Note: I had difficulty with joining our class blog during Week 1 (and answered the wrong prompt!), so I reached out to Shana to ask her if it was OK if I submitted this late. Shana said it was OK for this first prompt!
Would I accept a job at Facebook? Tl;dr – yes. Yes, but with a caveat – read until the end!
My mentor works at Meta. I look up to her. She’s a woman in STEM, proud immigrant, and mother of 2. I hear about the work she does at Meta and it’s truly groundbreaking.
Facebook has a tainted reputation that they’re one of those big tech companies that doesn’t necessarily have the word “ethical” in their description if you were to look at their Wikipedia page. I see why individuals may not feel inclined to work at a company like Facebook, especially if they believe that Facebook’s morals do not align with their own values. However, at this point in my early career, I truly believe that Meta is at the forefront of technological innovation and redefining the way that we build interpersonal relationships. As I continue to advance in my career, I have a long-term goal of working in DEI for some sort of tech company, especially growing up as a minority in technology. If accepting a job at Meta would allow me to reshape the way that companies handle their DEI initiatives, I would love to be a part of that journey.
One quote from The Business Ethics Workshop’s “Working for Ethically Complicated Organizations” particularly resonated with me because it approaches this question from a utilitarian perspective. The quote says, “a utilitarian can point out the benefits a paycheck brings—not just for the worker but also for the family and the economy generally—and from there say that lying to yourself is good because it produces a greater general good”. As an undergraduate sophomore, I have not yet worked in industry. I’m still new to the tech industry and so I know that I’d jump at the opportunity to work at Facebook. However, for individuals who have extensive experience under their belt, they might feel inclined to work for another company. At this point in my career, I would wholeheartedly accept a job at Facebook so that I can learn and grow from a company that is at the forefront of technological innovation, all while developing my skills as an aspiring product manager and software engineer.
