Comment by kstrauser
7 days ago
Yes, but it should include everyone involved, from top to bottom. We won't get those data theft misfeatures if engineers refused to work on them out of personal liability.
7 days ago
Yes, but it should include everyone involved, from top to bottom. We won't get those data theft misfeatures if engineers refused to work on them out of personal liability.
I once bluntly refused to deploy an app to production because it was a finance system that handled billions of dollars and the personal data of a million children. The HTTPS certificates couldn’t be organised on time (don’t ask), so I simply refused to deploy it using HTTP only “just for now” (=years).
The look of stunned shock on the project manager’s face is something I’ll never forget.
He was apoplectic with mixed rage and incredulity.
“How dare you refuse a direct order!?” — but now picture a red face and spittle literally flying around the room.
He immediately called my supervisor and up all the way to the CEO of my consultancy.
That’s what happens when individual contributors push back. In general there are zero legal, corporate, or personal protections.
“Do as I say or consequences.” is the norm.
In this situation I was incredibly lucky that the CEO trusted my judgement and told the PM to take a hike. Even if I had been fired I would have been okay.
Most people can’t take risks like that on principle.
That’s fundamentally why enshittification happens, and why every mobile apps’ data collection dragnet would make an NSA spook blush.
Only consequences for directors and up matter. They're the ones that need to feel the fear, not the poor outsourcer struggling to put food on his family table.
> Most people can’t take risks like that on principle.
I actually think many people could, and the more who do, the easier it gets
How many software developers do you think are struggling to put food on the table?
Would they be as confident of putting food on the table if they were not in SV or were in an age-group subject to ageism or had an immigration status that is subject to indirect pressure etc etc? All software engineer != unconditional privilege
If you're on a work visa you can be sent back if you lose your job afaik.
> He was apoplectic with mixed rage and incredulity. “How dare you refuse...
If that's a reaction to a "no" in a professional setting, imagine what he could do in personal life.
Respect.
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