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Your friend's ethics aren't really your business except insofar as you get to decide whether you want to remain friends with him/her. Let them join Palantir (I

Your friend's ethics aren't really your business except insofar as you get to decide whether you want to remain friends with him/her. Let them join Palantir (I assume). Perhaps they'll see from the inside that it's gross. If they think it's amazing that they're fighting the baddies while snooping on your gmail then you can always just slowly break off the friendship. I think this is obligatory: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEle_DLDg9Y https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEle_DLDg9Y

tptacek 11y ago
The description they've provided sounds nothing whatsoever like Palantir.
- staticautomatic 11y ago
  You're joking, right?
  - tptacek 11y ago
    Exactly what is it that you think Palantir's products actually do?
    - kasey_junk 11y ago
      Provide liquidity & keep the internet free?
- tedunangst 11y ago
  For reference, the palantir news page that glorifies war: https://www.palantir.com/media/ https://www.palantir.com/media/
jMyles 11y ago
I'm not questioning my friend's ethics; my friend objects to this work too. There's no hypnosis happening here, it's just a job offer. :-) The question is, how, if at all, can I help my friend think about balancing, on one hand, the ethical implications of working for such a company, and, on the other, gaining a bit more (probably much needed) financial security.
- staticautomatic 11y ago
  It would seem that dodging the ethical issue entirely is a possibility. Is is not fair to assume that if your friend can get a job with this company, he/she could get a job paying a similar amount at a non-questionable company? Seems the easiest way out from a practical standpoint would be to just seek work elsewhere. I don't think there's any clear rubric for making these kinds of decisions involving ethical quandaries. It's up to your friend to simply make a call about whether it feels right to trade their conscience for money, to put it cynically.
- AnimalMuppet 11y ago
  > my friend objects to this work too. Then he/she shouldn't take the job. Your friend has to live with himself/herself. Don't go in thinking "maybe it won't be so bad; maybe I can live with it". That's just asking for trouble.

tptacek 11y ago

The description they've provided sounds nothing whatsoever like Palantir.

staticautomatic 11y ago
You're joking, right?
- tptacek 11y ago
  Exactly what is it that you think Palantir's products actually do?
  - kasey_junk 11y ago
    Provide liquidity & keep the internet free?
tedunangst 11y ago
For reference, the palantir news page that glorifies war: https://www.palantir.com/media/ https://www.palantir.com/media/

jMyles 11y ago

I'm not questioning my friend's ethics; my friend objects to this work too. There's no hypnosis happening here, it's just a job offer. :-) The question is, how, if at all, can I help my friend think about balancing, on one hand, the ethical implications of working for such a company, and, on the other, gaining a bit more (probably much needed) financial security.

staticautomatic 11y ago
It would seem that dodging the ethical issue entirely is a possibility. Is is not fair to assume that if your friend can get a job with this company, he/she could get a job paying a similar amount at a non-questionable company? Seems the easiest way out from a practical standpoint would be to just seek work elsewhere. I don't think there's any clear rubric for making these kinds of decisions involving ethical quandaries. It's up to your friend to simply make a call about whether it feels right to trade their conscience for money, to put it cynically.
AnimalMuppet 11y ago
> my friend objects to this work too. Then he/she shouldn't take the job. Your friend has to live with himself/herself. Don't go in thinking "maybe it won't be so bad; maybe I can live with it". That's just asking for trouble.