We developers are not blameless. If we accept that we are playing a role; then we can be proactive in preventing this and influencing the direction things go. CEOs need developers to achieve what they want.

I'm not saying it's easy. I won't even hold it against folks that decide to go in a separate direction than mine. But I at least hope we can be open about the impact we each have; and that we are not powerless here.

I'm tired. I'm tired of developers/techies not realizing their active role in creating a net negative in the world. And acting like they are powerless and blameless for it. My past self is not innocent in this; but I'm actively trying to make progress as I make a concerted effort to challenge people to think about it whenever I can.

After countless of times that the tech industry (and developers specifically) have gone from taking an interesting technical challenge that quickly require some sort of ethical or moral tradeoff which ends up absolutely shaping the fabric of society for the worse.

Creating powerful search engines to feed information to all who want it; but we'll need to violate your privacy in an irreversible way to feed the engine. Connecting the world with social media; while stealing your information and mass exposing you to malicious manipulation. Hard problems to solve without the ethical tradeoff? Sure. But every other technical challenge was also hard and solved, why can't we also focus on the social problems?

I'm tired of the word "progress" being used without a qualifier of what kind of progress and at the cost of what. Technical progress at the cost of societal regression is still seen as progress. And I'm just tired of it.

Every time that "AI skeptics" are brought up as a topic; the focus is entirely on the technical challenges. They never mention the "skeptics" that are considered that because they aren't skeptical of what AI is and could be capable. I'm skeptical if the tradeoffs being made will benefit society overall; or just a few. Because at literally every previous turn for as long as I've been alive; the impact is a net negative to the total population, without developer questioning their role in it.

I don't have an answer for how to solve this. I don't have an answer on how to stop the incoming shift in destroying countless lives. But I'd like developers to start being honest in their active role in not just accepting this new status quo; but proactively pushing us us in a regressive manner. And our power to push back on this coming wave.

It’s the first time I’m working somewhere that is doing something I don’t mind talking publicly about; and people may see a point to it.

When I first started developing I loved it all on it’s own. Coding was fun, no matter what I coded. That short lived joy was the entirety of my decision making for my first job. I got an offer in a location I liked and I took it. I didn’t really fit with the company, or the industry; even if I liked the folks I interacted with just fine.

Then I changed jobs as a way of just changing jobs hoping I would fit better. Again didn’t work out like that. Enough iterations and I landed somewhere I fit better in.

I like what the company does, and I can fit within this industry. But comp could be better; and I have concrete reasons in real ways that a better comp could improve my life. But I would be terrified of changing jobs again, and risk not fitting and not liking what the next company does.

  And likewise it's unethical for a candidate to attend an interview if they have no intention of considering a potential offer.

I'm currently happy at my job, and don't think I'd like to consider another job any time soon. However, historically, in previous jobs, I usually don't notice that I want to move on, until it's too late, and I'm too burnt out to do well in interviews. It's been recommended to me, by multiple people to interview frequently, even if not interested in changing jobs, to get some practice in. But doing that feels unethical. I frequently consider it, but have never done it because it feels dishonest and unfair.

But then by the time I want to change jobs I'll be burnt out, and and out of practice interviewing, creating a very depressive loop of failing at job interviews, depressing me further.