When you ask your employer that 'why' question, what comes next? Suppose the address book API's were unknown to both employer and employee; the employer might s

When you ask your employer that 'why' question, what comes next? Suppose the address book API's were unknown to both employer and employee; the employer might say 'go ahead and write the core component that will manage just a list of names and emails'. This is still ethical because in theory it can be connected to a current or future address book API, so the programmer agrees. Later, when the address book API's aren't enough for marketing, an intern or other willing employee is induced to connect it to the full email login and password credentials. Its stuff like this that makes the first employee want to leave, which leaves the 'salt' effect of remaining employees at the company. Somehow, the employees (and perhaps students in a school situation) should have some power of a social vote that the boss at least 2 levels up from them needs to acknowledge.