It
is no longer possible to work in the Technology industry and
also be a Patriot. I say this as someone who has been
working in Hi Tech for many decades. I started in the
hardware industry and in the 90s got into the development of
web technologies and software. I rode the "dot com bubble"
all the way to it's peak and suffered though the bubble
bursting. I worked for small start ups trying to make it big
and I worked for big tech giants that were trying to change
with the times. I worked for a consulting firm for a while
and even briefly ran my own start up before I cashed out.
About 10 years ago everyone decided they needed a mobile app
and did that too. Eventually I moved into developing SaaS or
"software as a service" and got into Machine Leaning, AI and
Big Data applications... In short i have been there and done
that. I've been involved since before we had the internet as
we know it today and I have seen first hand how we got here
today.
My
conclusions:
-
Every
single "big" tech company either started out evil or has
become evil over time.
-
In
the long run everyone in tech works for a "big" tech
company.
-
We
all know the above truths at least subconsciously (or
you have not been around long enough) but we get paid
good money to keep quite.
Small
companies do not survive in the long run. They either grow
into big companies, get bought by big companies, or they
die. Some small companies are very profitable and when they
are privately owned, sometimes they choose to stay small.
The owners get rich and grow old. In a maximum of about
15-20 years, even very profitable small tech companies go
away once the founders retire. Consolidation in Tech is very
real.
The
bigger the tech company the more it is driven by profits,
AKA Greed. The bigger the company the more it will abandon
it's morals and will do whatever is profitable. It goes
something like this: You sell adds... and then you realize
you can sell demographic data... and then you realize you
can sell personal info for even more... and then the Gov
asks for access to customer data for what seems like really
good reasons... and before you know it you have an automatic
data dump the exports user activity every night to some
three letter Gov agency database.
Somewhere
along the line you get uncomfortable with the moral
implications of what you are doing. Your only valid recourse
is to quit and there is a line of people who will gladly
fill your chair. Quitting does not stop the evil... it only
clears your conscious. Any options other than taking the
money and staying quite or quitting will land you jail, sued
into poverty or worse. I have been down the quitting road. I
went to a small start up that was building software that
really helps people... I enjoyed several years of feeling
like my job saved lives. And then the company was acquired
by a bigger company... and a year or two latter that company
was acquired by a Fortune 500 tech giant... This cycle
cannot be escaped in the long run. Career change is the only
real escape. I am in the process of moving to a new company
for moral reasons but I know it is only a temp fix. I feel
trapped. I have a family and children that depend on me and
every single job skill I have is in the tech field. I am
starting the process of career change but the reality is
that getting out of hi-tech will likely come with a very
significant pay cut and impact to my quality of life.
Why
am I typing this rant? I want people to understand and I
want people out side of tech to help.
-
Strategic
Division of Labor is a big part of the problem. Many
people are only involved with a very small piece of the
conspiracy. They sleep at night thinking "I'm just
building a tool... and tools can be used for good or
evil."
-
Massive
conspiracies by definition require massive numbers of
people to be involved. People in tech know what is going
on and are often responsible even if only by inaction or
complacency.
-
Don't
let your friends be comfortable in positions of inaction
or complacency. Call them out. Challenge them to really
consider the moral implications of their work. Make them
feel guilty.
-
STOP
FEEDING THE BEAST. Delete Facebook. Pick up a phone and
call your friends and family. Root your phone and delete
the Google apps. Put a piece of tape over the webcam on
your laptop. Don't find your TV show by talking into the
Comcast remote (in fact put tape over that too). Learn
Linux. Delete fucking Windows10.
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