I will start with the conclusion: Yes, I would absolutely work at Meta. Let me explain why.
Most of the big decisions I make are influenced by the fact that I went to prison in my early 20s. I struggled for years with substance abuse, and my addiction culminated in a year-long stint in California State Prisons. Over the last three years, I have carefully constructed a CV that is meant to assuage the risk adverse and inspire the dreamers. I like that my STEM-related work history goes from astrophysics research at Stanford to full-stack SWE at a startup to backend SWE at Reddit. It makes it easier to convince hard-headed background-checkers that I didn’t put in all this work just to steal cars in their parking lot during my summer internship, and it gives me credibility when I go into juvenile halls to tell residents that there are no limits to the lives they can build for themselves. Whether I think Meta is a good company or not, it is universally seen as having high-influence and being highly-selective. Even just as a short-term stepping-stone, I would accept a job at Meta. Out of the seven values listed in Finding Jobs to Want, accepting a job at Meta represents implicitly meaningful work in how I can use it to inspire others, a well-paying and (relatively) prestigious job that provides comfort (relative to working in construction) and security. Out of the other values, power has never been important to me, and I am willing to sacrifice leisure time in the short-term to build a strong foundation for the long-term.
One thing I thought was interesting about Working for Ethically Complicated Organizations was that being the voice of reason was only listed as a footnote towards the very end. I think this is one of the strongest arguments for the average person to make in favor of working for an ethically borderline company. What does it mean to have a company full of able-bodied and neurotypical employees who think prioritizing accessibility is a waste of time and resources? I think there is great value in taking a finance job away from a power-hungry associate, especially when the alternative could be you, someone who is ethical and community-minded. In the case of Meta, what does it mean to have an employee population primarily from the same background and demographic? Maybe they need someone with a mind like mine to lend a different perspective and fix some of their shortcomings.
I love that this class is reading-based and causes me to challenge or strengthen my existing perspectives. I’d love to hear with anyone who agrees or disagrees with my perspectives.
