auserperson

I think the majority of engineers only do side projects to learn things they couldn't at work or explore architectures they wouldn't be able to in a work environment.

That is very true for me. A lot of managers don't understand my motivation at work, they don't understand that what actually keeps me going is the love for technology and for software engineering. That is being able to learn and develop interesting things, to research, to create, that motivates me. I can't bother on corporate politics. I don't care on going up the corporate ladder (I'm already in a top engineering position, I don't want to stop doing coding to become some sort of manager/architect/VP/etc).

Grande Sertão Veredas

I don't respect any article about the future of economy that does not take into consideration climate change, sustainability and the anthropocene. Capitalism will have to change dramatically soon, our world is collapsing. But sure. let's talk about apple vs google. I am not a fan of capitalism, but I'm not even criticizing capitalism per se, only that all big companies nowadays are existing in a world and way of producing that will for sure destroy itself in at max 100 years. So that is the future. Not Apple way of managing. I feel like saying wake up sheepele, because that's how it feels reading an article like that. I have no idea what will happen and hope for the best, but let's start accepting that we know major changes are needed and are going to happen whether we plan them or not. Climate change/mass extinction/deforestation/etc is not just about polar bears, is about our energy and ways of consumption and production of goods.

He seems obsessed with the problem and and can't cope with the guilt of his own thoughts, he should see a therapist to learn about how to deal with that. To say someone to see a therapist is not an insult! It's mental health, it's fine!

Even if the explanation were true it would still count as sexual harassment though.

Is capitalism ethical though? Isn't every employee an exploited person?

“What is the robbing of a bank compared to the founding of a bank?” - Bertolt Brecht

It's unprofessional. If the person who was called princess felt uncomfortable enough to write about it, it indicates they were not friends and this is not their common relationship.

It's can be a disrespectful joke. Besides, it's a gendered joke. If it was directed to a woman, it's very impolite, given the constant pressure on woman to keep thin in society and how that is a frequent bias towards woman. If it was a man, it sounds very transphobic/homophobic, as in "you're less because you act like a woman", besides man also deals with fat shaming. And a lot of people deal with eating disorders, so making fun of people eating choices at work is not a good idea.

Of course, if they were friends, I mean actual friends. It would be fine. If one person had felt offended, they would be able to say that to the other, instead of an anonymous mailing list. Or if they didn't felt offended, they could laugh together and each to it's own. But it's clearly not the case. So it's a good idea to avoid this sort of behavior to people that you don't know well, even you get along with them in a work environment.

If people feel they need a guideline to avoid this behavior and not feel like they need to be hard pushed to figure out what they did wrong, here it is: you can make this sort of joke to someone who is your friend (friend enough to regularly see each other outside of work, take care of each other kids, trust in each other in personal matters), if not, it's not work appropriate.