Earlier quoted context omitted.
Shows the value of your friendship.
I think so too :) Friends have to be honest with each other. Friends don't let friends become fascist!
Working for a defense contractor makes you a fascist now?
Palantir has hired more than 30 senior UK Government officials
61–70 of 87 posts
Re: Palantir has hired more than 30 senior UK Government officials
#62A friend of mine recently got headhunted by a "defense" company called, and I won't even post the link, it's a website which sounds a bit like Van Helsing with some AI thrown in as a twist. He got an offer of 50k EUR more than his current already ridiculous salary. I had to say that it's up to you, but don't expect me to still be your friend and still talk to you if you go for that. "defense"
Living in Europe I have a different perspective on defense. Without it, we would already be living in Russian labor camps. You can't just stop funding military and your military industry and expect other actors to just play along and be friendly from now on then.
Re: Palantir has hired more than 30 senior UK Government officials
#63Earlier quoted context omitted.
How many steps removed do you draw the line? Obviously, it's one thing to be a commander ordering an attack, vs a soldier firing the weapon, vs starting the company to make the weapon, vs being a supplier to the weapons company, vs being an employee at the manufacturer, etc. What about working for a president who is going to inevitably order hundreds if not thousands murdered? Or voting for said president? What about…
The line is simple, do you have the choice (personally or influentially) to avoid that? If yes, you draw the line. Can you avoid paying taxes? No, can you influence not to be used as you mentioned? You try. Can you avoid a job that obviously will use your expertise in questionable ways? Yes. The right and wrong is clear, people who try to muddy it they just seek justification. I personally turned down multiple offers…
> Can you avoid paying taxes? No
Of course you can. It's just inconvenient. You could leave the country, break the law or stop getting a taxable income.
It's not that "playing along" isn't a choice. It's just an easy one.
If the CEO of your company changes and turns out to do evil things with the company and the product of your work, would you switch the company?
If the President of your country changes and turns out to do evil things with the country and your taxes, would you switch the country?
The line you draw is always the one of the level of convenience you are targeting for yourself. Not saying there is no point having a line, but it's highly subjective.
Re: Palantir has hired more than 30 senior UK Government officials
#64Earlier quoted context omitted.
I wonder what opinions and values you hold which someone could make a convincing argument for cutting you off about. Or who would find your job offensive.
My job doesn't involve murdering people. It does not contribute to the death of people nor animals. It is somewhat insignificant. My job does pay my bills and put food on the table but is certainly less glamorous than something which changes the lives of millions of people (though in some way it might). It is definitively inoffensive. Adding a line of code to a killing machine. That is something else my friend.
So you don't live in a country supporting another country that's at war or has been at war lately? Otherwise your taxes contribute to the death of people.
People feel much better having some distance from cruelty, that's why they prefer to eat meat from animals that were tortured their whole life and then killed, but somewhere else where your don't see it happening.
Re: Palantir has hired more than 30 senior UK Government officials
#65Lol, this is SOP for the British state. There has been a revolving door between the civil service and the private sector for decades. You cannot conceive of how many billions have been wasted on "consultancy" contracts with the big four, IT projects that lasted for years and delivered nothing, etc.
It is far bigger than this. I would look more closely into who is behind the article and who has been quoted for comment here/why. And you think it is just some expensive IT projects...UK media has been bought and sold, just not by who you think.
Who do I think it is and who is it really?
Re: Palantir has hired more than 30 senior UK Government officials
#66A friend of mine recently got headhunted by a "defense" company called, and I won't even post the link, it's a website which sounds a bit like Van Helsing with some AI thrown in as a twist. He got an offer of 50k EUR more than his current already ridiculous salary. I had to say that it's up to you, but don't expect me to still be your friend and still talk to you if you go for that. "defense"
Which are the clean jobs? Is coding 'good'?
Pretty much the only honest ones I can think of are things plumber, carpenter.
Re: Palantir has hired more than 30 senior UK Government officials
#67Earlier quoted context omitted.
I think so too :) Friends have to be honest with each other. Friends don't let friends become fascist!
Working for a defense contractor makes you a fascist now?
A logger working for a company cutting a few trees to make furniture is not the same thing as a logger working for a company shredding the whole forest to circulate money.
Re: Palantir has hired more than 30 senior UK Government officials
#68A friend of mine recently got headhunted by a "defense" company called, and I won't even post the link, it's a website which sounds a bit like Van Helsing with some AI thrown in as a twist. He got an offer of 50k EUR more than his current already ridiculous salary. I had to say that it's up to you, but don't expect me to still be your friend and still talk to you if you go for that. "defense"
Friends who give ultimatums like this are usually toxic and worth ditching. Your friend would be better off cutting you off now, regardless of what they decide about the job, than continuing to associate with someone who'd emotionally manipulate them over a career choice. Healthy relationships simply don't look like this, and dressing it up as principle doesn't change what it actually is. The fact that this feels lik…
That's also how fascists get to power. You give them freedom, they use that freedom to get into power and take away your freedom.
Re: Palantir has hired more than 30 senior UK Government officials
#69Earlier quoted context omitted.
Friends who give ultimatums like this are usually toxic and worth ditching. Your friend would be better off cutting you off now, regardless of what they decide about the job, than continuing to associate with someone who'd emotionally manipulate them over a career choice. Healthy relationships simply don't look like this, and dressing it up as principle doesn't change what it actually is. The fact that this feels lik…
That's also how fascists get to power. You give them freedom, they use that freedom to get into power and take away your freedom.
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Re: Palantir has hired more than 30 senior UK Government officials
#70Earlier quoted context omitted.
Given the current state of things I would say that it's really easy to pivot to "let's sell weapons to whoever wants them". Still presenting a product as a way to defend democracies is comical. At the end of the day, people with money will buy these things and it doesn't matter who because oversight is scarce.
Sure, but what _is_ the practical solution to the invasion of a foreign military power on your home soil then? Do you think these systems should only be developed by the government? And if so, do you then apply the same logic to anyone working in the government?
Idea. They can develop all they want, only the government should be the one buying and selling weapons. That way if a government decides to sell weapons to genocidal maniacs, people can vote that government out.