Hacker News Reader

Comment by BiteCode_dev | Hacker News Reader

Meta is a scourge of a company.

You literally work for a guy who, talking about the user data he dubiously acquired, that said "they trust me, dumb fucks".

It's hard to feel sorry for workers who chose that road, the writing was on the wall.

And to be very well paid to create the biggest spying tech on the planet, making doomscroll addictive, ads that serve scams, AI slop everywhere, and being accused of having participated in election manipulation.

At some point, I call it poetic justice, and I wish there were more of that.

View on HN

Believe it or not, I agree. I don't sleep particularly great, but I went in clear eyed that in the worst case I'd be helping a company that should not own "the next platform" attempt to do exactly that.

But in the best case, I'd be working in a low ROI area -- actively draining money from the parts of the company that are most malicious -- primarily ensuring that assembly lines and skills at Goertek stay hot to carry the XR devices I'm passionate about through a nadir in the broader industry's investment. A mercenary agreement for the company and myself to both advance our goals.

A dumb thing Zuck said when he was in college pales in comparison to the horrible stuff he's enabled as a fully formed adult who should know better.

Yes.

But there are things you say as a young person that are revealing of core personality traits.

Most people would just not say that.

The child is the father of the man, as Wordsworth said.

Yeah, I'm inclined to think people can grow. There's a reason juveniles convicted of crimes, even serious crimes, should be given a second chance and are given a second chance in most civilized places.

College is where things start to firm up for most people, though. I don't think I've ever known anyone who was a terrible person in college who turned out good.

True, but none of the action of Meta under his direction points to having changed in any way. If anything, he doubled down.

I just grow tired of hearing people trot out a thing Zuck said in college, when there are so many far worse things he's said and done since then, and with the weight of tremendous wealth and influence backing them.

The thing he said in college was shitty, and indicative of a spoiled, entitled, child of wealth and privilege, but saying it was basically harmless. Worse things might be said at the corner sports bar on any given night in any city in the country.

What he's done since has caused real harm.

"A" dumb thing

Ignore dumb fucks

What about "if you need info on people at Harvard just ask"

Or "I'm going to fuck them in the ear" (Winklevosses)

Everything he's done since is far worse.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com