4 ms·

Don’t put down to malice that which can be explained by incompetence. It’s generally a happier way to live and view the world.

elmo2you 6y ago
While that final conclusion might definitely be true, have you even considered how that exact behavior may already led us to a rather nasty reality? A reality in which many companies might regularly get away with malice by just claiming incompetence? As if that should even have any influence on their (legal) responsibilities in the first place(?) Assuming malice does happen, and I certainly think it does, at which point would you consider this approach willful ignorance? Would it not make one actually part of the problem, instead of just an observer? More to the point, when is personal happiness more important than discovering the truth? Is the latter not a personal responsibility to anyone, given a capacity?
- simonbarker87 6y ago
  You’ve sort of blown right past the word “assume” in this expression. Assumption is what we go on when we have no proof - so, until you have proof, assume incompetence. Making this initial assumption (effectively giving the benefit of the doubt) does not mean you should stop looking for proof/under lying reasons. What it does is reduce the dopamine hit you get from being angered/outraged and let’s you think with a clearer head moving forward in your thinking/investigating. I at no point said “assume incompetence and then stick your head in the sand and pretend all is fine” that’s has its own saying “ignorance is bliss”
  - simonbarker87 6y ago
    Ah, ok - I didn’t used the word assume in my initial comment, picked it up from yours. Probably a better version would be “don’t assume malice when it can be explained by incompetence”
ta17711771 6y ago
Thanks to the other commenter. No, closing your eyes and chewing through the legbone bitd of your colleague in your sausage is not the move.
markdown 6y ago
These are among the top app developers in the world you're talking about. Instagram isn't a todo list or torch app made by a 12yr old in their bedroom. Incompetence doesn't come into it.
- kalleboo 6y ago
  Facebook's app engineering is absolutely insane, there's no way an app engineering methodology that creates 18,000 classes is going to be end up being bug-free https://quellish.tumblr.com/post/126712999812/how-on-earth-the-facebook-ios-application-is-so https://quellish.tumblr.com/post/126712999812/how-on-earth-t...
- fsociety 6y ago
  They really aren’t the top app developers in the world.. no offense to anyone.
signal11 6y ago
In Facebook’s case, assuming malice is a rational way of looking at their actions. For instance, and this is really one of many — Facebook took phone numbers from users for 2FA, promising it’d only be used for security and... used those numbers for ads[1]. [1] https://techcrunch.com/2018/09/27/yes-facebook-is-using-your-2fa-phone-number-to-target-you-with-ads/ https://techcrunch.com/2018/09/27/yes-facebook-is-using-your...

elmo2you 6y ago

While that final conclusion might definitely be true, have you even considered how that exact behavior may already led us to a rather nasty reality? A reality in which many companies might regularly get away with malice by just claiming incompetence? As if that should even have any influence on their (legal) responsibilities in the first place(?) Assuming malice does happen, and I certainly think it does, at which point would you consider this approach willful ignorance? Would it not make one actually part of the problem, instead of just an observer? More to the point, when is personal happiness more important than discovering the truth? Is the latter not a personal responsibility to anyone, given a capacity?

simonbarker87 6y ago
You’ve sort of blown right past the word “assume” in this expression. Assumption is what we go on when we have no proof - so, until you have proof, assume incompetence. Making this initial assumption (effectively giving the benefit of the doubt) does not mean you should stop looking for proof/under lying reasons. What it does is reduce the dopamine hit you get from being angered/outraged and let’s you think with a clearer head moving forward in your thinking/investigating. I at no point said “assume incompetence and then stick your head in the sand and pretend all is fine” that’s has its own saying “ignorance is bliss”
- simonbarker87 6y ago
  Ah, ok - I didn’t used the word assume in my initial comment, picked it up from yours. Probably a better version would be “don’t assume malice when it can be explained by incompetence”

ta17711771 6y ago

Thanks to the other commenter. No, closing your eyes and chewing through the legbone bitd of your colleague in your sausage is not the move.

markdown 6y ago

These are among the top app developers in the world you're talking about. Instagram isn't a todo list or torch app made by a 12yr old in their bedroom. Incompetence doesn't come into it.

kalleboo 6y ago
Facebook's app engineering is absolutely insane, there's no way an app engineering methodology that creates 18,000 classes is going to be end up being bug-free https://quellish.tumblr.com/post/126712999812/how-on-earth-the-facebook-ios-application-is-so https://quellish.tumblr.com/post/126712999812/how-on-earth-t...
fsociety 6y ago
They really aren’t the top app developers in the world.. no offense to anyone.

signal11 6y ago

In Facebook’s case, assuming malice is a rational way of looking at their actions. For instance, and this is really one of many — Facebook took phone numbers from users for 2FA, promising it’d only be used for security and... used those numbers for ads[1]. [1] https://techcrunch.com/2018/09/27/yes-facebook-is-using-your-2fa-phone-number-to-target-you-with-ads/ https://techcrunch.com/2018/09/27/yes-facebook-is-using-your...