Re:Saudi Money Fuels the Tech Industry. It’s Time to Ask Why
by Aaargh20318 on Tuesday November 07, 2017 @04:41AM
(#15642042)
> What? It's certainly not the business role to make any moral decisions
You forget that businesses don't make decisions at all. A business is not a person, it has no capability to make decisions. The employees that work for the company make the decisions, and they certainly have an obligation to behave ethically.
Re:Saudi Money Fuels the Tech Industry. It’s Time to Ask Why
by golergka on Tuesday November 07, 2017 @05:59AM
(#15642392)
> they certainly have an obligation to behave ethically
What? How exactly did they enter into this obligation? Also, how on Earth can you have an obligation that involves a term that everyone interprets in his own way?
Re:Saudi Money Fuels the Tech Industry. It’s Time to Ask Why
by Aaargh20318 on Tuesday November 07, 2017 @06:54AM
(#15642610)
> How exactly did they enter into this obligation?
By being born.
Re:Saudi Money Fuels the Tech Industry. It’s Time to Ask Why
by xbmcuser on Tuesday November 07, 2017 @05:43AM
(#15642315)
US government has proped up Saudia for years US states and cities and have taken billions in investment form Arab countries I don't get why this question is being asked of the US tech industry alone.
Re:Saudi Money Fuels the Tech Industry. It’s Time to Ask Why
by throwanem on Tuesday November 07, 2017 @06:12AM
(#15642434)
Because traditional media like newspapers, even one like NYT that's handled the last couple of decades as well as any, never miss a chance to take a potshot at the upstarts over in SV, especially when something like the current election influence brouhaha has them already on the back foot.
You're right; it would be much more honest to ask about the influence of Saudi money and Saudi oil in American business, government, and society more generally. But that's not a conversation anyone close to power wants to have; for one thing, the conclusions are uncomfortable, and for another, no one's hands are clean.
What? It's certainly not the business role to make any moral decisions - while we don't yet have true simple responsibility principle in our society, we're thankfully have some separation of responsibility. If you think that a certain country is immoral and we shouldn't do business with it, lobby for sanctions - this way all businesses will have to abide, without (1) doing things that are completely out of their responsibilities (passing judgement) and (2) failing at their main mission - ROI - by voluntarily giving up competitive advantage.