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He didn't have to stop Google from doing evil, but he could've refused to have his fortune coming from there. > Go on, next you'll tell me about how your hands

He didn't have to stop Google from doing evil, but he could've refused to have his fortune coming from there. > Go on, next you'll tell me about how your hands are clean. They are as clean as they can be, which is a lot more that can be said from anyone who works at any FAANG (or Wall Street, or Big Oil...) No one has been forced to work for Big Tech. No one ever said "I only took those $300k/year salary with those huge RSUs from Facebook because I couldn't find any other way to provide for my family" or "It was either working for OpenAI or washing dishes at an Olive Garden".

adamtaylor_13 24d ago
> They are as clean as they can be Indeed, which is to say not clean at all. "Only slightly dirty" and "much dirtier than mine" are fine judgements to console yourself of your involvement, but if you intend to indict a man, you'll need much stricter standards than this. To be completely clear: I agree with your moral assessment. I too would not work for Facebook due to my moral qualms with the company. However, it is a terribly dangerous game to begin judging a man's choices when you know nothing about him. Before long you'll convince yourself that you're the only decent man around and the rest are less-than-human.
- rglullis 23d ago
  > but if you intend to indict a man, you'll need much stricter standards than this. I don't want to indict anyone. I am not a judge or prosecutor. I am saying that my own moral shortcomings do not justify his. > Before long you'll convince yourself that you're the only decent man around and the rest are less-than-human. There is this kinda old book that has some stories in it. I never got to read the whole thing back-to-back, but the Cliff's Notes of it is pretty much that we all are imperfect beings, that we are not able to fix everything on our own and that the best we can do is to recognize and forgive the mistakes we all made. > it is a terribly dangerous game to begin judging a man's choices when you know nothing about him. Love the sinner, hate the sin. I don't need to know anything about a person working for Facebook to know that the product of their labor is bad for society. Saying "this thing you are doing is evil" is NOT the same as saying "you are an evil person". People will end up creating all sorts of rationalizations for their actions, especially when their identities are attached to it. If we don't call out on evil, then it becomes accepted.

adamtaylor_13 24d ago

> They are as clean as they can be Indeed, which is to say not clean at all. "Only slightly dirty" and "much dirtier than mine" are fine judgements to console yourself of your involvement, but if you intend to indict a man, you'll need much stricter standards than this. To be completely clear: I agree with your moral assessment. I too would not work for Facebook due to my moral qualms with the company. However, it is a terribly dangerous game to begin judging a man's choices when you know nothing about him. Before long you'll convince yourself that you're the only decent man around and the rest are less-than-human.

rglullis 23d ago
> but if you intend to indict a man, you'll need much stricter standards than this. I don't want to indict anyone. I am not a judge or prosecutor. I am saying that my own moral shortcomings do not justify his. > Before long you'll convince yourself that you're the only decent man around and the rest are less-than-human. There is this kinda old book that has some stories in it. I never got to read the whole thing back-to-back, but the Cliff's Notes of it is pretty much that we all are imperfect beings, that we are not able to fix everything on our own and that the best we can do is to recognize and forgive the mistakes we all made. > it is a terribly dangerous game to begin judging a man's choices when you know nothing about him. Love the sinner, hate the sin. I don't need to know anything about a person working for Facebook to know that the product of their labor is bad for society. Saying "this thing you are doing is evil" is NOT the same as saying "you are an evil person". People will end up creating all sorts of rationalizations for their actions, especially when their identities are attached to it. If we don't call out on evil, then it becomes accepted.