Ask HN: What are the internal repercussions of vast $$$ fines to big corps?

When Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Qualcomm gets these million/billion dollar fees, what are the internal repercussions?

Do they fire some executives in relevant area? Shut down whole departments, revamp completely, reorg?

How is the psychological atmosphere?

Have you been involved in such an experience? How was it?

Fines like these don't tend to cause immediate personnel nor budgetary repercussions for the business unit in question, for the same reason BUs aren't punished if they miss sales targets for a quarter. Every BU's strategy is reviewed and signed off on by that BU's legal team before anything comes close to being shipped. A negative judgement isn't indicative of a mistake, it's suffering the loss of a calculated risk. If you do some VW level shenanigans you may get fed to the wolves, but most of us are smatter than that.

Ultimately the effect on the organization/employees is the same as any other financial loss. If it's too big or comes too soon in sequence with other losses, there will be strategic realignment (tm). Otherwise it's baked into the operating budget.

Source: Better part of a decade with Qualcomm

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