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Ask HN: Will you be an Enterprise-Snowden?

7 pointsvenkasub12y ago5 comments

If you see malpractices or some idiotic/stupid moves in your company, would you be bold enough to report them? Or blog about them? Even at the expense of breaking the bridges?

Corollary to the above: - If you are working in a startup and you see some 'bad things', then would you blog about it after you decide that you are going to quit. - If you are working in a big company, and are essentially Dilbert there, then would you rant about your PHB once you quit?

Let's not debate the legal hassles :)

5 comments

5 comments · 4 top-level

mapster12y ago· 1 in thread

If people are well treated and compensated, I think they are much less likely to turn whistleblower. They are more likely to turn whistleblower if they feel wronged by the agency/company. Its my belief that there are MANY people with damning information on their employer (goings on they know to be wrong or very wrong), but due to good work situation, reliance on income, others, are not likely to ever turn whistleblower.

venkasubOP12y ago

Some other reasons for keeping mute in addition to what you have cited are: - not wanting to break bridges. In this close knit world, you often stumble on the same set of people again and again. - Legal hassles. IF you are up against a big company, chances are that they ignore you or they really take up the fight. - Fear of emotional stress due to all the above. Instead just quit silently.

pathy12y ago

Idiotic/stupid moves can be anything; there is a significant difference between for example paying too low wages/overworking employees and intentionally fudging medical research data or such things.

Irishsteve12y ago

Happens in finance quite a lot http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/a3ee84fe-1df7-11e2-8e1d-00144...

May or may not be ignored.

makerops12y ago

You need to qualify what the idiotic/stupid moves a company would make are.

A startup cutting corners with their database backup procedures, is way different than a large corp polluting water, which is way different than leaking NSA secrets.

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