Netflix Executive Sentenced to 30 Months for 700K Bribes, Kickbacks from Vendors • Hacker News Board

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

#101

Post by coldcode » Fri, Dec 17, 2021, 5:35 PM UTC

I worked at a company where the CIO routinely bought technologies for us to use, but we never did as they were mostly pointless to our business. He also always wrote articles for the companies bragging how much the software improved our business. One time one company sent a PR person to interview us and they were astonished to find out we never used it. Long after I left he was perp walked out of the company by a new CEO; turned out they company finally hired someone with more tech knowledge than this guy. Of course he had been taking kickbacks but knew just enough to convince the other execs we "needed" it.

A week later he had another CIO job. I think he was fired from that one too.

No idea if he was ever put on trial, probably the case was too embarrassing to pursue.

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

#102

Post by snarf21 » Fri, Dec 17, 2021, 5:35 PM UTC

usea wrote: post #29

throwfaangus wrote: post #4

Why risk this even? Surely, he's making much more than 700K as an exec in the first place.

Wealthy people usually still want more money, even past what non-wealthy people would consider enough.

Not just want, they feel entitled to it. It is their RIGHT. This is why we have such a wealth gap, the game is rigged.

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

#103

Post by sudo-it-all » Fri, Dec 17, 2021, 5:35 PM UTC

The fact that "this is common" does not excuse the fact that it is wrong and unethical. This is similar to how Intel paid companies to not use AMD processors. It is anti-competitive behavior.

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

#104

Post by Ensorceled » Fri, Dec 17, 2021, 5:36 PM UTC

throwfaangus wrote: post #4

Why risk this even? Surely, he's making much more than 700K as an exec in the first place.

Our VP of Sales was fired for stealing peoples lunches from the break room fridge.

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

#105

Post by pyronite » Fri, Dec 17, 2021, 5:36 PM UTC

wayoutthere wrote: post #96

president wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, this is effectively a race to the bottom situation and is a form of corruption of the rule of law. In today's world, we tend to have a culture of "letting things slide" and all this does is gradually normalize and escalate breaking the law over a long period of time.

It’s a side effect of having so many laws that it’s impossible not to break some of them. And this is coming from someone on the left.

I'm not aware of any laws I've unintentionally broken. Which kinds of laws are you speaking of?

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

#106

Post by wly_cdgr » Fri, Dec 17, 2021, 5:37 PM UTC

Shoulda been more like 120 months, but it's better than nothin'

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

#107

Post by camel_gopher » Fri, Dec 17, 2021, 5:37 PM UTC

Did he get feedback from his peers?

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

#108

Post by scotty79 » Fri, Dec 17, 2021, 5:37 PM UTC

Does anyone feel like wire fraud is a catchall term for when some people are hellbent on sentencing someone, who didn't do anything that was by itself a crime?

Shouldn't this be a civil case between Netflix and this guy? Why is criminal justice system even involved in this? It looks like very bad way to spend tax payers money.

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

#109

Post by bko » Fri, Dec 17, 2021, 5:38 PM UTC

PragmaticPulp wrote: post #13

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…

My question is how this could lead to jail time? I mean, its against policy, the employer can sue for damages, fire the person, etc. But to throw someone in jail for breaking essentially a corporate policy seems really off.

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

#110

Post by autokad » Fri, Dec 17, 2021, 5:38 PM UTC

acover wrote: post #98

dkdk8283 wrote: post #92

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It’s human nature to scratch each other’s backs. It’s happening, will continue to happen, and there’s little which can be done. It’s always a game of cat and mouse. Legalizing small time bribery where it can be done out in the open would probably be far more effective then advocating for things like increased workplace surveillance. Thinking commerce can happen without corruption or kickbacks is just naive.

It's also human nature to murder each other. Natural doesn't mean good. https://ourworldindata.org/ethnographic-and-archaeological-e...

its nature to murder. humans murder each other far less than other primates.