this post was submitted on 26 May 2025
1542 points (99.4% liked)

Technology

70534 readers
3720 users here now

This is a most excellent place for technology news and articles.


Our Rules


  1. Follow the lemmy.world rules.
  2. Only tech related news or articles.
  3. Be excellent to each other!
  4. Mod approved content bots can post up to 10 articles per day.
  5. Threads asking for personal tech support may be deleted.
  6. Politics threads may be removed.
  7. No memes allowed as posts, OK to post as comments.
  8. Only approved bots from the list below, this includes using AI responses and summaries. To ask if your bot can be added please contact a mod.
  9. Check for duplicates before posting, duplicates may be removed
  10. Accounts 7 days and younger will have their posts automatically removed.

Approved Bots


founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
top 50 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] Siresly@lemm.ee 45 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

This sounds like actual impactful consequences and accountability for the rich exploitative asshole executives actually responsible? Did I forget to wake up in the morning?

[–] wulrus@lemmy.world 66 points 6 days ago

One insanity in the following years was how they thought people still wanted their next generation diesel.

I've been working for them in the 2010s with the department to organise the staff car fleet. We ordered many electric vehicles years ahead from production and planned it all around electric vehicles: Charging stations, operating distance, some hybrids for long distance, software to calculate trips etc.

Then a few months before we needed them, they said: We overproduced on the latest diesel generation and can't keep up with the demand for electric vehicles, so we have to sell the ones you ordered. You can either go with a Tesla (for official Volkswagen business trips!) or have the diesel for free.

It felt like there was a hysteria: Decision makers got it in their heads that the "hype" for electric vehicles was ideology-driven and not something people with buying power actually wanted today or in the near future. Bit like the republican administration thinking that "woke" is our main problem. Meanwhile, huge research and development departments did come up with the electric vehicles they sell today (and fully working hydrogen prototypes you won't see in a store, just to be safe) and must have been quite frustrated that so few were produced.

[–] Vari@lemm.ee 4 points 5 days ago* (last edited 12 hours ago)

Let’s go Germany!! Shouldn’t be the exception to the rule

[–] satanmat@lemmy.world 271 points 1 week ago (27 children)

I long for the day that ANYTHING close to this happens in the USA

[–] tal@lemmy.today 136 points 1 week ago (7 children)

I long for the day that ANYTHING close to this happens in the USA

I guess you've good news, then.

Across the Atlantic, two former VW engineers — Oliver Schmidt and James Robert Liang — are already serving prison sentences in the U.S. Schmidt, who once led VW’s environmental office in the U.S., was sentenced to seven years after initially denying guilt but later reaching a plea deal. Liang received 40 months after cooperating with prosecutors.

[–] AA5B@lemmy.world 2 points 6 days ago

This is the most unbelievable part: a us court held management responsible for criminal behavior? Did that not pay their fines? Did no one have a spare jet to offer?

[–] frezik@midwest.social 95 points 1 week ago (3 children)

To salvage the argument, it's quite possible this would have been different if they were from GM rather than VW.

load more comments (3 replies)
[–] CosmicTurtle0@lemmy.dbzer0.com 53 points 1 week ago (1 children)

two former VW engineers

Yeah, unless they are Chief Engineers, these two are just people who got caught in the churn.

Wake me up when the President of US Operations gets sentenced to prison. Hell, I'll even be okay with club Fed.

load more comments (1 replies)
load more comments (4 replies)
load more comments (26 replies)
[–] magnetosphere@fedia.io 168 points 1 week ago (2 children)

I’m used to executives being above the law. I had to read the article to be sure the title wasn’t clickbait.

[–] Ulrich@feddit.org 69 points 1 week ago (2 children)

It is very puzzling, isn't it? Why VW execs are put in jail and banking execs that created a global recession get off scot free?

[–] Quill7513@slrpnk.net 79 points 1 week ago (2 children)

oh that's easy. the VW execs were under the jurisdiction of a country that gives a fuck and knows what the consecuences of unchecked greed are. the bankers were under the jurisdiction of a country that thinks maybe a little bit of fascism wouldn't be so bad, all things considered

load more comments (2 replies)
load more comments (1 replies)
load more comments (1 replies)
[–] yucandu@lemmy.world 154 points 1 week ago (7 children)

In Canada we were told that putting execs in jail would "hurt jobs" and we had to pass a law that said they just get a fine instead.

The execs in question were caught selling hookers to Qaddafi's son.

load more comments (7 replies)
[–] slaacaa@lemmy.world 75 points 1 week ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (8 children)

Before anyone becomes too happy: the post’s title is inaccurate, the two people sent to jail are only middle managers:

[–] 8000gnat@reddthat.com 8 points 6 days ago

deleted my happy post bc of this

load more comments (6 replies)
[–] anonymous1979@lemmy.ca 63 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (23 children)

This! Finally! This will make other execs scratch themselves behind the ears and consider their life choices. Fines for the company they work for won't, as these same execs just budget these fines into the crimes they're planning to commit.

Fuck these frauds, hope they stay in for years.

Also, continue doing this, jail all the execs that break the law.

load more comments (23 replies)
[–] NigelFrobisher@aussie.zone 53 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Was this really that hard? If money can buy justice then there is no justice.

load more comments (1 replies)
load more comments
view more: next ›