It's good that Google gets so much shit for firing their internal "AI ethics" researchers when they get to loud or annoying.

But it also shows just how pointless it is to take those jobs if you care about anything besides your bank account.

We hear a lot of talk about the revolving door between banks and bank regulators but we have the same in tech: People go from Google to being a professor for the regulation of platforms. Or to some NGO. Or from an NGO to Facebook. Etc.

So while Google shows shitty management and workplace culture that is hostile to actual criticism I keep wondering how naive one has to be to think that the 6 figure check each year doesn't come with strings attached.

(And if I wanted to clean my reputation after having made my money at one of the big, shady corporations, being fired over being just too damn ethical would be a good way.)