What to do when faced with a moral dilemma as a developer

To be, or not to be, that is the question: Whether ’tis nobler for a software developer to bow out gracefully when faced with an ethically questionable task, or to eat thy morals to continue to make ends meet…or however the speech goes.

Software developers are increasingly faced with ethical dilemmas at their jobs, according to a research paper authored by scholars from the University of Oslo and Peace Research Institute Oslo. According to the paper, published online in January, over half of a sample pool of 421 developers admitted they’ve felt regret about the social impact of a project they’ve worked on while employed at their current company. The survey was conducted by RIWI, an “AI-powered” research firm, in 2024.

Most engineers confess they would turn a blind eye when placed in a compromising position at work. Almost three-fourths (74%) of respondents said they would implement a tool or feature that would restrict “certain human freedoms or liberties” (e.g., creating a security feature that surveils citizens).

Raise your hands if you’ve been personally victimized by your career. Rob Howard, a 20-year software developer and CEO of Innovating with AI, an AI education platform, told IT Brew the research paper’s claims about software developers’ moral quandaries feels accurate. Howard said most developers want to make the world a better place and work for a company with the same goal, and that these professionals tend to be more cognizant of their work’s ethical implications because of the open-source and community values the software industry is built on.

“One of the interesting things about being a software developer is you’re often very idealistic going in,” Howard said. “There’s a lot…of goals like democratizing access to technology or information…Now, we see that that hasn’t happened in every situation.”

Howard recalled several times in his own career when he found himself at a crossroad, and ultimately had to decide whether or not to follow his gut. He recalled prospective clients who didn’t align with his values, including gun stores and fossil fuel companies, that he was fortunate enough to be able to turn down, given that he worked for himself for a large portion of his career.

“If we’re doing website development, it’s essentially marketing for these companies,” Howard said. “So, we have to think about, where is the line where we may not want to contribute to a marketing campaign for a particular organization?”

What to do when in a jam. While Howard was able to turn away projects that didn’t align with his values, others may not find it that easy. In the paper, the researchers claim resisting such tasks could be “career-limiting” for professionals.

Andrew Duca, founder of Awaken Tax, a crypto tax software company, said some professionals may be fearful to speak up against certain projects or leave companies with differing values because of the turbulence in the industry right now.

“Right now, there’s even more fear around, ‘Okay, if I actually lose this job, can I even get another one?’” Duca said. For others, golden handcuffs and the stability of their job may compel a professional to stick with the status quo instead of pushing back, he added. He thinks most developers fall into this bucket.

“You can get six figures right out of college,” Duca said. “And if you work really hard and become good, you [can] make it seven figures. You’re gonna turn your head to a lot of things if you’re making seven figures.”

Howard said there’s no right or wrong answer for software developers confronted with a task that goes against their values because of the implications for employment. However, there are a few ways one can approach the issue, including bringing up concerns to a manager in a private conversation.

“Many organizations will reassign you away from a project that you don’t want to work on,” Howard said. “That would obviously not work if you disagree with the company’s entire business model as unethical, but if it’s something that is temporary, and they can reassign you, I think that’s a totally reasonable request.”

Duca said employees can even rally other colleagues who share the same hesitancy around a project to avoid seeming like a “complainer.” Other options for professionals finding themselves in between a rock and a hard place at work is looking for a new gig that won’t put them in that predicament so often.

“Basically, you get to choose how good or bad you want to be,” Duca said. “And if the company that you’re at is constantly forcing you to make a decision, maybe you should go to a different company.”