We need to break up big tech

[ygolo]

Millennial and Gen Z employees are rejecting assignments, turning down offers, and seeking purpose. Here's what they expect of their employers, according to Deloitte’s latest survey | Fortune

Nearly 4 in 10 respondents said they have rejected work assignments due to ethical concerns–and more than a third have turned down employers.

fortune.com

Pretty all the big tech companies have engaged in questionable behavior, if not outright exploitation of workers or people in general.

It may be that Amazon's exploitation is of warehouse workers and not their software people. It may be that Apple strong arms their overseas factories to exploit and abuse their sweat shop workers. Meta Microsoft, and Alphabet may have great projects that have the potential to move humanity forward, but it's hard to deny how social media has eroded the fabric of society.

Big Tech has a monopsony on tech work (and lots of other types of work also).

We need alternatives to them for places to work. But it's difficult to get away in any meaningful form.

Edit: Again it isn't a generational thing. It's a we-all-got-fed-up-during-their-coming-of-age thing. That's all workers of all ages.

 

[ceecee]

Millennial and Gen Z employees are rejecting assignments, turning down offers, and seeking purpose. Here's what they expect of their employers, according to Deloitte’s latest survey | Fortune

Nearly 4 in 10 respondents said they have rejected work assignments due to ethical concerns–and more than a third have turned down employers.

fortune.com

Pretty all the big tech companies have engaged in questionable behavior, if not outright exploitation of workers or people in general.

It may be that Amazon's exploitation is of warehouse workers and not their software people. It may be that Apple strong arms their overseas factories to exploit and abuse their sweat shop workers. Meta Microsoft, and Alphabet may have great projects that have the potential to move humanity forward, but it's hard to deny how social media has eroded the fabric of society.

Big Tech has a monopsony on tech work (and lots of other types of work also).

We need alternatives to them for places to work. But it's difficult to get away in any meaningful form.

Edit: Again it isn't a generational thing. It's a we-all-got-fed-up-during-their-coming-of-age thing. That's all workers of all ages.

Completely agree.

 

[ygolo]

This is the part of AI that's really scary, and quiet frankly rises to the level of "existential" risk (since they happen to be part of the elites the tech bros feel like they'll live out their lives, but the species still ends because it won't be affordable to live.)

We're going to glitch, spam, scam, and abuse humanity(starting with the most vulnerable) to death long before we build skynet or create a paperclip maximizer.

 

[ygolo]

A couple of things came up in my awareness over the last couple weeks.

The writers/actors strike is still a thing, and people have been giving SAG-AFTRA a lot of guff. It turns out that the other side is not negotiation in good faith at all.

I know youtube creators have started their own youtube like platform called nebula. Maybe SAG-AFTRA can set up their own studio and streaming service? I know Marvel started making a killing after striking out on their own (an are now declining under the umbrella of Disney). I also feel like there would be a lot of open-source minded software people who would stand in solidarity to help SAG-AFTRA make the tech.

AI can be used to replace the bosses just as much as it can be used to replace the workers. I think this should be more of a thing. TBH, "AI" is just a buzzword, sometimes the best bosses are just not having them at all. Quite frankly automation (and frankly efficient elimination) would be amazing for the type of work most managers do (see the notion of Bullshit Jobs:Taskmasters)

 

[ygolo]

Sara Nelson clearly seems gen X, not millennial or gen Z. She worked 4 jobs at one point.

As someone who has at one point lived out of a suitcase for entry level work, and have had to work 3 jobs at times, I relate.

Unions have been with us for such a long time.

 

[ygolo]

California state scientists authorize first-ever strike. Will workers walk off the job?

State scientists had never voted in favor of a strike in their union’s 40-year history.

news.yahoo.com

Part of the issue is that California has unlivable levels of unaffordability.

 

[ygolo]

California state scientists authorize first-ever strike. Will workers walk off the job?

State scientists had never voted in favor of a strike in their union’s 40-year history.

news.yahoo.com

Part of the issue is that California has unlivable levels of unaffordability.

Note: There are probably well paid scientists who don't have to struggle like this. But people strike out of solidarity with people who are getting mistreated by those who can get away with it.

I am reminded of this scene in the comedy SuperStore after corporate sent ICE after an undocumented immigrant to bust up any talk about unions.

Edit: Also, regarding the legality of state workers striking.

https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/perb.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/20230823163014/decision-2867m.pdf

Headnote for 2867M, 301.01 – In General - California Public Employment Relations Board

perb.ca.gov

strikes by public employees are not unlawful at common law unless or until it is clearly demonstrated that such a strike creates a substantial and imminent threat to the health or safety of the public.

 

[Totenkindly]

What's up with this?

It looks like Musk interfered unilaterally with a Ukraine attack against Russian. That seems like a lot of power for one man to have who is not a representative of any government and who simply has money.

