noir’s Story
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So, long story short...
noir made the mistake of
blowing the whistle on a dangerous product.
My Advice to You is
Never put it in writing if it can come back to bite you.
Here's the whole story
While working at Intel on a product called the Digital Movie Creator, I became alarmed because the product resembled a gun. I thought it would be very dangerous for children to run around with this toy, pointing it at people. I mentioned it to my supervisor. She ignored me. She had ADD and couldn't be bothered. So I decided to elevate the alarm by circulating an email to the other writers in my department. I was then tasked with joining the development team for the product. They must have thought it would be a good way to keep me busy (and quiet). It worked. I toiled along on the project for several months. Eventually, the product went through Usability Testing. I was elated to hear that one of the first kids who encountered the product said, "Cool, they put a camera inside a gun!"
Of course, when people caught wind of the paper trail I had created, they were devastated. I had inadvertently created a paper trail that the product might be harmful. There was no way they could sneak this product out the door anymore. It was too much of a liability. If some kid got killed, Intel would be sued and my little email would no doubt end up in court.
So instead, they decided to sweep away the problem, starting with me. I was terminated (for spending too much time on a BBS, supposedly), and considered a high-security risk, never to be re-hired by Intel again. This has had serious repercussions in my career and I have struggled to acquire any work in the entire Portland area since 2001. The rest of the development crew was also wiped away. Production of the Digital Movie Creator was halted and the product was sold to a company called Digital Blue. The moral of this story: keep your mouth shut and never write anything down. Definitely don't circulate your opinions in email.
Comments (4)
It's a shame when money becomes more important than doing the right thing and people like you get dumped on for it.
I had a similar experience getting crushed by a large organization for a mistake I didn't even know I was making.. More importantly, the mistake I made I was told by a superior I could make! The little guy always gets blamed first.
Damn.
Man. I really don't think it was a mistake. You did what you felt was right.