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That's interesting. Maybe it's 'cause I've just watched the first episode of Silicon Valley but, for most people, even if you're not doing something obviously g

by andkon 13y ago

That's interesting. Maybe it's 'cause I've just watched the first episode of Silicon Valley but, for most people, even if you're not doing something obviously good for the world, there's huge internal pressure to feel as if you're making a big contribution to some big picture things that matter. That, I think, is why you get lots of "xyz startup is changing the world!" rhetoric. Because whether or not it is true, people worry about the optics of what they do, and need something meaningful to point to. To actually care about ethics involves making painful choices of the sort that it sounds like you've done. Say, choices that keep you from dying on the inside, but which are still painful. So kudos to you.

ACow_Adonis 13y ago
See, not trying to bignote myself, but I've kinda gone through a "saving the world" phase. Not like the Silicon valley people. As in I took a job working with the unemployed, then I moved jobs to work for a group that works with and advocates for the homeless. Both have left me incredibly jaded. I thought I could go in with my gifts and do something for people. I couldn't, not really, and discovered charities and the like are full of self-interested/damaged people and politics much like anywhere else. I know exactly what you're talking about with the startup culture: "Saving the world with an advertising/smart-phone-app/messaging service". Every time Zuckerberg opens his mouth I wonder whether he believes or has thought about what he's saying, whether he's just saying it to use investor money to achieve his own ends, or whether he's just saying it to try to placate the public/silicon valley/himself. Which, look, I guess you just have to laugh at it. But i also guess that not buying into the workplace culture makes such places awkward to work at. I'm currently facing new moral dilemmas. Looking to move on again, but I'm seriously considering some of the grey areas I'd written off before (say working for big banks), primarily for the money. I reason if they can use me in a fraud analysis or something, maybe I could live with myself. Anyway, thanks for the opportunity to think about such things :P

by andkon 13y ago

ACow_Adonis 13y ago

See, not trying to bignote myself, but I've kinda gone through a "saving the world" phase. Not like the Silicon valley people. As in I took a job working with the unemployed, then I moved jobs to work for a group that works with and advocates for the homeless. Both have left me incredibly jaded. I thought I could go in with my gifts and do something for people. I couldn't, not really, and discovered charities and the like are full of self-interested/damaged people and politics much like anywhere else. I know exactly what you're talking about with the startup culture: "Saving the world with an advertising/smart-phone-app/messaging service". Every time Zuckerberg opens his mouth I wonder whether he believes or has thought about what he's saying, whether he's just saying it to use investor money to achieve his own ends, or whether he's just saying it to try to placate the public/silicon valley/himself. Which, look, I guess you just have to laugh at it. But i also guess that not buying into the workplace culture makes such places awkward to work at. I'm currently facing new moral dilemmas. Looking to move on again, but I'm seriously considering some of the grey areas I'd written off before (say working for big banks), primarily for the money. I reason if they can use me in a fraud analysis or something, maybe I could live with myself. Anyway, thanks for the opportunity to think about such things :P