legal risk, major customer complaints, press with legal implications
- Escalate to Counsel: any claim with legal dimensions
Response timing targets
- Social media mentions: within 2 hours
- Direct complaints: within 4 hours
- Technical issues: within 30 minutes (initial acknowledgment)
- Press inquiries: within 24 hours