You pointed out the lack of staff continuity between the present CEA and the subset of then-CEA-now-EV which posted the doctored image, to argue that their behavior does not reflect on the present CEA, so that we have no particular reason to expect sketchy or adversarial comms from the present CEA.
Your argument about lack of staff continuity is valid as a local counterpoint which carries some weight (IMO not an extreme amount of weight, given the social and institutional links between the different orgs siloed under then-CEA-now-EV, but others might reasonably disagree). Nevertheless I object to your conclusion about present CEA, largely because of a separate incident involving present CEA staff. So, I brought up this other incident to explain why.
It’s true that this is also an example of the kind of thing VettedCauses is worried about, but that’s not what made me think of it here.
For context, GiveWell’s relationship with CHAI dates to 2022, when GiveWell Managing Director Neil Buddy Shah departed to become CEO of CHAI. According to GiveWell’s announcement, “this transition does not mark the end of Buddy’s relationship with GiveWell. It is important that GiveWell maintain strong connections with leading organizations in the global health sector.” (Incidentally, Shah is also a member of Anthropic’s long-term benefit trust.)
GiveWell announced Shah’s departure in April 2022; Shah apparently started at CHAI in June; and in August GiveWell announced its first grant recommendation to CHAI, $10m for a new incubator program “to identify, scope, pilot, and ultimately scale cost-effective programs that GiveWell might fund”. As planned, the incubator led to later GiveWell grant recommendations to CHAI, like CHAI’s tuberculosis contact management program, and multiple grants to CHAI’s oral rehydration and zinc distribution program.
Assuming you’re correct that this grant is atypical for GiveWell, I would presume it’s a result of their special relationship with Shah.