You are, of course, right Chris. I wouldn’t really know how I would react in that situation. I’d like to think I would do something more than just fly off to Iran to work on their “communications intelligence” system, but I probably would just do my job and take my cheque. And hate myself just a little bit more.

However, that doesn’t change the fact that corporations should take some kind of look at the regimes they sell to, and how their products are used. Naturally, it won’t be a particularly hard look: but if it is a small drop in the revenue ocean, the opportunity exists to earn some global good will by saying “No, we don’t serve governments that oppress their populations.”

And of course, if it is a significant part of their revenue, the realities of the stock market will demand that companies serve even the most violently genocidal dictators unless their home government explicitly forbids such trade. But if enough individual employees raise issues with assignments to that country, the company might just have to listen. Most big companies do listen at least a little bit to what their employees say, and sometimes a difference can be made.