Intel CEO resigns after relationship with employee • Hacker News Board

Re: Intel CEO resigns after relationship with employee

#71

Post by tfha » Thu, Jun 21, 2018, 2:11 PM UTC

et2o wrote: post #36

dokein wrote: post #19

So obviously relationships are bad when there's a power dynamic, and between different management levels is a common subset of this. However it feels like many people are spending more and more time at work, and it also seems cruel to say: "you cannot get to know anyone romantically during 50-75% of your waking day."

Just not people you have a supervisory role over, because obviously that could be coercive.

Any relationship could be coercive. But just because it's possible for a relationship to be coercive doesn't mean that it is going to be.

I don't see what's wrong with a supervisor dating a suboridinate if both parties are consenting and the supervisor is not abusing their power. This taboo has never made much sense to me.

The supervisor can already be abusive towards their subordinates. You don't need to introduce a relationship to introduce the possibility for abuse. Why does a relationship automatically become wrong when these balanced power dynamics are already in place?

Re: Intel CEO resigns after relationship with employee

#72

Post by krapp » Thu, Jun 21, 2018, 2:11 PM UTC

YorkshireSeason wrote: post #31

Interesting though experiment: Let S be the set of all humans. Remove any human from S who had at least one pair of ancestors (no matter how far in the past) that had a boss/subordinate relationship that is now deemed 'inappropriate' in large western countries. How many humans would be left in S? Conjecture: Zero. Does that say anything interesting about humans?

>Does that say anything interesting about humans?

No.

Re: Intel CEO resigns after relationship with employee

#73

Post by fareesh » Thu, Jun 21, 2018, 2:11 PM UTC

YorkshireSeason wrote: post #54

dokein wrote: post #19

So obviously relationships are bad when there's a power dynamic, and between different management levels is a common subset of this. However it feels like many people are spending more and more time at work, and it also seems cruel to say: "you cannot get to know anyone romantically during 50-75% of your waking day."

So obviously relationships are bad when there's a power dynamic, In what sense is this obvious? And according to which substantial notion of power?

From what I have understood of this topic:

If the relationship continues, the power could be used to favour the subordinate over other subordinates (give them good reviews, etc).

If the relationship ends poorly, the power could be used to spite the subordinate over other subordinates (give them poor reviews, etc).

Re: Intel CEO resigns after relationship with employee

#74

Post by ghaff » Thu, Jun 21, 2018, 2:11 PM UTC

paulddraper wrote: post #66

ghaff wrote: post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In areas of the country where some material number of people do carry firearms (e.g. Texas), it's not uncommon to have explicit signs on company buildings that forbid firearms. I imagine that's pretty common policy at many if not most companies.

Though unless they have metal detectors, it's a bit like requiring your employees to wear briefs. If you can tell they're not doing what you say, they're not doing it right.

Depends. There are open carry and concealed carry licenses. Also, if you are an employee and sneak a weapon in and someone finds out, you will be fired.

Re: Intel CEO resigns after relationship with employee

#75

Post by dsfyu404ed » Thu, Jun 21, 2018, 2:12 PM UTC

tfha wrote: post #65

YorkshireSeason wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So obviously relationships are bad when there's a power dynamic, In what sense is this obvious? And according to which substantial notion of power?

Yeah I never understood this either. Does that mean a bachelor US president can't date a US citizen? Yes, power can be abused. But anyone with a knife at home can abuse that knife by stabbing someone. That doesn't make it wrong to own a knife.

>That doesn't make it wrong to own a knife.

There exist a subset of people in the UK (and in other places but the a subset of the UK subset is particularly vocal and influential) who believe the opposite with varying degrees of passion and with various exceptions carved out.

Edit: Pun not intended but I like it so I'm keeping it there.

Re: Intel CEO resigns after relationship with employee

#76

Post by ghein » Thu, Jun 21, 2018, 2:13 PM UTC

amyjess wrote: post #32

dokein wrote: post #19

So obviously relationships are bad when there's a power dynamic, and between different management levels is a common subset of this. However it feels like many people are spending more and more time at work, and it also seems cruel to say: "you cannot get to know anyone romantically during 50-75% of your waking day."

The problem wasn't that she was a coworker. It was that she was a subordinate. Nobody cares if two engineers hook up, but it's a Very Bad Thing if your boss starts putting the moves on you. Relationships where one person holds real-world power over another are prone to exploitation and violation of consent.

All relationships at work are a bad idea.

They're dangerous to the firm and bad for the people's involved careers.

Best rule for everyone is no relationships between co-workers and if one happens both people are fired.

Re: Intel CEO resigns after relationship with employee

#77

Post by ceejayoz » Thu, Jun 21, 2018, 2:13 PM UTC

jrs95 wrote: post #6

ceejayoz wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Quite a few workplaces forbid relationships between managers and their subordinates. As CEO, that presumably puts everyone off-limits.

Seems odd to apply it after the fact in this case, though. Perhaps there was an ulterior motive for removing him. Otherwise I would expect Intel to just hide the information in order to protect the financial interests of the company.

> Seems odd to apply it after the fact in this case, though.

Barring Minority Report's pre-crime telepaths, I'm not sure how you'd apply this policy before the fact?

Re: Intel CEO resigns after relationship with employee

#78

Post by avs733 » Thu, Jun 21, 2018, 2:15 PM UTC

lord_ring_11 wrote: post #16

Why is this even worth discussing?

Because Intel is an enormous tech company who's technology has had a massive influence over the growth of computing and the internet.

Re: Intel CEO resigns after relationship with employee

#79

Post by davidf18 » Thu, Jun 21, 2018, 2:15 PM UTC

tfha wrote: post #65

YorkshireSeason wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So obviously relationships are bad when there's a power dynamic, In what sense is this obvious? And according to which substantial notion of power?

Yeah I never understood this either. Does that mean a bachelor US president can't date a US citizen? Yes, power can be abused. But anyone with a knife at home can abuse that knife by stabbing someone. That doesn't make it wrong to own a knife.

What it definitely means is that President of the US can't have sex with an intern (as Bill Clinton did with Monica Lewinsky).

Re: Intel CEO resigns after relationship with employee

#80

Post by JumpCrisscross » Thu, Jun 21, 2018, 2:16 PM UTC

YorkshireSeason wrote: post #31

Interesting though experiment: Let S be the set of all humans. Remove any human from S who had at least one pair of ancestors (no matter how far in the past) that had a boss/subordinate relationship that is now deemed 'inappropriate' in large western countries. How many humans would be left in S? Conjecture: Zero. Does that say anything interesting about humans?

> Does that say anything interesting about humans?

That we are an unusually genetically homogenous species. You could do the same thing with practically any activity between two people, desirable or undesirable, because the human population collapsed to practically nothing in the last Ice Age.