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Discussion on: Is it ethical to work as a shadow developer by hiding identity? (Please read and help me)

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darksmile92 profile image
Robin Kretzschmar

This is a complicated situation. On one hand you could live with it just being happy you get good projects from him. On the other hand it's totally clear that you don't get the respect for the work you do.

But before I can say more on this: can you please clarify what exactly you're asking for?
I'm not sure I got your point from the post. But it could just be me :)

Do you want other opinions for if you should take projects like these in the future or if you should stop working with him or something else?

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shofol profile image
Anower Jahan Shofol • Edited

Yes, I was asking if I should take these kinds of projects (*I have just added it in the post). And, it is not just about getting respect. Isn't it unethical to present you as a single developer to a client but work as a team under the hood?

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darksmile92 profile image
Robin Kretzschmar

Thanks for the clarification :)

To answer it first: I personally would take further projects as long as the payment is good and as long as those are not projects where you would want you name involved at any cost. For example if you help build the next Facebook, I'd insist on having my name on it and then decline the work with him.

It would be interesting to understand the reasons behind his behavior. Is it because he earns way more than you know with those projects? Is it because he's afraid he'd loose the client's if they know there are other developers involved? If this is the case, he must be insecure or just really not good at what he's doing. I wouldn't say it's unethical, but I'd call it disrespectful.

And in my experience it's always better to act as a team and have the client know that because this gives the client a more secure feeling working with you. For example when one of the team gets sick, the work can still be done. You have more shared knowledge than just one person. Maybe there are members that are specialized in certain areas etc.
So I see absolutely no reason to behave like he does.

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shofol profile image
Anower Jahan Shofol

"Is it because he's afraid he'd loose the client's if they know there are other developers involved?" - He applies to the companies as a developer for Remote Job as I said. So, he gets hired by them and then he does the work with the help of others without notifying them. He does this to make a bigger client base.

Most of the cases in the platforms- clients hire a single freelancer. I mentioned the word unethical as they are hiding the truth from the client. I am not concerned with my name or just the payment. I am just thinking about ethical issues.

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darksmile92 profile image
Robin Kretzschmar

Then I think you took the right action 👍

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shofol profile image
Anower Jahan Shofol

I just hope this will not harm my new client orders :/