Earlier quoted context omitted.
Except it doesn't answer the actual question...
I agree. The OP is clearly asking for quantifiable responses about career impact and not platitudes.
Since when is having a moral compass a platitude?
Ask HN: Should I testify?
81–90 of 250 posts
Re: Ask HN: Should I testify?
#82If you do want to testify, definitely do it.
If you are worried about people able to Google you and find that you testified, there is a lot of ways to solve that problem.
You don't even need to go for extensive SEO, as Search Engines may change their algorithms every now and then.
What you can do is, you can create a website for your professional profile where you write blog posts. In one of the blog posts, you can clearly explain your standpoint in your own words. Just link this website to your Linkedin and other social networks. This is important because you have to say in your own words what you want others to see about you, so as to nullify any false idea others may get on googling you.
The recruiter who is going to hire you will surely see the link to the website that YOU have listed and if he really cares about you, that person will read the blog posts. So you definitely have control.
Celebrities all across the world have to deal with stuff which might malign their image, every single day. And you can notice that many celebrities just give a clear statement in their own words and it works out well.
Finally, it comes down to the decision whether you would like to testify or not.
Re: Ask HN: Should I testify?
#83Any action you take causes some reaction somewhere out there, be it now, or later; sometimes you know but other times you have no idea where that somewhere is or will be. Whatever you decide think strategically and long term. It's highly admirable to care about the world, but sometimes it turns out the world will not care about you. Listen to all the opinions/advice you can get, adjust your beliefs in the light of th…
Sometimes you have to have the courage to care anyway, or nothing will change. When you look back, history is full of people giving a shit against all odds.
Re: Ask HN: Should I testify?
#84Try to imagine how you would think about this if you were 80 years old. Don't do something you fear you would regret sometime later. Be sure about yourself and only about yourself.
Re: Ask HN: Should I testify?
#85Let's be realistic: there are many companies that won't hire you after this. The question is, are those the companies that you want to work for? It's a tough choice, of course. You mention that the company you worked at is popular here on Hacker News. So let's assume we are talking about Apple or Google or perhaps AirBnB. So from now on, when people look up your name, they will see something like "Testified against A…
This the truth of it. People are going to lie to you and tell you they wouldn't hold it against you. But they would.
Exactly. I think a lot of technical people are extremely naive about how corporate politics work. As we enjoy solving technical puzzles, a similar game is played by ambitious people in management at various levels, and ethics takes a seat at the back of the bus. Oh sure, they will say all the right words (if you can get them to say anything), but their actions are very different from words. And, they seem to be able to identify others who are playing by the same book, who will scratch your back if you scratch theirs.
Sure, OP "should" do the right thing and testify honestly, but in the big scheme of things, it probably will make hardly a lick of difference, and it could very well have extremely negative ramifications for his career.
Re: Ask HN: Should I testify?
#86Snitches get stitches.
Re: Ask HN: Should I testify?
#87Earlier quoted context omitted.
I agree. The OP is clearly asking for quantifiable responses about career impact and not platitudes.
Since when is having a moral compass a platitude?
It's like the generic advise that everyone already knows. "be yourself!" isn't super helpful when he/she is asking specifically about career impact.
Re: Ask HN: Should I testify?
#88Earlier quoted context omitted.
I also thought so, and then I heard the real question
I agree with the sentiment but the issue I take with the original answer is that it is that it's completely unactionable. There's no litmus test defined for what "authenticity" to oneself is or how to achieve it, so there's no way for the OP to really take this information and tangibly apply it to their situation. In my personal opinion suggestion without actionability is not particularly useful and only convolutes t…
Porpoise hi :) thanks for the chance to expand on this, I really appreciate that today :) I agree with your point, and it's a goodun: how can you action authenticity if you don't know what it is? and if so it only makes the process inefficient. Totally agree. It's a mess not knowing where you stand, which is precisely the point. It works when we choose from who we are. There is a way to be authentic - I guess we know it without realizing it. You answered what seemed right for you, and that was being authentic. Sometimes a strong conviction is what's needed for a decision, and that's something being sought here. A reliable guide each of us has for our own authenticity is our own values and our own feelings. Without these invaluable guides we're like travellers without a compass, so it works to cultivate them and deploy them much as we can. It's a process and it gets easier. Follow your heart and eventually you'll find what your values are and be able to say them to people. They're our most valuable guides, and they're ours. :)
Re: Ask HN: Should I testify?
#89I'd say there's something even more important operating here for you than career, and that's who do you choose to be? This is really a question it works for you to answer yourself. Consult your own values, search your feelings, is this something that really inspires you? Are you being you authentically if you do testify or not? Whatever you discover, take the risk and act on that, whichever it is. The choice that is…
Sorry to point this out, but the fact that he did nothing to prevent the law abuse while he was an employee there speaks volumes about his moral compass.
Re: Ask HN: Should I testify?
#90[deleted]