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> This article really highlights how odd our methods of valuing output are. Ultimately if someone is idling for 6 years because they've written a program to do

by ardy42 8y ago

> This article really highlights how odd our methods of valuing output are. Ultimately if someone is idling for 6 years because they've written a program to do their job for them, who cares? They are delivering the same output which hopefully the company deemed was valued at X amount BECAUSE it delivers Y amount of profit/returns. Their boss cares. This is capitalism, and capitalist ethics say you should be fired if you're idling and not continuing to actively labor for the boss anymore. She's not getting anything in return for your salary. You more than likely signed away all rights to the fruits of your labor when you took the job. That means "your" automation is really your boss's capital, and you have no rights to be perpetually compensated for it. So, if you ever automate your own job, don't tell anyone. Also make sure to make your automation so arcane and impenetrable that no one else can hope to use it.

gehsty 8y ago
I think it means that your job should then become automating aspects of the business, then maintaining these automations. Your labour becomes automating.
- ardy42 8y ago
  > I think it means that your job should then become automating aspects of the business, then maintaining these automations. Your labour becomes automating. More realistically: as a laborer, you shouldn't put in extra effort to automate your job away, because the benefits will likely be kept from you, for the most part. They might throw you a bone as a reward, but a bones are leftovers. They'll keep the meat for themselves. This kind of automation is properly understood as a kind of charity for the people who need it least. The appeal of automating away your job is the freedom it seems to bring to the automator, but that's an illusion. You'll remain a laborer until you're put in a position to go live under a bridge, which is a freedom you've always had. If you want to openly automate away your job, you want to be a software engineer. At a minimum, negotiate a software engineer's salary from you employer before you start that work. However, if you can manage it, it's better for you to start a company to license the automation back in perpetuity.
crankylinuxuser 8y ago
> This is capitalism, and capitalist ethics say... Wrong. Capitalism has no ethics. The only 'ethic' it may have is "Make money and resources". Humans are secondary. Ethics are secondary. The environment/public commons is secondary. Even the laws are secondary, given the fine is less than the gain.
gerbilly 8y ago
>That means "your" automation is really your boss's capital, and you have no rights to be perpetually compensated for it. That is the crux right there. If you automate something and don't tell your boss then you have cheated the capital owning class out of their right to all capital.

by ardy42 8y ago

gehsty 8y ago

I think it means that your job should then become automating aspects of the business, then maintaining these automations. Your labour becomes automating.

ardy42 8y ago
> I think it means that your job should then become automating aspects of the business, then maintaining these automations. Your labour becomes automating. More realistically: as a laborer, you shouldn't put in extra effort to automate your job away, because the benefits will likely be kept from you, for the most part. They might throw you a bone as a reward, but a bones are leftovers. They'll keep the meat for themselves. This kind of automation is properly understood as a kind of charity for the people who need it least. The appeal of automating away your job is the freedom it seems to bring to the automator, but that's an illusion. You'll remain a laborer until you're put in a position to go live under a bridge, which is a freedom you've always had. If you want to openly automate away your job, you want to be a software engineer. At a minimum, negotiate a software engineer's salary from you employer before you start that work. However, if you can manage it, it's better for you to start a company to license the automation back in perpetuity.

crankylinuxuser 8y ago

> This is capitalism, and capitalist ethics say... Wrong. Capitalism has no ethics. The only 'ethic' it may have is "Make money and resources". Humans are secondary. Ethics are secondary. The environment/public commons is secondary. Even the laws are secondary, given the fine is less than the gain.

gerbilly 8y ago

>That means "your" automation is really your boss's capital, and you have no rights to be perpetually compensated for it. That is the crux right there. If you automate something and don't tell your boss then you have cheated the capital owning class out of their right to all capital.