Musk says he refused Kyiv request for Starlink use in attack on Russia

Elon Musk said he refused a Ukrainian request to activate his Starlink satellite network in Crimea's port city of Sevastopol last year to aid an attack on Russia's fleet there.

www.reuters.com

 

[The Cat]

What's up with this?

It looks like Musk interfered unilaterally with a Ukraine attack against Russian. That seems like a lot of power for one man to have who is not a representative of any government and who simply has money.

Musk says he refused Kyiv request for Starlink use in attack on Russia

Elon Musk said he refused a Ukrainian request to activate his Starlink satellite network in Crimea's port city of Sevastopol last year to aid an attack on Russia's fleet there.

www.reuters.com

especially when he's known for making such well thought out selfless non wackadoo choices in life.

 

[Julius_Van_Der_Beak]

I can't believe I used to think Elon Musk was cool; I used to see it as promoting an optimistic view of the future like they had in the 80s and 90s.

These days? I'll be very surprised if we make it to cyberpunk dystopia.

What Are Robot Bees?

Robot bees are machines designed to mimic the work of actual bees. They are most commonly used in pollination, but can be used to monitor hive health as well.

builtin.com

No incentive for any of the people in power to reverse course or choose a different path, either.

 

[Totenkindly]

Great. I gotta say, Invasion by Robot Bees Destroying Wildflowers wasn't on my cataclysm bingo card.

 

[The Cat]

Great. I gotta say, Invasion by Robot Bees Destroying Wildflowers wasn't on my cataclysm bingo card.

Im pretty sure that's actually a villain in the Flash. He who controls the robot bees controls the world.

 

[Totenkindly]

Im pretty sure that's actually a villain in the Flash. He who controls the robot bees controls the world.

that's the buzz, anyway

 

[The Cat]

that's the buzz, anyway

Sounds like a honey of a deal.

 

[Totenkindly]

Sounds like a honey of a deal.

Hive five!!!

 

[ygolo]

What's up with this?

It looks like Musk interfered unilaterally with a Ukraine attack against Russian. That seems like a lot of power for one man to have who is not a representative of any government and who simply has money.

Musk says he refused Kyiv request for Starlink use in attack on Russia

Elon Musk said he refused a Ukrainian request to activate his Starlink satellite network in Crimea's port city of Sevastopol last year to aid an attack on Russia's fleet there.

www.reuters.com

I do always wonder what I would do if placed in a situation like this though. I've done a bit of DoD contracting before, and I try to make sure it is in the helping support soldiers and veterans with life-saving tech side of things. We can't always guarantee how the things we develop are used, however.

 

[ceecee]

I do always wonder what I would do if placed in a situation like this though. I've done a bit of DoD contracting before, and I try to make sure it is in the helping support soldiers and veterans with life-saving tech side of things. We can't always guarantee how the things we develop are used, however.

MFer might end up having an accident. Hopefully he takes this cunt with him.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1701658625280704599

 

[ygolo]

MFer might end up having an accident. Hopefully he takes this cunt with him.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1701658625280704599

Seriously, some decision makers would be better if replaced with a dart board or ouigi board. This especially true if their work relies on speculation and windfalls.

Every one of Tim Gurners Employees should leave at once.

All his renters and leasers etc. need to dump him. The amount of economic deviation he's calling for requires him to be destitute for a couple decades for some perspective.

 

[The Cat]

Seriously, some decision makers would be better if replaced with a dart board or ouigi board. This especially true if their work relies on speculation and windfalls.

Every one of Tim Gurners Employees should leave at once.

All his renters and leasers etc. need to dump him. The amount of economic deviation he's calling for requires him to be destitute for a couple decades for some perspective.

hell he wouldnt be able to hack a regular paying nine to five without folding.

 

[ygolo]

Whatever your political leanings I feel that this talk is something to take seriously:

If you automatically accept or automatically reject all the things that are said because of who is saying it, I would seriously doubt your critical thinking tendencies.

Regulatory capture and the revolving doors of politics and industry are indeed a problem in my mind.

The issue is that regulatory capture happens on both the increasing regulations and decreasing regulations swings of the pendulum. It's like a ratchet mechanism squeezing the life out of the public in favor of elites.

Teachers unions and nurses unions are playing the game because they have to (see bullshit jobs:goons). Imagine, instead, if only the big corporate goons were allowed to play (like in telecom) instead of something more for the people and workers instead.

You can check out:
https://www.opensecrets.org/

Whether you believe media bias fact check or not, here is a cross-reference:

Center for Responsive Politics (Open Secrets) - Bias and Credibility

LEAST BIASED These sources have minimal bias and use very few loaded words (wording that attempts to influence an audience by appealing to emotion or

mediabiasfactcheck.com

How do you de-escalate? How do you make regulations sensible instead of being captured?