Live data from Hacker News

Netflix Executive Sentenced to 30 Months for 700K Bribes, Kickbacks from Vendors

justice.gov

31–40 of 255 posts

Re: Netflix Executive Sentenced to 30 Months for 700K Bribes, Kickbacks from Vendors

#32
I love how it's totally legal for the governor of Florida to send lucrative drug testing contracts to his wife's owned company but a guy getting a few stock options from a client is illegal.

I guess we'll just go back to big wads of cash in an envelope instead.

Re: Netflix Executive Sentenced to 30 Months for 700K Bribes, Kickbacks from Vendors

#33
"Kail facilitated the payments, the evidence at trial showed, by creating and controlling a limited liability corporation called Unix Mercenary, LLC."

i wonder how much the name choice had to do with the convinction

he could have definitely chosen something more tasteful lol

Re: Netflix Executive Sentenced to 30 Months for 700K Bribes, Kickbacks from Vendors

#34

Every time this story comes up, the comments are filled with people proclaiming that kickbacks like this are totally normal and very common. I can't tell how much of it is random people projecting their cynicism onto the business world, or if it's people who have been part of bribery/kickback schemes themselves trying to normalize the behavior online. Either way, cases like this should make it clear that the behavior…

x

Your point, as I understand it: you disagree with a jury's conclusion in one, high-profile case, therefore the entire justice system isn't necessary or there should be no consequences for white-collar crime.

Or perhaps more charitably: you've become disillusioned about the judicial process in general, seeing a lot of results you consider unjust, therefore the entire justice system isn't necessary or there should be no consequences for white-collar crime.

Neither is even a bit convincing. If one can significantly increase their personal wealth at mere risk of being fired, then the least honest people will accumulate all the wealth and power.

Re: Netflix Executive Sentenced to 30 Months for 700K Bribes, Kickbacks from Vendors

#35

Every time this story comes up, the comments are filled with people proclaiming that kickbacks like this are totally normal and very common. I can't tell how much of it is random people projecting their cynicism onto the business world, or if it's people who have been part of bribery/kickback schemes themselves trying to normalize the behavior online. Either way, cases like this should make it clear that the behavior…

x

That kind of comparison is meaningless and useless. The question should not be, "Should we criminalize fraud if people disagree about the results of this one specific unrelated case?"

The question should be, "Should we criminalize fraud and if so what are the optimal penalties for disincentivizing new and repeat activity?"

Re: Netflix Executive Sentenced to 30 Months for 700K Bribes, Kickbacks from Vendors

#36

Every time this story comes up, the comments are filled with people proclaiming that kickbacks like this are totally normal and very common. I can't tell how much of it is random people projecting their cynicism onto the business world, or if it's people who have been part of bribery/kickback schemes themselves trying to normalize the behavior online. Either way, cases like this should make it clear that the behavior…

x

> Eschew flamebait. Avoid unrelated controversies and generic tangents.

> Please don't use Hacker News for political or ideological battle. It tramples curiosity.

We could definitely talk about the criminal justice system, but basically saying "the jury was wrong and I'm mad" isn't substantive.

Re: Netflix Executive Sentenced to 30 Months for 700K Bribes, Kickbacks from Vendors

#37
post #8

If you get caught stealing $700,000 you've got a problem. If you get caught stealing $700,000,000 the criminal justice system has a problem.

if you owe the bank 50,000, you have a problem, if you owe the bank 50,000,000, the bank has a problem

Re: Netflix Executive Sentenced to 30 Months for 700K Bribes, Kickbacks from Vendors

#39

Every time this story comes up, the comments are filled with people proclaiming that kickbacks like this are totally normal and very common. I can't tell how much of it is random people projecting their cynicism onto the business world, or if it's people who have been part of bribery/kickback schemes themselves trying to normalize the behavior online. Either way, cases like this should make it clear that the behavior…

>I can't tell how much of it is random people projecting their cynicism onto the business world

Is this on HN? Because I rarely sees it. Most people working in Tech and specifically software development are so abstracted from these type of things they think they are extremely rare.

It is still a common thing though. At least it happens much more often than most people thought. And it is not cynicism but personal experience.

Post reply on HN