I work in energy, and there's a big debate raging now about the externalities of fossil fuels. People working for the fossil industry make substantial salaries because their industry is not adequately taxed for the externalities their products are causing. If the fossil industries were properly taxed for externalities, my guess would be that salaries would be significantly affected.

Perhaps we should consider fintech and adtech to be similar scenarios? Fintech seems to have externalities that lead to ever growing income inequality. Adtech definitely has externalities on society in the form of increased susceptibility to foreign propaganda and mass surveillance.

I suspect the higher salaries in fintech and adtech are similarly inflated to fossil industry salaries due to the lack of taxing externalities.

Why would higher industry-specific taxes lower salaries in that industry?

No, that does not become the question. They chose money over morals, that's it.

It's not like they are helpless victims to economic principles, so they have no other choice than to work for the scummiest types of companies because they offer good pay.

Sure, you can stop there, if your interest is in moral judgement.

If you’re more interested in shifting the landscape, changing the incentives becomes the priority.

Only one of these puts a stop to the objectionable behavior and wasted talent. So I know which I prefer.

> If you’re more interested in shifting the landscape, changing the incentives becomes the priority.

Or changing laws to make the bad stuff illegal.

I'd be happy to make most ads illegal. In some places they banned all roadside billboards and you know what happened? It made the view better and didn't hurt the economy.

That's certainly one way to change the incentives, and it's one I happen to be open to.

The strange thing is the addiction, people make several million dollars, and then keep going.... Doing bad things for no real motivation (if you v concede that fear of poverty is a fair driver)