Making the decision to work for any company is difficult. Few decisions intersect with as many facets of our lived experience and even fewer are done so with such scarce information. This decision is only further complicated when you need to consider the principle and tangible implications of the work you do, and the moral conduct of your corporate employer. As with any difficult decision, it comes down to a comparative balance of the options that are presented to you. This weighing of alternate future realities is done clearly by the author of the reading. In particular, the long/short comparison of short-term unethical behaviour to create long-term freedom that will liberate you from having to work for an unethical company again was compelling. I personally found this utilitarian assessment to be both the most practical and simplifying way to examine the situation. If a 1 year stint at a company—where I can also try to minimize the ethical damage it’s doing—means a lifetime of being able to work and impact positively, than it’s a pretty simple tradeoff. In such a world, I would take the job at Facebook.
