Given the opportunity, I think I would work at Facebook. It’s true that this decision is not one to be made lightly. The Facebook Papers revealed a company that shirks responsibility at the highest level, rather than listening to employee warnings. One might hope that in the four years since Frances Haugen leaked the internal memos, the leadership at Meta has taken some time to reflect on its mission. After all, Instagram just hit 3 billion monthly users, according to Reuters.
Unfortunately, if Facebook has made significant changes, they haven’t done a great job of showing it. Following the 2021 scandal, there were no clear public changes, and most efforts were focused on discrediting the whistleblower report.
So, given this glowing review of Facebook’s ethics, why would I still choose to work there? As the article indicates, Facebook heavily exploits its users through its platform. Additionally, Facebook’s parent company, Meta, is increasing its environmental impact through substantial investments in Artificial Intelligence and Data Centers. Nonetheless, one would be hard-pressed to find a better opportunity immediately after college. My logic falls along the lines of “this post allows me to get an improved job down the line.” Given the current job market, even skilled workers struggle to find employment, especially with good compensation and benefits. Now, I’m not naïve enough to think that I can distance myself from the unethical part of the business; it runs to the core of Facebook’s business model. Regardless, by working in this position for some time, I could both position myself to make internal change on a small scale and change employment to a more ethical employer in the future.
