4 ms·

In Europe the McDonalds I have been to already have screen everywhere where you can order food. There still seems to be a bunch of people working there. I thin

In Europe the McDonalds I have been to already have screen everywhere where you can order food. There still seems to be a bunch of people working there. I think this might is problem with automation. If you automate everything and you hire no people then who will buy your products. I think its why Henry Ford paid his people so well. So they could buy cars.

elsurudo 9y ago
Yeah, but each company just thinks in isolation. It's a bit of a prisoner's dilemma.
- samfisher83 9y ago
  Edit: I think my comment was misunderstood.
  - harryh 9y ago
    This is wrong. From the perspective of, say, 200 years ago everything has been automated. But everyone definitely hasn't lost. It's actually the opposite. Automation makes us all better off.
  - elsurudo 9y ago
    Exactly right.
    - pc86 9y ago
      Please actually provide substantive content to the discussion or don't comment.
  - jnwatson 9y ago
    Yes, but if only all the fast food restaurants automate, only a small part of demand is lost. Clearly, it is optimal strategy to automate because other industries will take longer to automate.
danielfoster 9y ago
Henry Ford paid a high wage because his new assembly line concept required specialization. It would be highly inefficient to constantly rehire and retrain works. One worker missing probably had a much greater financial impact in Ford factories than in other car factories at the time. Henry Ford would have automated if he could.
harryh 9y ago
That Henry Ford story is apocryphal. If you think about it, it doesn't really make any sense.
- elsurudo 9y ago
  Maybe, but he was a bit of an idealist and has strong thoughts about how people should and how society should be structured. And the resources to make a noticeable change. HAve you heard of Fordlandia? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fordlândia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fordlândia
zitterbewegung 9y ago
Just because a lot of people are working at McDonalds does not mean that the automation has not replaced people's jobs. For example there are a lot of people that work in a law firm but there are no secretaries typing up what someone else is dictating.

elsurudo 9y ago

Yeah, but each company just thinks in isolation. It's a bit of a prisoner's dilemma.

samfisher83 9y ago
Edit: I think my comment was misunderstood.
- harryh 9y ago
  This is wrong. From the perspective of, say, 200 years ago everything has been automated. But everyone definitely hasn't lost. It's actually the opposite. Automation makes us all better off.
- elsurudo 9y ago
  Exactly right.
  - pc86 9y ago
    Please actually provide substantive content to the discussion or don't comment.
- jnwatson 9y ago
  Yes, but if only all the fast food restaurants automate, only a small part of demand is lost. Clearly, it is optimal strategy to automate because other industries will take longer to automate.

danielfoster 9y ago

Henry Ford paid a high wage because his new assembly line concept required specialization. It would be highly inefficient to constantly rehire and retrain works. One worker missing probably had a much greater financial impact in Ford factories than in other car factories at the time. Henry Ford would have automated if he could.

harryh 9y ago

That Henry Ford story is apocryphal. If you think about it, it doesn't really make any sense.

elsurudo 9y ago
Maybe, but he was a bit of an idealist and has strong thoughts about how people should and how society should be structured. And the resources to make a noticeable change. HAve you heard of Fordlandia? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fordlândia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fordlândia

zitterbewegung 9y ago

Just because a lot of people are working at McDonalds does not mean that the automation has not replaced people's jobs. For example there are a lot of people that work in a law firm but there are no secretaries typing up what someone else is dictating.