Would you work at Facebook?
The reading Working for Ethically Complicated Organizations provides a good overview on ethically questionable companies and what it means for the common employee. As I was reading this, I felt heard- this is a debate ingrained in so many of my my conversations surrounding my post graduation career. As a student considering Computer Science, I had inevitably considered working for the big names- Google, Facebook, other tech companies that promised a cushy position catered towards my CS degree.
The article raises several good points- to what extent an we avoid working for unethical organizations? Is it even possible to do so? The raised point of our increasingly interconnected economy is an important one; In the end, we are inevitably perpetrators of some ethically questionable pursuit of wealth, in some form or another, depending on how you look at it. Applying this author’s points to my own experiences, I can now say with some conviction that yes, it can be alright to work at a big tech giant. These positions will allow me to improve upon my skills, which can potentially lead to ethically satisfying employment down the line. Distance to the unethical action itself is also key- I still would not work on a, say, software development team creating an exploitative feature. But working on a team with people I believe in and a project I resonate with, even if it is in a tainted organization, is something I am willing to do.
There are other questions that are raised in this article but never answered- ultimately, it is up to the moral compass of the reader, the employee to decide whether this job aligns with their values. However, this article provides some much needed guidance to selecting a morally fulfilling job, advice that I can use for my future employment.
