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A large fraction of the world's best engineers don't want to be associated with military projects. So companies have a choice to hire them and not do military p

by tlb 9y ago

A large fraction of the world's best engineers don't want to be associated with military projects. So companies have a choice to hire them and not do military projects, or not hire them and do them. When I was running a robot company, I made the decision to not do military projects (mostly for personal reasons) and it helped me hire some great people that I couldn't have otherwise.

astura 9y ago
A "large fraction" has to be a huge overstatement. I have an extremely difficult time believing a "large fraction" of top tier engineers won't work on a military project simply because its associated with the military. More like a very small minority. That number becomes "almost zero" when not taking the military project means having to make a career change. Ive been around the block a few times, I've worked in the defense industry myself and I've worked in non-defense private sector as well. The quality and quantity of engineers are extremely similar in my experience. Don't forget, a lot of the tech we use everyday started as military projects, such as the Internet and GPS. Even Siri has its roots as part of a DARPA project. You really think the engineers involved in those technologies are second tier?
dkhenry 9y ago
[citation needed] on why you think there is a large fraction of the worlds best engineers that don't want to be associated with military projects. It has been my experience that the best engineers want to work on hard problems and solve the worlds pressing needs, that sometimes puts them right in the middle of military projects. For instance almost every modern technological breakthrough has been accomplished by or for a military project, and most large technology companies have done work with the military ( and not just modern technology, historically all the big engineering firms helped with military technology ).
- astura 9y ago
  I've previously worked in defense contracting, as I've said in a sibling comment. Getting DARPA money is seen as extremely awesome and exciting in the industry because it usually means you get to work on amazing futuristic technology that they private sector would never fund and without needing a strategy for monetization. Anyways, is working on software to, for example, improve the day-to-day tasks of soliders and marines really morally inferior to selling people's private data to advertisers? - Most military projects do not involve tactical systems. Let's be honest here, building the "Uber of salads" doesn't change the world. The out of touch hubis displayed in the GP comment is pretty infuriating.

by tlb 9y ago

astura 9y ago

A "large fraction" has to be a huge overstatement. I have an extremely difficult time believing a "large fraction" of top tier engineers won't work on a military project simply because its associated with the military. More like a very small minority. That number becomes "almost zero" when not taking the military project means having to make a career change. Ive been around the block a few times, I've worked in the defense industry myself and I've worked in non-defense private sector as well. The quality and quantity of engineers are extremely similar in my experience. Don't forget, a lot of the tech we use everyday started as military projects, such as the Internet and GPS. Even Siri has its roots as part of a DARPA project. You really think the engineers involved in those technologies are second tier?

dkhenry 9y ago

[citation needed] on why you think there is a large fraction of the worlds best engineers that don't want to be associated with military projects. It has been my experience that the best engineers want to work on hard problems and solve the worlds pressing needs, that sometimes puts them right in the middle of military projects. For instance almost every modern technological breakthrough has been accomplished by or for a military project, and most large technology companies have done work with the military ( and not just modern technology, historically all the big engineering firms helped with military technology ).

astura 9y ago
I've previously worked in defense contracting, as I've said in a sibling comment. Getting DARPA money is seen as extremely awesome and exciting in the industry because it usually means you get to work on amazing futuristic technology that they private sector would never fund and without needing a strategy for monetization. Anyways, is working on software to, for example, improve the day-to-day tasks of soliders and marines really morally inferior to selling people's private data to advertisers? - Most military projects do not involve tactical systems. Let's be honest here, building the "Uber of salads" doesn't change the world. The out of touch hubis displayed in the GP comment is pretty infuriating.