The Decision
I am a firm believer that everyone is a collection of their decisions; your choices, your mistakes, and your actions are what define you as a person. So in deciding whether I would accept a job at Facebook, I can appreciate that the decision is not a simple one. The financial incentive and the career advancement that a job opportunity like this could entail need to be carefully weighed against the ethical considerations of working for a morally dubious company like Facebook (a corporation that, among several other wrongdoings, continues violate the human rights of its workers in low-income).
I certainly couldn’t work on a project closely connected to this exploitation and ethical abuses. At the same time, I am not so naïve as to believe that I can discard job opportunities as valuable as this. As the article discusses, the real question I’d need to answer before making a decision on if I can balance my ethical obligations with the reality of life is “how close is my work to those actions I believe are wrong?”
The Privilege of Asking The Question
I’m the child of immigrant parents who came to build a life and career in the US. As young graduate students, they did not have the luxury of contemplating job offers when they had to provide for our family, protect their immigration status, pay a mortgage, and face all the other challenges in their way. Their mindset was one the article encapsulates as a “more compelling duty to provide for your family and loved ones,” one that involves a “responsibility to them is greater than your responsibility to be honest with yourself.”
However, I’m privileged to be in a situation where I can even think about declining a company like Facebook. They’ve instilled in me a similar value for duty to my family, but this value doesn’t go against my ethical obligations to consider whether or not to take a job at Facebook; rather, it further strengthens the argument that my choices need to consider not just my own success but also the community around me. I can only accept the job offer, in good conscience, if it benefits the larger society I serve.
When I Would Accept
There is a situation where I would accept the offer, but “pretend[ing] like the ethical stain isn’t there or at least that you don’t see it” isn’t an option. I could only accept the offer knowing the consequences of my actions, but also knowing the positive impact outweighs the negative. Facebook does do impactful work, despite its unethical practices, allowing people to connect with their loved ones as well as advancing innovation in science that will benefit future generations. I would accept a job in a group that serves these purposes, that helps develop products and services that help others and advance technology. As the article explains, I would take a job where the “stink” of Facebook’s corporate immoralities is as far possible from my office.
