He's a graphic design justice warrior and tribalist, without much regard about anything else in public. He hates that devs and entrepreneurs are able to create their own stuff and cut studied designers like him out of the equation. The FB thing is just another opportunity for him to bitch about reality.
Mike Montiero is quite a character, but requiring designers to go through some sort of licensing is absolutely ridiculous. As a commenter said, this will only create a protectionist racket.<p>Also, what about product managers, engineers and others that make feature decisions? What does it mean to be a licensed designer?
This article seems to be premised on the idea that Facebook's problems are caused by its designers, not its investors and the regulatory environment that it exists in.<p>The problems with FB are not a failure of design or engineering but a failure of the business and political culture.<p>Can that failed business and political culture solve its problems by creating onerous new laws on other people? I would think not, although they may try.
It seems painfully obvious that licensing should be reserved for professions where there are major consequences to violating standards (i.e. medicine and law). Professions that bend more towards the arts may benefit from the "protection racket" aspect of licensing, while costing the rest of society.