Did my old job only exist because of fraud?
Points and comments are a snapshot, not live.
A software engineer discovers his startup job was likely sustained by VC fraud.
David Newgas worked at GenieDB, a UK startup taken over by Frost VP, run by Stuart Frost. A decade later, he learned Frost was sued by the SEC for fraud. Evidence showed Frost created portfolio companies to charge excessive incubator fees, siphoning investor money. An internal email stated they needed two more companies to cover costs when GenieDB was ending. Newgas grapples with the possibility his job and subsequent life in the US existed only because of this fraud.
What commenters are saying
Commenters react to the existential question with a spectrum of views. Some dismiss the angst, arguing that many companies are ephemeral or built on shaky ground, and that engineers are not responsible for the fraud. A top comment suggests personal growth through accepting that most work is ultimately ephemeral. Others affirm that questioning the meaning of one's work is natural. A separate anecdote recounts a government contractor fraudulently billing hours, with the commenter advised to report it to the project head, who likely suppressed it.