7 ms·

That's post fact. He blew the whistle before and very publicly. This event almost doesn't matter because he didn't care he would have gotten demoted - he was d

That's post fact. He blew the whistle before and very publicly. This event almost doesn't matter because he didn't care he would have gotten demoted - he was driven by being able to do the right thing. I believe there's a moment before he doesn't sign off on the launch or maybe just before he speaks out against his employer in front of the presidential commission... what will happen to me? what will happen to my family, 4 children? What work will I do? How do I make money? this is all I know... If you've ever worried about your future, job prospects, the unknown, the fear of not being able to provide, these thoughts are heavy. He made this decision and would gladly make it again regardless of outcome. I wish I could say the same for myself.

300bps 6y ago
If you've ever worried about your future, job prospects, the unknown, the fear of not being able to provide, these thoughts are heavy. And I can imagine him wondering, as any introspective person would, “what if I’m wrong?” That has to add to the stress.
- 6pac3rings 6y ago
  Is there a hall of fame to put him in not sponsored by Boing?
dstick 6y ago
> I wish I could say the same for myself. Care to elaborate a little? Seems like your experience could help others in a similar situation.
- irjustin 6y ago
  Nothing remotely close. I'm simply asking, that given the situation, would I have made the same decision? That I could be such a hero. But am I willing to stick my neck out? Risk my career, who will hire me? Maybe someone will, but I just put a huge black mark in many's eyes. I have 2 children, a wife, and myself who rely on my income stream. Am I willing to let that go? Do I have to sell my house to make ends meet if I can't get a job? I want to be able to say I could do what McDonald or Snowden did, but if I'm honest, probably not.
  - ricksunny 6y ago
    At nigh-on 40 years old, I’ve come to believe that ethical violations are routinely perpetrated on the world because good people who would otherwise speak out ‘have a wife and kids to feed’. As if that life decision to start a family, for all of the happiness and wonder that comes from it, plays right into the hands of the management structure inevitably looming over it.
    - elliekelly 6y ago
      I once heard an executive react with glee to the news that a senior compliance officer’s wife was pregnant: “Well now he’s going to have to play nice!” The employee had a reputation for being... particular... before he was willing to sign off on certain things.
  - pietrovismara 6y ago
    It's almost like we are blackmailed into doing the wrong things all the time (on different levels of "importance"). The fact is that this is a distinct feature of our society, we have to "earn our living" or be left behind. Do we really want to keep such a negative incentive in place?
    - layoutIfNeeded 6y ago
      "A married man with a family will do anything for money" - Talleyrand
    - cduzz 6y ago
      This is the basic nature of a modern American corporation where the culture of the leadership implicitly believes there is a fiduciary obligation to shareholders to generate a profit. There is a self-selecting process where people promote other people who make those small decisions in a particular way. If you climb well or are unlucky enough to look under the wrong rocks you get to an inflection point where your option is to become a whistle blower, leave, ask for a promotion, or become the patsy. Often you can avoid this (if that's your desire) by frequently and vocally asking about the audit requirements of a particular business process...

300bps 6y ago

If you've ever worried about your future, job prospects, the unknown, the fear of not being able to provide, these thoughts are heavy. And I can imagine him wondering, as any introspective person would, “what if I’m wrong?” That has to add to the stress.

6pac3rings 6y ago
Is there a hall of fame to put him in not sponsored by Boing?

dstick 6y ago

> I wish I could say the same for myself. Care to elaborate a little? Seems like your experience could help others in a similar situation.

irjustin 6y ago
Nothing remotely close. I'm simply asking, that given the situation, would I have made the same decision? That I could be such a hero. But am I willing to stick my neck out? Risk my career, who will hire me? Maybe someone will, but I just put a huge black mark in many's eyes. I have 2 children, a wife, and myself who rely on my income stream. Am I willing to let that go? Do I have to sell my house to make ends meet if I can't get a job? I want to be able to say I could do what McDonald or Snowden did, but if I'm honest, probably not.
- ricksunny 6y ago
  At nigh-on 40 years old, I’ve come to believe that ethical violations are routinely perpetrated on the world because good people who would otherwise speak out ‘have a wife and kids to feed’. As if that life decision to start a family, for all of the happiness and wonder that comes from it, plays right into the hands of the management structure inevitably looming over it.
  - elliekelly 6y ago
    I once heard an executive react with glee to the news that a senior compliance officer’s wife was pregnant: “Well now he’s going to have to play nice!” The employee had a reputation for being... particular... before he was willing to sign off on certain things.
- pietrovismara 6y ago
  It's almost like we are blackmailed into doing the wrong things all the time (on different levels of "importance"). The fact is that this is a distinct feature of our society, we have to "earn our living" or be left behind. Do we really want to keep such a negative incentive in place?
  - layoutIfNeeded 6y ago
    "A married man with a family will do anything for money" - Talleyrand
  - cduzz 6y ago
    This is the basic nature of a modern American corporation where the culture of the leadership implicitly believes there is a fiduciary obligation to shareholders to generate a profit. There is a self-selecting process where people promote other people who make those small decisions in a particular way. If you climb well or are unlucky enough to look under the wrong rocks you get to an inflection point where your option is to become a whistle blower, leave, ask for a promotion, or become the patsy. Often you can avoid this (if that's your desire) by frequently and vocally asking about the audit requirements of a particular business process...