Heads up! To view this whole video, sign in with your Courses account or enroll in your free 7-day trial. Sign In Enroll
Preview
Start a free Courses trial
to watch this video
What does it mean to design and develop with ethics? We'll look at how business pressures can lead to unethical product decisions.
Companies task us with...
- How fast can you make this?
- How can we grab the most market share and beat the competitors, at any cost?
- How can we scale and increase the bottom line?
Further Reading:
- Volkswagen Emissions Scandal - Wikipedia
- Uber Greyball - Wikipedia
Related Discussions
Have questions about this video? Start a discussion with the community and Treehouse staff.
Sign upRelated Discussions
Have questions about this video? Start a discussion with the community and Treehouse staff.
Sign up
MICHELLE: Reflect back on the Volkswagen
emissions scandal.
0:00
Some unethical products are clearly
created with bad intentions.
0:03
But it's not fair to categorically
cast all those involved as evil.
0:07
In reality,
most of us work in a gray zone and
0:12
cannot completely revamp
products to be morally sound.
0:15
There's a power dynamic between
the managers in charge and
0:18
the workers who complete the tasks.
0:22
We don't always have the authority
to change a product decision, and
0:24
we can encounter
organizational dynamics and
0:28
stubborn leadership who
are resistant to change.
0:31
Further, you may be in a situation
where you do not feel safe to critique
0:34
the status quo.
0:39
Unfortunately, advocating for
change can risk retaliation and
0:41
you may not have the privilege
to risk losing your job.
0:45
When we do have the agency to act
with integrity, let's use it.
0:49
We'll talk more about advocacy later.
0:53
It's worth noting that unethical products
can also be created with good intentions.
0:57
There's no evil actor at play.
1:02
It's just a constellation of seemingly
1:05
inconsequential decisions
culminating into a poor outcome.
1:08
Perhaps an engineer gets excited
about solving a technical challenge,
1:12
but then the impact is
detrimental to society.
1:17
Let's look at a tangible example.
1:20
Here's a typical workflow.
1:22
Your boss gives you an assignment, and
after you understand the requirements,
1:24
you make the thing.
1:29
But how often do you ask why or
1:30
consider the consequences of
putting it out there in the world?
1:32
Let's look at what
companies task us with.
1:37
How fast can you make this?
1:41
Perhaps you're asked to create
a new feature at breakneck speeds,
1:43
leading you to trim off a testing plan,
1:47
which would have prevented a significant
bug from affecting millions of people.
1:50
HOPE: Facebook's longtime motto was
move fast and break things.
1:55
After realizing this caused more bugs and
slowed the team down,
1:59
CEO Mark Zuckerberg switched it to
move fast with stable infrastructure.
2:04
I'd argue that move thoughtfully with
stable infrastructure would ensure
2:10
better experiences for
everyone Facebook serves.
2:15
MICHELLE: How can we grab the most market share and
beat the competitors at any cost?
2:22
Perhaps you've been tasked
with a similar goal.
2:28
In 2017, it was discovered that Uber
had created software called Greyball,
2:30
which helped the company evade
government regulators and
2:36
cities where Uber was not yet approved.
2:39
It blocked regulators from getting rides,
to mask the fact,
2:42
they were operating illegally.
2:45
How can we scale and
increase profits?
2:47
Of course,
companies must be financially viable so
2:51
they can afford to cover expenses.
2:54
But how much is enough?
2:56
And to what extent do executives'
paychecks needs to be padded at
2:58
the expense of less fortunate people?
3:03
Now, we're not going to solve
all these problems ourselves.
3:05
But it is helpful to
consider these questions and
3:08
your responsibility to
the people you're serving.
3:11
To work ethically, measure the impact
you have on people's lives.
3:14
At this point,
it may feel like doom and gloom.
3:20
But let's remember, we have tremendous
power to make a positive impact.
3:23
We're the gatekeepers.
3:28
Let's work to ensure that what passes
the gates is as ethically sound
3:30
as we can imagine.
3:35
Unlike doctors who have a Hippocratic Oath
where they promised to do no harm,
3:36
folks building software are not bound
by a licence or code of ethics.
3:41
Aside from some fraud and privacy laws,
there aren't standards or
3:45
regulations for software ethics.
3:49
We can make our own though, and
plenty of wonderful frameworks and
3:52
tools are available for free online.
3:56
Look for all that and
more coming up later in the course.
3:58
You need to sign up for Treehouse in order to download course files.
Sign upYou need to sign up for Treehouse in order to set up Workspace
Sign up