A software change allowed FTX to use client money

Post by denton-scratch » Wed, Dec 14, 2022, 11:40 AM UTC

baq wrote: post #186

megablast wrote: post #161

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> If you want to see what you should never do as a software engineer if you like not being in jail, this is it. Strange comment. Are the engineers who made the code change responsible?? Do engineers need to be lawyers and financial gurus too, and evaluate every ticket they are given for possible illegality in every country the software is used??

But if you only told someone to do it and haven’t actually done it yourself, are you guilty of breaking the law? Yes, you are. Splitting responsibility between those who give orders and those who follow them to avoid penalties is exactly why both are persecuted and put in jail.

Post by [deleted] » Wed, Dec 14, 2022, 11:50 AM UTC

laserlight wrote: post #269

t0suj4 wrote: post #257

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why should be someone responsible for how the product of their labor is being used?

Why not? Why do we keep Apple responsible for Foxconn's labor practices? Isn't Foxconn an independent company after all? The reason is because we don't want evil to spread by externalizing the responsibility to third parties.

Post by mirchibajji » Wed, Dec 14, 2022, 11:54 AM UTC

salawat wrote: post #122

deathanatos wrote: post #79

Earlier quoted context omitted.

IME, it depends on your chain of command. I've literally been reprimanded in my career for asking questions. My boss at that time was crap. I didn't choose him. Asking questions can very likely get you fired. Also got reprimanded for disobeying an order at once; my boss — same one as above — would not take "no, we are in a regulated industry, and I cannot do that" for an answer. I ended up going behind his back, gett…

You want Engineer in your job title? Then you say no, and you damned well ask questions, and you damned well make sure to leave the moment they make it impossible for you to act ethically.

Post by bratbag » Wed, Dec 14, 2022, 11:56 AM UTC

jackstraw14 wrote: post #266

rxhernandez wrote: post #220

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Should an engineer be tracking what their company is telling media outlets? No one else is tasked with looking at my code except other engineers; why should engineers spend their precious time making sure that other business units are performing their duties ethically?

> Should an engineer be tracking what their company is telling media outlets? Are you serious? Make sure your ass is covered if you're doing illegal shit for your company, because they're never looking out for you over the org.

Post by courgette » Wed, Dec 14, 2022, 12:04 PM UTC

helsinkiandrew wrote: post #93

hn_throwaway_99 wrote: post #23

> Only Singh, Bankman-Fried and a few other top FTX and Alameda executives knew about the exemption in the code, according to three former executives briefed on the matter. A digital dashboard used by staff to track FTX customer assets and liabilities was programmed so it would not take into account that Alameda had withdrawn the client funds, according to two of the people and a screenshot of the portal that Reuters…

> Singh will definitely get prison time as well Remember Alamada wasn’t a normal customer. It was acting as a market maker/counterparty of last resort to many other FTX customers. In that case there could be situations where ‘normal customer liquidation rules’ shouldn’t apply - it can go in the red temporarily to enable others to trade (and FTX to make commission). From the facts in the article (which are obviously n…