3 ms·

Aren't the ones in charge (e.g. executives, managers, etc.) responsible for the wrongdoing and not the workers carrying out the criminal activity? I'm surprised

by relyks 9y ago

Aren't the ones in charge (e.g. executives, managers, etc.) responsible for the wrongdoing and not the workers carrying out the criminal activity? I'm surprised his lawyer didn't make a claim that he was just "following orders." There have been countless recreations of Stanley Milgram's obedience experiment and its results have been consistent. People are willing to obey and comply to authority figures, even if it's for a detrimental cause. Isn't it unlikely that the engineer acted on his own?

c3534l 9y ago
Just "following orders" doesn't even work for soldiers, let alone criminals.
- TwoBit 9y ago
  And it can't, because that would enable a huge loophole.
bluetwo 9y ago
"U.S. prosecutors have charged eight current and former Volkswagen executives in connection with the diesel emissions cheating probe."
djrogers 9y ago
Did you read the article (or any others about this) at all? His lawyer absolutely made the 'just following orders' argument: "Liang’s lawyer, Daniel Nixon, on Friday urged Cox to consider a sentence of house arrest, saying Liang was not a “mastermind” of the emissions fraud. Liang “blindly executed a misguided loyalty to his employer,” Nixon said." Also, executives are being charged: "U.S. prosecutors have charged eight current and former Volkswagen executives in connection with the diesel emissions cheating probe. Liang is one of the lowest-ranking executives charged so far. Another VW executive, Oliver Schmidt, has pleaded guilty and is scheduled to be sentenced in Detroit on Dec. 6. Under a plea agreement, Schmidt could face up to seven years in prison and a fine of between $40,000 and $400,000 after admitting to conspiring to mislead U.S regulators and violating clean air laws." I find it horrifying that engineers here on HN think that following orders is a good enough reason to stay out of jail for something like this. No matter what executives have done, we must never remove all blame from the people who are directly responsible for committing crimes rather than doing the right thing.

by relyks 9y ago

c3534l 9y ago

Just "following orders" doesn't even work for soldiers, let alone criminals.

TwoBit 9y ago
And it can't, because that would enable a huge loophole.

bluetwo 9y ago

"U.S. prosecutors have charged eight current and former Volkswagen executives in connection with the diesel emissions cheating probe."

djrogers 9y ago

Did you read the article (or any others about this) at all? His lawyer absolutely made the 'just following orders' argument: "Liang’s lawyer, Daniel Nixon, on Friday urged Cox to consider a sentence of house arrest, saying Liang was not a “mastermind” of the emissions fraud. Liang “blindly executed a misguided loyalty to his employer,” Nixon said." Also, executives are being charged: "U.S. prosecutors have charged eight current and former Volkswagen executives in connection with the diesel emissions cheating probe. Liang is one of the lowest-ranking executives charged so far. Another VW executive, Oliver Schmidt, has pleaded guilty and is scheduled to be sentenced in Detroit on Dec. 6. Under a plea agreement, Schmidt could face up to seven years in prison and a fine of between $40,000 and $400,000 after admitting to conspiring to mislead U.S regulators and violating clean air laws." I find it horrifying that engineers here on HN think that following orders is a good enough reason to stay out of jail for something like this. No matter what executives have done, we must never remove all blame from the people who are directly responsible for committing crimes rather than doing the right thing.