Although Facebook’s work has been ethically questionable – specifically through exploitation of consumers (5.2) – in the past, I would accept a job at the company.
Key Decision Factors
I resonate with many of the values for ranking jobs mentioned, including the following:
- Prestige and opportunity for job sequencing (as mentioned in 5.1): Obviously, having Facebook on my resume would give me credibility in recruiting for future jobs. Through this resume boost and the connections within the company, I would be able to use Facebook as a stepping stone to future jobs in the tech or business industry. Starting at an entry level position might also provide a path to a higher level position that focuses on social good at Facebook, which might be more impactful than accepting a job elsewhere.
- Meaningful work: I found that my work this summer in finance was meaningful, as employees showed up to work with enthusiasm, empowered young people to own important tasks, and facilitated constant growth. This culture built confidence and made my work meaningful, as I felt like I was always learning while delivering value to the firm. I have read that the culture at Facebook is similar to this, so I would likely find the work to be very rewarding. Moreover, I would use my background in computer science and design and further develop skills I am passionate about.
- Pay and some level of security (as mentioned in 5.1): As a recent college graduate, pay and job security will be important in helping me build long-term financial success.
Responsibilities at Facebook
Once at Facebook, I would need to pay attention to how close my work was to ethically difficult actions performed by Facebook, specifically in terms of exploitation of consumers. At Stanford, I have taken many classes that discuss algorithmic bias, polarization due to online echo chambers, accessible design, principled entrepreneurial decisions, and more. I would like to use these ethical frameworks to identify all stakeholders and analyze projects at Facebook before contributing. For example, if I was working on an algorithm to enhance the “suggested” page, I would want to ask questions about which users this might benefit or harm (i.e. could it cause more political polarization?).
Finally, it’s worth noting that the reading mentioned we must judge how bad the company’s work really is. Although they have had ethically questionable scandals, I would love to help advance Facebook’s mission, “to give people the power to build community and bring the world closer together.”
