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people leaving google research right now are doing the right thing, but that doesn't mean the people staying are doing the wrong thing; last night in our class on intro to data ethics we talked about some of the forces that coerce us to accept things we wouldn't otherwise accept.
tech workers face all sorts of pressures depending on their statuses - workers from other countries are often sponsored by their employers. i know FB & Google employees who have told me they'd leave if it wouldn't threaten their ability to stay in the US. tech companies know that
i've talked to people whose parents sacrificed every comfort imaginable for their kids' success. the desire to reciprocate that care is so strong; the moral repugnance of working at a morally bankrupt company feels vanishingly trivial, compared to what their parents went through.
people feel crushed by the financial pressure of living in the bay area. not being certain you can find another job with multiple thousands of dollars in rent per month bearing down on you (to say nothing of hoping someday to buy a home *somewhere*) make people hold their breath.
there are so many reasons people stay *even if they've given up hope*. then there are the people who stay because they earnestly believe they can organize & demand meaningful change from these companies.
please don't mock or deride that optimism, even if you think it's hopeless.
please don't mock or deride that optimism, even if you think it's hopeless.
all i'm saying is, yes people are leaving. yes, that's great. tons of people are still at these companies for all sorts of reasons that they don't (and sometimes can't) be candidly transparent about.
