PaprW8

Social Media Company

In Intentional Consequences, PaprW8 is a fictitious publicly-traded social media company. Pronounced "paperweight", the company was founded by Mike Hastings, a brilliant visionary driven to move his ideas from concept to reality. Hastings took PaprW8 public shortly after he turned 30, about two years before the timeline of Intentional Consequences. Although Hastings is brilliant, he's also impatient, impetuous and stubborn and has little time or interest in dealing with Wall Street.

Susan Ward is the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of PaprW8. About ten years older than Hastings, Ward is often described as the adult supervision in the room.  Tall, thin and disarmingly attractive, Ward has a gold-plated resume with earlier senior roles at Amazon and Google. Perhaps most important, she's tough as nails, with focus, tenacity, control and effectiveness few executives of any sex can bring to bear. People say she cultivates this image. Divorced with no children, she has been a popular subject on the internet and not always in a positive way.