4 ms·

This discussion has already devolved into a war of slogans and soapboxing. It's barely been an hour. I can't really blame HN. The article focuses on minimum wa

This discussion has already devolved into a war of slogans and soapboxing. It's barely been an hour. I can't really blame HN. The article focuses on minimum wage and largely blames it for automation, and the author is under the impression that it's still possible to go from working the register to CEO. This is not a good article. It lacks any insight or perspective.

mattmurdog 8y ago
It was an article written by the CEO of McD!
- rainbowmverse 8y ago
  Someone conceived in a McDonalds restroom the last time he was its CEO would almost be able to drink legally in most US states now. The US was in the middle of an economic boom in 1997. He does not have a relevant perspective.
  - two2two 8y ago
    In other words, he's retired. [0][1] [0] https://www.forbes.com/sites/edrensi/#1d054af5bf6f https://www.forbes.com/sites/edrensi/#1d054af5bf6f [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ed_Rensi https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ed_Rensi
  - edanm 8y ago
    I think there's a big difference between "he was CEO 20 years ago" and "he does not have a relevant perspective". He has at least as relevant a perspective as any commenter here, though of course I believe he has way more relevant experience, having been the CEO of McDonalds. If you think he didn't face anything like these kinds of issues, you're wrong.
    - deleted 8y ago
      [deleted]
- loco5niner 8y ago
  Former CEO, but yes.
calyth2018 8y ago
Even his attempt to relate his own experiences was pretty poor. He was a grill man, which had some modicum of skill that a fast food patron would pay for. Unlike a decade ago, most people have grown accustomed to data entry on a machine. Progressing to a self-serve order kiosk, or even order on a phone and send it to the restaurant before you step in is inevitable. Some of the McDonalds do offer table service. If this CEO is bleeding-heart about young labourers that he employs could simply retrain them for that task and/or convert them to kitchen staff to better handle the foot + drive through traffic. But at the end, this is merely a fluff piece about how minimum wages are bad.
asdsa5325 8y ago
> the author is under the impression that it's still possible to go from working the register to CEO. Unlikely? Of course, but definitely possible.
- rainbowmverse 8y ago
  Someone's probably done a study of changes in the odds of this happening over the years.
  - asdsa5325 8y ago
    I'm not saying the odds are high. I'm just saying it is in fact possible.

mattmurdog 8y ago

It was an article written by the CEO of McD!

rainbowmverse 8y ago
Someone conceived in a McDonalds restroom the last time he was its CEO would almost be able to drink legally in most US states now. The US was in the middle of an economic boom in 1997. He does not have a relevant perspective.
- two2two 8y ago
  In other words, he's retired. [0][1] [0] https://www.forbes.com/sites/edrensi/#1d054af5bf6f https://www.forbes.com/sites/edrensi/#1d054af5bf6f [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ed_Rensi https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ed_Rensi
- edanm 8y ago
  I think there's a big difference between "he was CEO 20 years ago" and "he does not have a relevant perspective". He has at least as relevant a perspective as any commenter here, though of course I believe he has way more relevant experience, having been the CEO of McDonalds. If you think he didn't face anything like these kinds of issues, you're wrong.
  - deleted 8y ago
    [deleted]
loco5niner 8y ago
Former CEO, but yes.

calyth2018 8y ago

Even his attempt to relate his own experiences was pretty poor. He was a grill man, which had some modicum of skill that a fast food patron would pay for. Unlike a decade ago, most people have grown accustomed to data entry on a machine. Progressing to a self-serve order kiosk, or even order on a phone and send it to the restaurant before you step in is inevitable. Some of the McDonalds do offer table service. If this CEO is bleeding-heart about young labourers that he employs could simply retrain them for that task and/or convert them to kitchen staff to better handle the foot + drive through traffic. But at the end, this is merely a fluff piece about how minimum wages are bad.

asdsa5325 8y ago

> the author is under the impression that it's still possible to go from working the register to CEO. Unlikely? Of course, but definitely possible.

rainbowmverse 8y ago
Someone's probably done a study of changes in the odds of this happening over the years.
- asdsa5325 8y ago
  I'm not saying the odds are high. I'm just saying it is in fact possible.