Vadim Gusakov

I taught a course on venture capital and the fundamentals of rational thinking.

In November 2021 - May 2022 I had an interesting case involving extreme negotiation and PR. In St. Petersburg, Russia, the Decree of the City Government No. 121 was adopted, which introduced segregation restrictions for citizens on the basis of their medical documents. In my opinion, in the opinion of my peers and the lawyer of our initiative group, this decision was absolutely illegal. It contradicted the Constitution of Russia, federal laws and the Charter of St. Petersburg. On November 21, 2021, we filed a class action lawsuit in the St. Petersburg City Court demanding the cancellation of the illegal decision. The reaction of the city authorities to our demands was unexpectedly sharp and hysterical. The city media launched a propaganda campaign, accusing our lawyer of all sorts of sins. Several civic groups were formed with alternative claims against the city government. The leaders and many members of these groups acted aggressively, accusing and threatening to disrupt the normal c