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by dmitryminkovsky 1239 days ago
> That translates to 1.5 hours less time on the job each workweek, or a 3% reduction in hours.

A search for “statistically significant” yielded no results. So why am I not to assume, especially given the source, that this is more of that “Americans are lazier and less productive” thing that plays out daily in right-leaning media?

3 comments

Marc Benioff is a progressive and has been quoted many times saying the same thing about his own workers.
But statistical significance? I like anecdotes as much as the next person, but we’re talking “truth” and stuff here, right? This paper is out to critically inform me, right?
The article wasn't talking about right-leaning media, OP said that. Most of the business owners in tech aren't right leaning, and most of them are saying junk like this. Which is my point, right-leaning media runs around with a bullhorn saying this stuff, but the people firing everyone aren't right-leaning.
It's because people work in their own self-interest, and the interest of large business owners is always in conflict with their employees. Business owners want to extract maximum value from workers for minimum pay.

It's unwise to think of business owners as left or right leaning, or to think their espoused politics are any indication of how they will act when push comes to shove. Owners are always perpetuating class war against workers.

Business have values and use politics to their advantage. Business owners are the same. Trying to eschew, or more directly what you're doing - excuse, the bad things people of a certain groups do while calling out anither isn't helpful.
My bad, I wasn't trying to excuse anything. Perhaps a better way to put it is that all business owners will use right-wing politics to their advantage, and to think that a purported "left-wing" owner of a large business will treat you better is naive in the long run.
> Most of the business owners in tech aren't right leaning

I disagree: tech leaders may be left-leaning on social issues, but they are not left-leaning fiscally. Corporate America as a whole - tech and media included (Fox, NYT, CNN, NBC) are center-right on fiscal issues. Tech companies may dress up their logos in Pride colors at the right times since that's free and earns goodwill.

Yeah, those right-leaning media companies and their constant bashing of the checks notes top 10% earners.
There's nothing that the right likes more than bashing lazy elites.
The lazy elites working 70+ hours per week? I must've missed all those smear campaigns against upper management, investment bankers, corporate lawyers etc.
Anything to stoke the “culture war”
All the while decrying "identity politics"
The source being WashU economists? Is that a right-wing think tank?
Well, do they say these numbers are statistically significant?