“Would you consider working for Facebook/Meta?”
This question evokes a parallel with a timeless moral quandary found in politics: “How do you react when your government is involved in questionable actions?” The choices before you often boil down to resisting, conforming, or disengaging. There’s no definitive right or wrong path, and each choice has its consequences. To resist might invite retaliation, conforming could be seen as passive endorsement of wrongs, while walking away necessitates leaving behind what you once believed in or stood for. What’s essential is the system of accountability that underpins these decisions.
Though imperfect, gauging society’s reaction is one way to assess the ethical dimensions of an action or decision. If an action severely compromises societal values, the collective backlash is often evident. Take Meta, for instance, which has been under the spotlight in recent years over privacy concerns. Yet, a broader examination reveals that such concerns aren’t limited to just one company, but seem pervasive across the tech industry. When a significant portion of an industry operates similarly, it raises questions about what society deems as ethical.
Consequently, I’d be open to joining Facebook/Meta. As pointed out in the reading, an individual’s role within a company doesn’t always correlate with the broader actions of that organization. Many roles, particularly on the technical side, might be quite distant from the company’s overarching ethical decisions.
