Agree 100% Jeff. Not only are they sleazy but they are constantly trying to get nasty exploits going against everyone who visits their sites. This is why I would be suspect of any software developer who would list this kind of experience on their resume.
It’s a digital minefield out there be cautious…you don’t want to blow your CPU off.
The problem comes when you derail with imvu.
The post goes from
working IT for adult sites-- it’s a strange comprimise (sure, okay)
I found this interesting job listing (yup)
But for a company I find sleazy (sure, I can see that)
And I found someone else who agrees (okay)
Check out this IM profile (wait, you want us to damn the company because of one person’s IM profile?)
All the same, it’s difficult for me to respect software engineering in the service of such least common denominator interests.
What if you’d seen a listing for, say, a sysadmin at Vivid?
Would you have ended on the same note? Would you have still used that last line?
Good post!
I’m a developer for a mobile web company which sells mainly adult material.
I have to say its the best job I ever had. All my friends and family know what I do and I’m not in the slightest bit ashamed by it.
I work with the latest technology and get to play with cool new stuff all the time.
Its very dynamic industry which suits me perfectly, plus its virtually recession-proof. All my old colleges are being laid off whilst I’m getting pay rises. Works for me.
Are there any programming jobs you wouldn’t take?
I believe this actually is more than that. This question implicitly includes
Are there any programming jobs your relatives/friends wouldn’t want you to take?
After all, it’s just numbers right? No, it isn’t - those electrons mean something in the real world.
I generally avoid everything falling far over my competences by a large degree.
(I’m starting to think maybe I’ve grown my skills too much vertically.)
Some months ago, I was contacted to deploy a certification system related to our laws. I refused mainly as I considered the system doomed to fail due to some gross errors in design (most stakeholders involved would have lost decision capability and profit by using it, they sure would have fight against the system, although forced to use it by legal requirements). Uncertain financial status and lack of additional workforce were factors in my decision. Luckly there were no moral issues involved… at least nontrivial ones.
It depends on how much pragmatic you are. I have been formed thinking at programs to solve issues for people. For me, people is the cornerstone of development so I cannot just say it’s just data.
(# of coders that look at porn(ie everyone)) - (# that would admit to it) = (# that would scoff at such jobs)
All kidding aside, I think it depends on how you rationalize it. Would you have worked on the Manhattan Project? Even though cutting edge science/technology was in play and all the greatest minds of the time were working on it?
I’m no prude. Bzzt, wrong. Yes, you are.
I think a particularly important next step in human evolution is around morality and ethics.
Porn is evil but greed is good… Hell, greed is a virtue that is accepted as a requisite part of being successful. You are being responsible if you go get a good job working for plundering crooks like AIG but you are the lowest of the low if you work in the adult industry. I’m doing my part if I work for a defense contractor but am I shady maybe even a socialist if I work for [insert do-gooder organization here]. Alcohol and tobacco have sexy ads everywhere but having a little weed makes you an evil criminal, again the lowest of the low.
We inherit these values culturally, somehow the wisdom of our ancestors prevails and our moral code remains static in a quickly changing world. Someday we’ll realize that the seemingly innocuous things that have been quietly and skillfully woven into our day to day lives are highly immoral and will contribute to our demise if a head-change doesn’t happen soon, en masse.
How about beeing ashamed to work for a financial/mortage/banking company in these days?
90% of the companies (1% having the motto do no evil) we as developers work for, have CIOs with golden parashute contracts who have no moral to speak off.
I take a pimp as my boss anytime, as long as the money’s is good. (penun non olet).
Suck on it!
@Jamison: right on. And I will gladly be called prude. What is so bad about holding up morals, wanting a save place for my children, want them to learn to respect the other sex? Knowing some people that have been in this subculture, I know about the hardship it brings. Watching the pictures maybe does not do any direct harm, but never wanted to put it to action?
I know if I’ld be working for an adult side, I would be watching too. And I love myself too much to harm me that way.
Want great technology? Interesting work? Don’t have to harm yourself for it, it’s out there. And the alternative is not to work for the army.
As opposed to working for a bank that just lost a million grandmother’s their entire life savings through fraudulent investments?
Sorry, Jeff, you are a prude. I didn’t know those still existed on the internet. I still like you, though.
The only company I would not accept work for is the one my friend’s consulting company farmed him out to - they send those automatic enrollment magazine subscription scam mailers you see all the time. Apparently the company is so bad that they can’t get anyone skilled to work there full time, so they have to hire consultants.
But porn? Most porn is a consensual business. Especially this avatar site you’re talking about - that’s just a way for consenting adults to meet and talk to each other, like running a club. Get over it, dude.
My do we have our luxury problems.
Id work IN porn and not think twice about it.
Yes. I won’t ever take programming jobs for the government and/or any kind of law enforcement because the idea of working for either of those entities makes me extremely uncomfortable (not to mention that the temptation to sabotage them would be far too great)
er… not sure about this post - personally I need a job as my contract is about to run out next week, on a plus I’m used to working with pricks.
Beggars can be coders.
I worked as a flash developer at a porn site for 10 months.
The site had the worst porn in the world, and upper level management was a disaster.
Loved every minute of it. Why? It wasn’t the bad porn, it was the job itself and my coworkers. They’re all still close friends of mine. All incredibly brilliant developers who I learned alot from. I enjoyed the crazy release cycle. One week we would all show up at 1pm and leave at 6pm. The next, we would be there 14 hours a day.
And when I go into a job interview, I shift the focus to that, not the adult content at the startup I worked on. Although I did have one interview where the guy (23 year old sf startup kid) went OMG! porn! then somehow we wound up talking about 2 girls 1 cup. Strangely enough, I didn’t get the job.
My ultimate point in all this, porn == a bad career choice. One of the oddest perks, I never had to worry if a friend sending me a link was NSFW.
doh. i meant it does NOT equal a bad career choice.
Should have caffeinated before attempting to post something remotely intelligent.
What you’re saying here Jeff smacks of the Christian vs. Atheist debate.
Who says that software development has to have meaning? It’s software, the shifting of data around. Just because your stack overflow project helps other developers doesn’t make it more valuable development than imvu or even the hardest core of porn.
Value is in the eye of the beholder; just as you have no use for imvu or porn, I’m sure they have no use for stack overflow!
I never have commented on an article on this website before, but I’d just like to mention that I thought this article was intriguing, relevant, and extremely well-written.
As a first-year undergraduate taking computer science I love this blog, and I don’t read many.
Congratulations on the great website!
I’m an European, so I have the feeling that working for such a business would not be as frowned upon by relatives and friends here as on the other side of the ocean. It wouldn’t really bother me as long as the actual products are classy and respectful of both the actors/actresses and the customers. A fair share of the adult industry is not, of course.
After all, right now I’m working for a large bank that made profits last year but still begged the government to give it a few billions euros because of the crisis. Sure, that money was given right away, and sure it came from the taxes I pay and my fellow-citizens pay.
Talk about morality.
The part that I find unacceptable and really immoral, much more than nudity and sex (which aren’t), is accepting to be payed from an offshore bank account. Those who accept that should be deeply ashamed of themselves.
I turned down a job for company that was trying to inject ads into web pages at the ISP level, I have moral problems with it. Porn? Bring it on.
I’m no prude.
Considering the tone and content of this post, I would strong challenge that assertion.