There is a secondary dimension here. The Hippocratic oath works because all the other doctors have also agreed to do it. Whenever faced with one of these scenar

There is a secondary dimension here. The Hippocratic oath works because all the other doctors have also agreed to do it. Whenever faced with one of these scenarios, you also have to ask yourself: "If this is the hill I choose to die on, will it actually make a difference?" If the next person is line is going to look at your example, shrug, and do the thing you refused to do, then your self-sacrifice was a senseless waste, because the thing has happened anyway and the only change you have effected in the world is self-harm. As a software engineer, it is extremely likely that you are replaceable, and you always have to factor into your considerations what your replacement is going to do. You don't usually have the choice between "the thing happens or does not happen"; your choice is often something more like "you can do the thing, try to convince people that it's a bad idea, or roll the dice and see if your replacement - who is expected to be more average than you - is both willing and more able to convince people that it's a bad idea". The average doctor follows the Hippocratic oath. What does the average software engineer do? (The above argument does not apply if your goal is publicity/drama rather than effective change)