Companies that build ethically-challenged products that infringe on privacy, etc. are really, REALLY good at spinning their mission into some “world-changing” spiel that completely absolves them of responsibility (e.g: Facebook). And I’ve met so many people in the industry who are out to make their money first before they start basing decisions on the ethics of tech.
On one hand, it’s good to see ex FB employees speaking out on privacy issues, but it’s also somewhat hollow because many of them made millions on the very technology they’re now speaking out against. Honestly, how much weight does Sean Parker’s criticism of FB really carry? He’s not organizing a movement against FB, he’s doing one interview and then going back to his jet-setting lifestyle.
Ethics will never be a first-class citizen in the minds of all technologists as long as the money worship continues.