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by probablybetter 595 days ago
I would say that bad ideas are having a heyday across all economic sectors, not only tech. You could call it the epoch of bad ideas having a heyday, if you want.

One has to be careful around opportunistic gold-rushes; if one is not actively purveying gold, one may be getting rushed.

4 comments

Business as a whole is becoming much more unfriendly to labor. They're realizing that perceived external threats like temporary recessions, AI labor, a threatened US dollar, etc, can give them continuous leverage in any labor discussions and they're pressing the advantage for all that they can.

If the US sets a debt ceiling and inevitably hits it (based on past performance), the ensuing devaluation of the dollar may lead to an even stronger form of corporatism that makes such power plays about wages, hours worked, and work conditions look relatively tame.

Yup, that's part of the supposed "Gen Z is lazy" mentality they try to spread. While making them jump more hoops than ever for "entry level" jobs that has less buying power that may not even pay rent. And no pension/social secutity to even try to reel the few in that do that.

People may not all be financial experts, but they can do basic math and realize none of this makes sense.

>If the US sets a debt ceiling and inevitably hits it (based on past performance), the ensuing devaluation of the dollar may lead to an even stronger form of corporatism that makes such power plays about wages, hours worked, and work conditions look relatively tame.

2 years ago we were starting to properly talk about 32 hour workweeks. Sad how quickly things can go backwards. Really hope America isn't stupid and tries to go the Greece route with this inevitable crisis.

Gen Z support of unions is highest of all generational strata. They know what’s up.

https://www.americanprogress.org/article/the-closing-gender-...

Business has been hostile to labor for quite some time.

What's changed in the last few years is a new focus on bringing white collar labor to heel.

So it's new for businesses to be expected to try to make their deals turn out well primarily for themselves?
No, it's 'much more unfriendly', if you would read again.
Then you tell someone to start their own business so they can treat their workers the way they deserve to be treated, then you get a bunch of excuses about why that is impossible! I guess there is just a conspiracy from every business to prevent honest people from being in charge
I work for a company which treats workers very well and the company is doing very well themselves. Of course it's possible; don't let anyone tell you it isn't.
Assuming you do that you'll still get vc forcing a different treatment.
No one is required to take VC.
They are if they don't have capital.
Many bootstrap business owners did it somehow without a VC...
I’m okay with the value of the dollar drastically decreasing. In fact, I think it will naturally do so due to the high debt and labor becoming more expensive in other countries.

I think it would be good for U.S. workers as it will help make them more competitive in a global labor market.

ANY call to set a debt ceiling needs to be directly tied to converting all for-profit corporations into public-benefit corporations.

That doesn't restrict corporations from generating profit. It just balances how they use said profits.

"Fixing" the national debt problem by putting a ceiling on it without addressing one of the main contributors to the current state of government spending and quality of life in America is a recipe for disaster.

It's okay to rip the band-aid off, but only if you're ready to deal with what may be a mortal wound.

I’m not following. What does setting a debt ceiling have to do with making for profit corporations public benefit ?

What’s the main contributor to the current government spending ?

Look at all of the major government spending and determine who benefits most and where funds are sent. If the recipient of funds is a corporation, also review how their profits are spent and which humans eventually profit from that.
> I would say that bad ideas are having a heyday across all economic sectors, not only tech.

At least there probably won't be another eMeringue this time?

1. As things get more technologically advanced/complex, the number of people who can tell you that a bad idea is bad keeps diminishing. Crypto and blockchain are classic examples. Financial experts told you crypto is going nowhere. Database experts told you blockchain is a nothingburger. But they were drowned out by the sea of laypeople (or experts in other things) telling you how crypto and blockchain would become the bedrock of tomorrow's society.

2. It is now common knowledge that one can become adequately rich from working on or investing in bad ideas, to the point where an idea isn't even considered bad if you can grift investor money from it. In other terms, it's no longer taboo to scam people richer or stupider than you; it's just "hustling".

We all lost our minds during COVID. That's just what happens when you don't have people around who can can check your ideas.