On Meta’s Q1 2026 earnings call, CFO Susan Li said the quiet part out loud. “We recently shared internally that we plan to reduce the size of our employee base in May. We believe a leaner operating model will allow us to move more quickly while also helping to offset the substantial investments we are ... Mark Zuckerberg Just Told 8,000 Employees Their Layoffs Are a Line Item in His $145 Billion AI Bill
While I do generally agree, there are a LOT of companies that have their own special kind of evil, and ultimately if people are choosing between being employed and working for one, they will work for one. There simply aren’t enough ethical jobs for the number of people who would prefer to work for ethical companies
Its not a dichotomy. Its a spectrum. Meta, palantir they are at the bad end.
Nobody working at facebook has any illusions that they work at a company that helps people make connections and express themselves online. They know its a manipulation machine that oversteps its boundaries, constantly, hoovering up their data. They are also well paid, so its not bread line or facebook. Its a choice.
Many are starting to wake up, but the damage is done. So, its also perfectly reasonable for anyone to not feel sorry for them, if their choice to screw over the world ended up being less beneficial to them than they hoped. That doesnt mean they deserve vitriol or they had it coming.
Couple things.
Firstly; just because they are well-paid does not imply they have the means to survive without employment. In fact that places them far closer to you and I than to somebody capable of living solely off the labor of others. Additionally, large tech companies utilize H1B visas as a form of coercion for both the visa holder and the other employees.
Secondly; you open your first paragraph with
But open paragraph #2 with
Those two statements contradict each other.
That’s not my point, though! My point is; blame the goddamn reptilian tech bro billionaire and the shareholders. Blame the government that allows Meta to exist at all. Blame the dysfunctional and cancerous-at-best socioeconomic systems that allow either to exist.
Or, to put it more succinctly; don’t hate the player, hate the game.
Being aware it’s not what they present themselves as is not the same as realising you’re helping fascists and genocides.
The world isn’t black and white. I work for a company that’s been around for over a decade. We work with hospitals to improve operational efficiency. This leads to safer outcomes for patients, better working conditions for staff, and less wasted time or money.
We recently signed a limited contract with palantir for a certain software data structure. It’s limited the very specific things. I’m not happy about the contract, but I’m still proud of what I do. I’ve been in different hospitals with and without our company. It’s a big difference and it can literally save lives.
Should I quit then spend months looking for a new job in an economy currently with a very high unemployment rate just because someone online thinks the world is black and white?
lol, what part of saying it’s a spectrum makes you think it’s black and white. We all make decisions based on our interest, and we all have a line. You seem to have gotten closer to yours.