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I wish there was an easy way to have a good job and make a better world. However working at more ethical or environmentally friendly organizations often comes w

• RetroTechie 3y ago
  OP here. The defeatism is strong in this thread. Mostly along the lines of "we're powerless to change things, it's all too complex to determine what brings positive change. Family comes first". While the reality is our world already has changed for the better in many ways: child mortality, # of people dying each year in wars, education (especially for girls), healthcare, internet access, overall wealth, etc etc. Or eg. watch some of Hans Rosling's videos. It is people who made that change. So on average, ... > However working at more ethical or environmentally friendly organizations often comes with a pay cut, ... more than ever before in history, people are in a position to put "improve world" above "maximize income". Especially well-educated people in developed countries, with extensive access to technology, personal networks, etc. Many HN users likely in a prime position there. And yet they choose to work on more powerful (read: energy consuming) AI systems, fintech startups, intrusive advertising companies, add yet more features to already mature, bloated software, etc, etc. We can choose to be part of a problem. Or to be part of a positive change. However small each individual's contribution. In face of these facts concerning 'the state of our species', that defeatism is not warranted.