Ask HN: Is there anything you'd refuse to work on?

7 points·gtirloni··10 comments

I was invited to work on a project implementing a country-wide firewall, of the sort used in Saudi Arabia to censor content from its citizens. I gave a very flat "no". Not a chance would I put my efforts into such a thing.

The company never hired me again. I would call it a mutual separation, since they went ahead and worked on that project without me, and I won't work for a company that is so greedy they'd throw morals and ethics to the wind on that kind of contract.

One staffer even admitted to me he felt icky about the whole thing. Why do it then? You sold out, bud.

Probably JIRA, it's way too far gone as far as I can tell.

For me it's military related projects. A professor once told me that more than half of mechanical engineers enter the defence/military industry....

It was then that I decided I didn't want to contribute to the mechanisation of war, wheather it be defence or offence...

Gambling or games that are close to gambling. Anything promoting far right or other hateful ideologies.

I suspect if you offered me enough money, I’d be able to rationalize anything. Even Jira...

I suspect most of us would. Thanks for the sincere answer.

Things that kill on purpose or by accident.

I talked to this lady who worked in medical instruments. She was told {as basic standard wisdom) that she had to be prepared for her device killing someone - because that happens in medical devices. That doesn't make medical devices a bad thing to work on; it just means that it works out badly sometimes for some patients.

Loan sharking and debt collection

any project that directly supports drug war efforts

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