Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Amazon Investigates Employees Leaking Data for Bribes

wsj.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

81–90 of 165 posts

Re: Amazon Investigates Employees Leaking Data for Bribes

#81

Post by trhway »

jorblumesea wrote: post #46
clubm8 wrote: post #14

> The practice, which violates company policy, is particularly pronounced in China, according to some of these people, because the number of sellers there is skyrocketing. As well, Amazon employees in China have relatively small salaries, which emboldens them to take risks. Sounds like Amazon is finding out the hard way that you need to pay for trust , not just skill. When you pay the absolute bare minimum to your em…

Then why China, and not India or other low COL areas? I don't believe it's as simple as purely salary.

Speaking as Russian, I'd speculate that China is the subject to the same effect when having collective memory of socialism when property belonged to nobody makes for a society where cheating the System (big foreign company would seem close to it) isn't that big of a vice, if any, and may be even a sign of being smart/entrepreneural.

Re: Amazon Investigates Employees Leaking Data for Bribes

#82

Post by ohnoesmyscv »

shard972 wrote: post #74
wmeredith wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is this sarcasm?

Why would it be? Seems reasonable to not let low-level chinese employees access to company secrets given their track record.

This seems incredibly racist. There could be low level employees of other ethnicities or countries of origin leaking information. That’s like saying ban all muslims from entering the US due to their ‘track record’

Re: Amazon Investigates Employees Leaking Data for Bribes

#84

Post by ikeboy »

reaperducer wrote: post #62
NeedMoreTea wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I fully agree with your sentiment, but... The trouble with taking shopping back to brick and mortar is that half the best stores, and especially the eclectic specialists that had the interesting and quality things, have closed down over the last 10 years. Leaving many areas with little more than basics and discount chains. In good part thanks to Amazon and the rise of online. Five or more years after it closed I stil…

Backing out of everything at Amazon could prove difficult. You are absolutely right. But this is a problem that was solved once before. It was plain old "mail order." What Amazon built is an amazing logistics platform. But it got polluted by individual sellers and fly-by-night operations. Imagine ordering from a Sears catalog and not knowing if what you ordered is genuine or not. If Amazon, or some other company, put…

So, like ordering FBA, which is in an Amazon warehouse and therefore can't be shipped from China?

Re: Amazon Investigates Employees Leaking Data for Bribes

#85

Post by dmix »

shard972 wrote: post #74
wmeredith wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is this sarcasm?

Why would it be? Seems reasonable to not let low-level chinese employees access to company secrets given their track record.

Compartmentalization of data, monitoring, vetting of employees, better communication policies (particularly around the risks and monitoring), better management, keeping employees happy who have access to valuable data (financially or otherwise), etc are all things that could be done to address this.

There are plenty of jobs where people get access to high value assets without being high-wage though. It's too simple to reduce it to mere wages.

Re: Amazon Investigates Employees Leaking Data for Bribes

#86

Post by joshmn »

AndrewKemendo wrote: post #22
clubm8 wrote: post #14

> The practice, which violates company policy, is particularly pronounced in China, according to some of these people, because the number of sellers there is skyrocketing. As well, Amazon employees in China have relatively small salaries, which emboldens them to take risks. Sounds like Amazon is finding out the hard way that you need to pay for trust , not just skill. When you pay the absolute bare minimum to your em…

This is counterintelligence 101. There are four traditional motivations of insider threats (MICE): M: Money I: Ideology C: Coercion E: Ego The thinking around that is changing, but the financial motivation is still at the top of the list. [1] https://www.cia.gov/library/center-for-the-study-of-intellig...

Heaven forbid any country vote for an elected official who this could apply to.

Re: Amazon Investigates Employees Leaking Data for Bribes

#87

Post by dmix »

dredmorbius wrote: post #47
clubm8 wrote: post #14

> The practice, which violates company policy, is particularly pronounced in China, according to some of these people, because the number of sellers there is skyrocketing. As well, Amazon employees in China have relatively small salaries, which emboldens them to take risks. Sounds like Amazon is finding out the hard way that you need to pay for trust , not just skill. When you pay the absolute bare minimum to your em…

Noted, FWIW, by Adam Smith: The five following are the principal circumstances which, so far as I have been able to observe, make up for a small pecuniary gain in some employments, and counterbalance a great one in others: first, the agreeableness or disagreeableness of the employments themselves; secondly, the easiness and cheapness, or the difficulty and expense of learning them; thirdly, the constancy or inconstan…

We need a stronger culture of paying people better in our western economies. The value and ROI from paying people more is not well promoted enough. Decades of globalism, private equity acquisitions, and corporate competition obsessed business literature where lower prices is always revered.

But in knowledge/service based industries it's not always about shaving pennies to make businesses better and there are many chances for better returns for small salary investments.

Re: Amazon Investigates Employees Leaking Data for Bribes

#88

Post by freyr »

gesman wrote: post #10

That's how Costco survives and prospers in Amazon era. By not exposing customers to shady vendors, misleading metrics and questionable product rankings based on fake reviews.

> That's how Costco survives and prospers in Amazon era.

Target, as well. Their shipping and packaging is not on par with Amazon yet, but you always receive the product you paid for.

Re: Amazon Investigates Employees Leaking Data for Bribes

#89

Post by jldugger »

wmeredith wrote: post #69
paulpauper wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Or not let low-level Chinese employees have access to secrets. Apple is known for being very punitive against leakers and is very secretive. It seems to work for then.

Is this sarcasm?

It must be given https://www.engadget.com/2018/07/11/ex-apple-employee-self-d...

Re: Amazon Investigates Employees Leaking Data for Bribes

#90

Post by msaharia »

jorblumesea wrote: post #46
clubm8 wrote: post #14

> The practice, which violates company policy, is particularly pronounced in China, according to some of these people, because the number of sellers there is skyrocketing. As well, Amazon employees in China have relatively small salaries, which emboldens them to take risks. Sounds like Amazon is finding out the hard way that you need to pay for trust , not just skill. When you pay the absolute bare minimum to your em…

Then why China, and not India or other low COL areas? I don't believe it's as simple as purely salary.

Agreed. Amazon has a large operation in India. And FANG has had development centers there forever. Espionage is unheard of.
Post reply on HN