I'm resigning from my job at Facebook • Hacker News Board

Re: I'm resigning from my job at Facebook

#201

Post by dominotw » Thu, Jun 04, 2020, 2:54 PM UTC

ordinaryradical wrote: post #8

He’s standing up for what he believes. You can disagree with his convictions, but you should admire anyone who risks personal and financial consequences for sticking to their guns. That’s what actual morality is—not just a “belief” that is talked about but acted upon even when the results will be costly.

Didn't his white privilege land him the job/education/connections in the first place. How is him finding another job using his privilege make any sense.

These guys lack any sort of self awareness.

Re: I'm resigning from my job at Facebook

#202

Post by luckylion » Thu, Jun 04, 2020, 2:54 PM UTC

human wrote: post #42

oivey wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Of course it is. Arguably the people with that privilege should have more obligation to exercise it in the service of what’s right.

Listening to that argument is a clear “catch 22”. If he quits his job, it’s not much of a stance but obviously staying is not a stance either. What was he supposed to do? I think that in a capitalist country we choose who we buy from and who we work for. These are two powerful choices that can shape society. He’s doing the right thing.

> He’s doing the right thing.

He worked at Facebook, let's not get carried away.

Working at Facebook and then leaving because of the non-intervention wrt to the President is a bit like manufacturing landmines quite happily, but having a change of heart because you saw a dog stepping on one. You've still been manufacturing landmines all that time, making money and not giving a damn.

Re: I'm resigning from my job at Facebook

#203

Post by yibg » Thu, Jun 04, 2020, 2:54 PM UTC

blickentwapft wrote: post #14

ordinaryradical wrote: post #8

He’s standing up for what he believes. You can disagree with his convictions, but you should admire anyone who risks personal and financial consequences for sticking to their guns. That’s what actual morality is—not just a “belief” that is talked about but acted upon even when the results will be costly.

It’s a highly privileged position to be in to make a personal stand and leave your $250,000 job for another $250,000 job. Not judging this way or that, just saying.

Certainly sounds like making a judgement. That taking a moral stance has a different values based on one's socioeconomic position.

Re: I'm resigning from my job at Facebook

#204

Post by ashtonkem » Thu, Jun 04, 2020, 2:54 PM UTC

mchusma wrote: post #49

I don't understand why doesn't Facebook just: -Allow all posts -Allow users to customize what they want to see (e.g. "dont show me posts that glorify violence" or "only allow covid posts that match WHO guidelines" or "allow exceptions from political figures or of historical significance") and allow users to ban hide posts that are found untruthful by third parties (snopes, etc). To me effectively everyone wins. Faceb…

Facebook usage scales with controversy. Rage is a more reliable predictor if virality than other emotions, so they want the controversy.

Re: I'm resigning from my job at Facebook

#205

Post by frob » Thu, Jun 04, 2020, 2:54 PM UTC

gorgoiler wrote: post #157

Focus on impact. Do you have more leverage as an ongoing employee, or as a soon-to-be outsider who literally called the CEO a liar? If it’s personal morality then so be it, but if that’s the case then keep it personal, otherwise you are really just virtue signaling. I suspect June 12 being their last day is wishful thinking. If I treated my employer with this much contempt I would expect to be a walked out.

As a former FB employee, I can almost assure you that he will get to stay until June 12. The PR trainwreck that would be firing him not is not worth 7 days of his salary.

Re: I'm resigning from my job at Facebook

#206

Post by moojd » Thu, Jun 04, 2020, 2:54 PM UTC

hart_russell wrote: post #125

And once again we’re back in 2018 trying to figure out whether these private companies should be considered “public squares”. I personally think speech censorship, even by a private company, is wrong. However, there’s so much grey area that one could argue either way.

We need a better framework for discussing speech issues in general. Even here arguments devolve into semantics over what the first amendment applies to when we should really be discussing how we actually expect/want society to function. Maybe we can adopt RFC language. Example:

  must: A law should/does enforce this
  must-not: A law should/does forbid this
  should: You have the right to NOT do this, but I believe this is what should be done
  should-not: Although you have the right to do this, I believe you shouldn't do this

  social media platforms (must|must-not) have the right to police speech
  social media platforms (should|should-not|must|must-not) police speech

Re: I'm resigning from my job at Facebook

#207

Post by cestith » Thu, Jun 04, 2020, 2:54 PM UTC

kortilla wrote: post #182

ralfn wrote: post #104

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are things like mortgage rates and spending priorities that are healthy political democratic differences that should have no impact on your professional life. There are also things that are not political. They are war. They are 'over my or your dead body' type of things like slavery, holocasts and treason. We don't vote on those and accept whatever the outcome is. We go to war. That's why that sort of stuff is…

> type of things like slavery, holocasts and treason The problem with convenient trap doors like this is now we’re back to being unable to debate the merits of Snowden because he committed treason.

He did no such thing. He blew the whistle on treason.

Re: I'm resigning from my job at Facebook

#208

Post by code4tee » Thu, Jun 04, 2020, 2:55 PM UTC

Zuckerberg has always made it clear to investors and employees that Facebook is not a democracy. Mark is in charge and has full control of the company to do as he pleases when he pleases. When they IPOed he made it clear that’s how the company works. IPO materials made it clear that if you don’t like that don’t invest in it.

Not saying I agree with his actions (or inactions) and decisions but he’s been very clear about how Facebook works as a company and who’s in charge. Part of the big issue I see here with these “employee protests” at Facebook is that it seems employees didn’t pay attention to what they were signing up for when they joined. Mark is doing exactly what he said he would do in running the company. It’s not a democracy.

Re: I'm resigning from my job at Facebook

#209

Post by newacct583 » Thu, Jun 04, 2020, 2:55 PM UTC

mchusma wrote: post #49

I don't understand why doesn't Facebook just: -Allow all posts -Allow users to customize what they want to see (e.g. "dont show me posts that glorify violence" or "only allow covid posts that match WHO guidelines" or "allow exceptions from political figures or of historical significance") and allow users to ban hide posts that are found untruthful by third parties (snopes, etc). To me effectively everyone wins. Faceb…

> I don't understand why doesn't Facebook just: -Allow all posts [...] To me effectively everyone wins.

"Everyone", including racists, terrorists, drug cartels, human smugglers, child pornographers, scammers, phishers, hackers, gun nuts, anarchists...

I know you say you'd be fine with all that stuff, but if I write long enough I'll find something you're not OK with. And everyone else has a different something. Finding common ground on which we can all agree isn't a mistaken goal or an unnatural side effect of having a public forum. It is the purpose of having a public forum.

This is just another variant of the "forums should be unmoderated" argument. No one wants that. And the proof? You're making the point on a heavily moderated forum.

Re: I'm resigning from my job at Facebook

#210

Post by ytNumbers » Thu, Jun 04, 2020, 2:55 PM UTC

xphilter wrote: post #162

syshum wrote: post #96

Earlier quoted context omitted.

See you have a healthy respect for the idea of free expression, as do I Unfortunately we are in the minority, the majority wants SOMEONE ELSE to choose what they can see, what is the "good speech" and what is the "bad speech" They want someone else to tell them what the "good things" are they should be supporting, and what the "bad things" are that they need to oppose In short, people no longer want to think critical…

I honestly don’t understand how this ignorant of a comment still gets on HN. What y’all are talking about is “The Internet” where all the trash and racist are free to make whatever content they want. What everyone else is talking about is private companies that publish trash based on recommendation engines, timeline visibility algorithms, sharing functions, and whole other bunch of programmed ways to “increase engage…

We are discussing Facebook censoring the POTUS.