[bluegatty]

Don't like to go against everyone but this not particularly well written.

It's a long winding absurdist metaphorical tale, that is really more or less a rant. It's not particularly well grounded.

It's a nice piece of personalized fiction, but it's not particularly good writing and nothing approaching what we'd think of as 'journalism'.

[nchagnet]

Maybe 'journalism' wasn't the best suggestion by the OP but I have to disagree with the rest of your message. It may be a rant, or less pejoratively it may be a cry for help of someone seeing their industry's future, but I can't accept that it's not well written.

When is the last time you opened an HN comment section and the main comment was that people enjoyed the writing quality? Maybe it says more about what we usually read as a crowd, but to me this was a breath of fresh air, it was engaging but also quite deep at times.

I think the mark of great writing is that it makes an impression on you, on others, in a way casual writing doesn't. At least that's my take on this.

[bluegatty]

I commented only because I didn't think it was particularly well written, and I found the threaD to be full of people commenting on how well written it was.

It's highly personalized and interesting, but I wouldn't call it well written.

As a personal bit of art - 'thumbs up', but anything else is overstated.

But more appropriately, the nihilism on this thread is unhinged.

"seeing their industry's future" ???

I'm seeing people empowered to do the most spectacular things that they have ever done in their lives.

Software hiring on the aggregate is up, job postings are up, people are doing more, non-developers get to tinker.

Speculative money is coming into the industry for people to try wild new things.

The implied reality in the story is totally detached from reality.

Surely - there is a movement of people who lament a sense of loss of control, but that's normal with change.

There are also people in crappy jobs with crappy bosses in crappy companies doing crappy things - but that's not a feature of AI or the industry, in fact, software is a pretty good place, relatively speaking.

As I said, this is a reflection of someone's state of mind, mood, being interpreted as some kind of metaphor, but it just doesn't line up with reality in general. A personal reality sure, but that's not a reflection of the community.

[lproven]

> I didn't think it was particularly well written, and I found the threaD to be full of people commenting on how well written it was.

Here is a thought that seems not to have occurred to you.

All these people saying it's good. You commented multiple times to say you disagree and think it is bad.

Maybe that means you do not get it. Maybe the problem here is you and your reading and your lack of comprehension. Maybe the problem is not in the article and the way the article is written.

[lelanthran]

> I commented only because I didn't think it was particularly well written, and I found the threaD to be full of people commenting on how well written it was.

While "well-written" is subjective, the bar for "well-written" is whether people enjoyed reading it and the author managed to deliver his message.

I'm now very curious what bar you personally use for well-written, because it obviously differs from the majority of the people in this thread.

[nchagnet]

> A personal reality sure, but that's not a reflection of the community.

You say, to the community, as it describes how it relates to the message.

You may not agree with it, but surely this thread among many should show you this view is not fringe or denial, but how a strong segment feels. I concede it's a divisive topic, some people feel optimistic, others less so. I myself don't fully know where I stand. I just don't agree with branding all of this as "unhinged nihilism".

[Izkata]

I read it as a comment on how bad journalism is nowadays, with the extensive prose instead of getting to the point.

[hsuduebc2]

Indeed I should use "writer" instead.

[Brian_K_White]

It's not absurdist. It's shining a light on something that actually exists and is absurd.

[bluegatty]

It only 'shines light' on the mental disposition of the author.

[stevenlangbroek]

hi, author here. what mental disposition would that be?

[bluegatty]

Whatever your mental disposition is.

The writing is an expression of a state of mind through an absurdist voice, not any kind of reasonable articulation of reality. It's at least a much about the lens as it is the subject. Which is fine, if we ingest it roughly from that purview.

[stevenlangbroek]

the writing is a tribute to a 2014 similar article, based on my experiences since. it is absolutely a reasonable articulation of reality, although through a sarcastic or satirical lens. you might have different experiences, that doesn't invalidate mine.

[bluegatty]

your experiences (and probably mine as well) are not a reflection of the general reality of the industry - that's the root of the problem; the writing is a projection, not a reality. The writing is fine (even good) as a personal story, not in the manner in which people here seem to be interpreting it.

[stevenlangbroek]

i dunno. i'm happy to read in the comments here (and elsewhere) that my experience is not unique, many others have similar experiences and are going through the same feelings: grief. i think we're allowed to grieve, don't you?

[Brian_K_White]

I think there is another "mental disposition" in need of some examination.

[rdslw]

Thank you for writing this and your below longer comment.

I printed them with OP to remind me any time i’m afraid somebody can criticize my work and that it’s not worth to produce/write/publish.

no matter how good, there will always be people like you here, so no need to worry.

[cube00]

I could have done without the five paragraphs of the ship analogy.