3 ms·

Let's be honest about our tech industry privilege

16 points by lladnar 10y ago

nitwit005 10y ago
"Let's be honest" implies people are denying the perks of the jobs or living in the area. I haven't seen any such denial.
xupybd 10y ago
Not sure if gloating or apologising?
- ctvo 10y ago
  Maybe just badly written. A lot of words to describe something no one has contested and a mention of those without the privileges as an afterthought.
chair-law 10y ago
> It’s pretty clear all of the advantages we can possibly have in the S.F. tech scene. But what about the techies that don’t have it all? No one talks about the lack of privilege for black men and women, or for women in general. What about the people who went to state school for undergrad and never went to grad school? And the people who didn’t get into YC and are trying to raise money? I can empathize with this point. Coming from a state school, and parents who don't have a ton of money, I've found it challenging to break into a better paying job. I'm doing an internship with a pretty decent company. They are a giant bank, and our application is used by tens of millions & the work is enjoyable. However, just today I spoke with a new hire, and he only makes $85,000/yr. I am unsure if I should look for full-time work in another city like Raleigh, NC, where $85,000 would not seem like a compromise. I am just worried I won't be able to find as good of people to work with/ as interesting of work. I would love to get into a startup, but found all of the interviews I had at smaller companies to end with, "We do not feel you would be a good cultural fit." I am unsure if the solution is to just be less ambitious, and settle for what I have worked for.
internaut 10y ago
If the word privilege has a one to one correspondence to the word success, as in high profits and wages, then maybe the people who use the word privilege are asking the wrong questions. Maybe they should be asking why growth and wages are non-existent in areas outside of the tech industry. I mean if you had a solution to that it would lift all boats, right? Otherwise it just looks like the politics of envy to me and that just leaves a sour taste in people's mouths. I don't think this form of politics can even begin to work because frankly the profits of the tech industry are not high enough to help everybody suffering in this wage stagnation most people are affected by. To be perfectly honest when I hear the word 'privilege' it is difficult not to notice it nearly always coming from people who are only slightly less fortunate, if that is the right word, than tech sector employees. The hard truth is that the computer industry (and a small number of other industries, like fracking or solar) is just an oasis of success/privilege, call it what you will, in an ocean of misery and diminished expectations. This isn't the fault of geeks or venture capitalists. It is a much bigger systemic problem that even generous distribution of wealth cannot solve for.
- blackflame7000 10y ago
  I agree wholeheartedly with your sentiments. Its not like tech industry these days is some oligarchy of exclusion either. The knowledge to learn and break into the industry is literally at the fingertips of billions. It often feels like the people the people preaching about others privilege fail to see their own good fortune.

16 points by lladnar 10y ago

"Let's be honest" implies people are denying the perks of the jobs or living in the area. I haven't seen any such denial.

xupybd 10y ago

Not sure if gloating or apologising?

ctvo 10y ago
Maybe just badly written. A lot of words to describe something no one has contested and a mention of those without the privileges as an afterthought.

chair-law 10y ago

> It’s pretty clear all of the advantages we can possibly have in the S.F. tech scene. But what about the techies that don’t have it all? No one talks about the lack of privilege for black men and women, or for women in general. What about the people who went to state school for undergrad and never went to grad school? And the people who didn’t get into YC and are trying to raise money? I can empathize with this point. Coming from a state school, and parents who don't have a ton of money, I've found it challenging to break into a better paying job. I'm doing an internship with a pretty decent company. They are a giant bank, and our application is used by tens of millions & the work is enjoyable. However, just today I spoke with a new hire, and he only makes $85,000/yr. I am unsure if I should look for full-time work in another city like Raleigh, NC, where $85,000 would not seem like a compromise. I am just worried I won't be able to find as good of people to work with/ as interesting of work. I would love to get into a startup, but found all of the interviews I had at smaller companies to end with, "We do not feel you would be a good cultural fit." I am unsure if the solution is to just be less ambitious, and settle for what I have worked for.

internaut 10y ago

If the word privilege has a one to one correspondence to the word success, as in high profits and wages, then maybe the people who use the word privilege are asking the wrong questions. Maybe they should be asking why growth and wages are non-existent in areas outside of the tech industry. I mean if you had a solution to that it would lift all boats, right? Otherwise it just looks like the politics of envy to me and that just leaves a sour taste in people's mouths. I don't think this form of politics can even begin to work because frankly the profits of the tech industry are not high enough to help everybody suffering in this wage stagnation most people are affected by. To be perfectly honest when I hear the word 'privilege' it is difficult not to notice it nearly always coming from people who are only slightly less fortunate, if that is the right word, than tech sector employees. The hard truth is that the computer industry (and a small number of other industries, like fracking or solar) is just an oasis of success/privilege, call it what you will, in an ocean of misery and diminished expectations. This isn't the fault of geeks or venture capitalists. It is a much bigger systemic problem that even generous distribution of wealth cannot solve for.

blackflame7000 10y ago
I agree wholeheartedly with your sentiments. Its not like tech industry these days is some oligarchy of exclusion either. The knowledge to learn and break into the industry is literally at the fingertips of billions. It often feels like the people the people preaching about others privilege fail to see their own good fortune.