I don't dispute your own observations; like I said, it's perfectly possible that the policy was being inconsistently applied. For example, if they were hired to work in a different group from yours. And as said, it's not all unsurprising that you wouldn't necessarily know about it. These things happen all the time in large companies, with distributed teams all over the world.
That said, it's rather uncivil of you accuse someone of lying -- and right now, you are unambiguously accusing me of lying about the experience of someone I've known for 20+ years -- just because they have a data point that you don't.
Even if that data point makes you a tad uncomfortable.
It's also uncivil to accuse my employers, repeatedly, of a policy that you have no hard evidence of or personal experience with, except one person's hearsay. I understand it's your friend. I am still disagreeing with him or her.
For those reading along: you will not be asked by Pivotal to submit to such a test, either when applying or upon being hired.
If this turns out be false, I will personally pay $2,000 to the ACLU or another charity of your choice.
Actually they do have hard evidence of their trip to the drug lab (in the form of emails; voicemails possibly also; and very likely paper receipts from the lab itself, if they haven't been thrown out).
More importantly, though -- you're doing better now, but your closing remarks are still backhanded and wishy-washy. Can't you just say:
"I'm sorry to hear about your friend's experience; all I can say is that nothing like that has ever happened to me, or anyone at Pivotal I know, and I'd be very surprised if such a policy, if ever widely applied at Pivotal, were still in force anywhere in the company."
That's not a reasonable thing to ask him to say in this situation. I don't know if you realize this, but you're just some random dude making a claim with nothing at all to back it up besides that you said it. You said there was info online, but haven't provided it. You said your acquaintance has hard evidence, but realistically we're all going to forget about this conversation before you ever actually provide it.
Sorry dude, this is not a claim you're going to have taken seriously with the level of info you've provided.
That said, it's rather uncivil of you accuse someone of lying -- and right now, you are unambiguously accusing me of lying about the experience of someone I've known for 20+ years -- just because they have a data point that you don't.
Even if that data point makes you a tad uncomfortable.