
Re: Did He Have An Option ???
I'd say that for something NOT overtly illegal, you just politely complain about it in writing to the appropriate people, but do what you were asked to do anyway. Let the HR weenies and legal staff sort it out.
As for what was apparently done, i.e. writing a software method that's not even spoken about in 'normal terms', that knowingly 'cheats' on emissions tests, by first detecting if such a test is being done and THEN changing the engine's behavior accordingly [which is blatant, and can't be explained away[, knowing that auto makers must comply with these limits in order to sell cars in the USA, and then blatantly NOT complying [reducing the price of the cars, or making them perform better, or both] by cheating on the tests - as for THAT, I think any reasonable person would have inherently understood the ethical problems, and possible criminality, of actually DOING that.
So yeah he had an option, and I think in HIS case, it should've been to ask for a meeting with H.R. to discuss what his boss wanted him to do. But apparently he didn't do that, and instead, went far beyond expectations to invent something that basically "hacks the system". Nice hack, yeah, but illegal as hell.