‘I Don’t Really Want to Work for Facebook.’ Say Some Computer Science Students

Post by dmoy » Fri, Nov 16, 2018, 12:10 AM UTC

jnwatson wrote: post #293

lynal wrote: post #191

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is called a "compensating differential" (see, e.g., https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compensating_differential ). There's a decent body of literature in economics on this. This falls under labor economics.

Interesting. In the same vein, video game companies have a negative compensating differential. Lots of kids want to grow up to program video games, so they don't have to pay them as much under worse work environments.

Post by kiriakasis » Fri, Nov 16, 2018, 12:12 AM UTC

merpnderp wrote: post #214

AlexandrB wrote: post #96

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This kind of post-facto justification for poor working conditions or wages needs a name, so it can be dismissed out of hand. It seems to assume that the market is “fair” and getting poor pay must be justified by some other factor about the job. In reality, there are plenty of jobs that have garbage pay and suck. As well as jobs that are both lucrative and “easy”. Consider the average CEO: not the exceptional visionar…

The free market is not fair. It's just fairer than anything else we know of. It's not a meritocracy, just more meritorious than anything else we know of. If you think things are bad when greedy people are pitted against each other, wait until greedy people are pitted against the average man, as they are in nearly every other economic system.

Post by saagarjha » Fri, Nov 16, 2018, 12:14 AM UTC

EpicEng wrote: post #292

saagarjha wrote: post #251

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It’s always a compromise. Facebook offering you an extra $10K but you have to work on increasing engagement? Probably a pass. Facebook offering an extra $500K to work on public research that doesn’t help their bottom line? Maybe something worth looking at. Currently, I don’t see any jobs at Facebook that tip the scale for me personally.

Well, exactly; it's easy to take the moral highground when, well... it's easy. When there's a real choice at hand most people do what's best for them.

Post by [deleted] » Fri, Nov 16, 2018, 12:16 AM UTC

Karrot_Kream wrote: post #306

Jonanin wrote: post #275

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm not "curiously silent" on my own bias. What do you want me to say exactly? You're trying really hard to paint the same picture you're criticizing, namely that I'm some sort of shill. I think the idea that everyone at FB who doesn't leave immediately is a "mediocre sell-out" is very far from the truth, and contrary to my own experience. Thus I'm suspicious of people who claim such. There's already enough people on…

> I think the idea that everyone at FB who doesn't leave immediately is a "mediocre sell-out" is very far from the truth, and contrary to my own experience. Thus I'm suspicious of people who claim such. You are so self-assured about your position that you immediately take the contrary assertion to be in _bad faith_? This seems silly to me, but perhaps we'll have to agree to disagree.

Post by CobrastanJorji » Fri, Nov 16, 2018, 12:17 AM UTC

eksemplar wrote: post #117

I get that we don’t like Facebook, but isn’t this a bit much? Are they worse than google or amazon? What about people who work for Coca-Cola? What about the people who make mobile games and loot boxes for Blizzard? Where is it ethical to work? I mean, I’ve been in public service for decades, so I know a thing or two about choosing idealism over money, but that’s not for everyone and I frankly don’t think Facebook is…