My open source project was relicensed by a YC company [license updated]

In a general sense, open source theft is bad, obviously. I have trouble feeling bad for this specific case though, given that it is a tool for cheating in interviews and tests.

A GPL violation is a GPL violation.

I made an OSS tool to help you cheat on your taxes, screw your business partner, or ensure your ex wife cannot see the children. Someone stole the source and is backed by a major VC firm. Is the thought different at all or exactly the same? Just raising the question.

Google search and the internet can help you with all of those. Maybe we should ban the internet.

What about weapons?

The point is being "GPL evil" is GPL. Taking the code, not obtaining the copyright, and re-licensing it is a clear violation of copyright law and immoral.

We are not little children in the playground. Two wrongs do not make a right, and rights are most important for bad people

It's exactly the same of course? Why would it be different?

So can electricity.

The difference is that the tool "cheating daddy" was specifically created for the purpose of cheating. Electricity, the Internet, and Google were not created for that purpose.

Cheating daddy's tagline is "If you're gonna cheat, cheat better".

Not that I'm in any way defending Cluely/Glass. Cluely's X bio is "cheat (noun) – an advantage so good it's unfair; rewrites the balance between effort and outcome."

Disclosure: I work at Google by my thoughts are my own.

Maybe it's not.

A new product with four wheels that is used to transport people from A to B is a amazing new development! Some new 4 wheeled death machine to drive through crowds of people is an detriment to society.

The original product actually sounds kinda cool, but selling it as a cheating aid is incredibly low-value, and we'd be better off without it.

Two separate issues.

I'd be happy for a platform that encourages and facilities cheating to disappear and not be used anymore. So, on that front, I'd agree. As a side point though, the fact that someone big is funding something like that means, it's not really an issue for, atleast some, people.

The license violation is a problem independent of this. If this becomes acceptable for any reason (including the one that your post seemed to suggest - original work is unethical), it will have detrimental effects on a lot of good players as well.

> The license violation is a problem independent of this. If this becomes acceptable for any reason (including the one that your post seemed to suggest - original work is unethical), it will have detrimental effects on a lot of good players as well.

This is a fair point. Just to clarify, I still think open source theft/license violation is bad and should not be happening, even to a scummier project like this.

> As a side point though, the fact that someone big is funding something like that means, it's not really an issue for, atleast some, people.

Unfortunately some people have no issue with ethical concerns around what they fund as long as it stands any chance of making them money.

> Unfortunately some people have no issue with ethical concerns around what they fund as long as it stands any chance of making them money.

Which is, I think, a corruption. It's being missed in the discussion about the license violation which, to be fair, is what this thread it about but in my mind, that is the major issue.