The archive
Issue #012
Ethics & Principles 7 min read· 22 Aug 2026

The Vegas Money

A fintech and gaming platform with a MAD budget. Loads of cash. Glittery Las Vegas money. A project that could change a career overnight. Then I realized what it actually was. And I walked away from the biggest payday of my life.

Share
CTO takeaway

The lesson, minus the scar tissue.

  • Vice projects don't just hurt their users—they hurt the people who build them too. The guilt follows you home.
  • Money is not a justification for building something harmful. No budget is big enough to buy your conscience.
  • There will always be another project. There won't always be another chance to say 'no' to something you know is wrong.
  • Professionals build things that matter. Not things that destroy.
  • The clients who offer you the most money are often the ones who want you to compromise the most. Be careful.
Never miss an issue

Get the next Chronicle in your inbox.

A comic, a story and a takeaway every other week. Written for founders who inherited a codebase they didn't choose.

Free forever. Unsubscribe in one click.

Related Chronicles.