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In capitalism, someone else fills the void in a profitable market. Will it be another large company or a startup?

rhizome 8y ago
Sure, let Palantir take it up, but there's nothing in this story that says Google won't sign a contract for a renamed initiative for non-protesting employees to work on. The article mentions a 4000-signature petition for the company not to work on warfare tech, but that's not what corporate is assenting to.
Analemma_ 8y ago
"If we don't, someone else will" is not an ethical get-out-of-jail-free card. Literally anything will happen in a capitalist market, if someone is willing to pay for it. Does that mean everything that someone will pay for is ethical and you shouldn't bother trying to abstain from it? If you want to be pragmatic about it, the fewer people who are willing to do X, theoretically the higher the price goes, possibly to the point where no one wants to pay to do X anymore. So refusing to do X is not just an empty gesture.
- asdsa5325 8y ago
  > "If we don't, someone else will" is not an ethical get-out-of-jail-free card. True, but at the same time, "let's not do this" also isn't an ethical get-out-of-jail-free card. Google engineers can act all high and mighty morally, but guess what: it doesn't matter at all either way.
  - jonathanyc 8y ago
    What Google engineers are doing in this situation is strictly better both in the utilitarian and in the Kantian sense. Saying “it doesn’t matter at all either way” is a non-argument.
- menacingly 8y ago
  I took GP as a genuine question posed without taking a stand on the issue morally.
- caycep 8y ago
  Reminds me of a quote from one of my favorite movies..."Still Life" "Not my kind of money..."
sheeshkebab 8y ago
Google is one of the very few companies (and probably the only us gov contractor) that seems to actually have tech and skills to build capable AI. So, it’s a huge void for someone else to try to fill.
godzillabrennus 8y ago
It'll be a company that GV invests in....
faitswulff 8y ago
I wouldn't be surprised if an Alphabet spinoff miraculously arose to take up the challenge.

Sure, let Palantir take it up, but there's nothing in this story that says Google won't sign a contract for a renamed initiative for non-protesting employees to work on. The article mentions a 4000-signature petition for the company not to work on warfare tech, but that's not what corporate is assenting to.

Analemma_ 8y ago

"If we don't, someone else will" is not an ethical get-out-of-jail-free card. Literally anything will happen in a capitalist market, if someone is willing to pay for it. Does that mean everything that someone will pay for is ethical and you shouldn't bother trying to abstain from it? If you want to be pragmatic about it, the fewer people who are willing to do X, theoretically the higher the price goes, possibly to the point where no one wants to pay to do X anymore. So refusing to do X is not just an empty gesture.

asdsa5325 8y ago
> "If we don't, someone else will" is not an ethical get-out-of-jail-free card. True, but at the same time, "let's not do this" also isn't an ethical get-out-of-jail-free card. Google engineers can act all high and mighty morally, but guess what: it doesn't matter at all either way.
- jonathanyc 8y ago
  What Google engineers are doing in this situation is strictly better both in the utilitarian and in the Kantian sense. Saying “it doesn’t matter at all either way” is a non-argument.
menacingly 8y ago
I took GP as a genuine question posed without taking a stand on the issue morally.
caycep 8y ago
Reminds me of a quote from one of my favorite movies..."Still Life" "Not my kind of money..."

sheeshkebab 8y ago

Google is one of the very few companies (and probably the only us gov contractor) that seems to actually have tech and skills to build capable AI. So, it’s a huge void for someone else to try to fill.

godzillabrennus 8y ago

It'll be a company that GV invests in....

faitswulff 8y ago

I wouldn't be surprised if an Alphabet spinoff miraculously arose to take up the challenge.