Based on 35 community votes, the most popular answer to “My Company Sells Addictive Products to Vulnerable Seniors—Speak Up or Stay Silent?” is “Report concerns to upper management directly” — chosen by 51% of voters.
Category: work • Theme: Personal Integrity vs Job Security
I work in marketing for a large tech company that sells online subscription games. Last month, I started noticing a concerning trend in our customer profiles—our fastest-growing segment is low-income seniors. After some digging, I realized that our marketing campaigns are heavily targeted at older adults who spend hours each day in our games, some racking up monthly fees they clearly can’t afford. The company’s approach is totally legal, and they always include the fine print about subscriptions, but it feels predatory to me. When I gently brought it up in a meeting, my boss brushed it aside, saying we’re simply serving an enthusiastic demographic, not forcing anyone to buy. "They’re adults and can make their own choices," she said. It left me uneasy, especially because my own grandmother has been caught by schemes like this before. I’ve started questioning whether I’m complicit in taking advantage of people who may not fully understand what they’re getting into. But if I escalate this or even suggest we change tactics, I risk being seen as uncooperative—or worse, losing my job. I support my household and can’t afford to just walk away. At the same time, I keep thinking about those seniors, and whether I’m contributing to their hardship. Every day I feel a little more guilty, but I don’t know if I’m strong enough to speak up. What would YOU do?
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