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This is something I've struggled with in the past too, my job is basically to put people out of a job by replacing them with software, and those people might th

This is something I've struggled with in the past too, my job is basically to put people out of a job by replacing them with software, and those people might then suffer because of it. I've come to the conclusion that it's not a moral failing on my behalf that people might suffer as they were replaced by code, but a failing of society. There's this belief that it's a sin to work less than full time from the cradle to the grave (minus a few years either side), that if you're not working then you're a sloth, you're lazy and you get what you deserve. More and more work is being automated, but there's still this pervasive belief that everyone needs to be gainfully employed. Instead, as manual jobs become automated, as a society we should be working less hours. The 40 hour week should become 30 hours, 20 hours. What's the point in making somebody dig holes and fill them back in (or the clerical equivalent), just to prove that they're "working" and useful? Menial unskilled labour for the sake of it is just wrong. My goal in life is to make myself redundant, to automate my own job away. If the programmers are out of work, then maybe we've reached utopia.

superhuzza 6y ago
> my job is basically to put people out of a job by replacing them with software, and those people might then suffer because of it. If you're gonna dig a hole, you can have 1 person use a digger, or you can have 100 people use spoons.
- Sohcahtoa82 6y ago
  Won't someone think of the spoon operators?!
gav 6y ago
> This is something I've struggled with in the past too, my job is basically to put people out of a job by replacing them with software, and those people might then suffer because of it. I spent five years working for a small company that was a scrappy startup, especially in how they thought about technology--everything was duct taped together and barely worked--but was cheap! At a high level, my job was to replace people with software. What I am proud of is that we didn't let anyone go, we just found something more valuable for them to do. When I started they had 4-5 people who's job was to spend 40 hours copy and pasting tracking numbers from one system to another. This was automated and they were able to move to roles that actually helped customers. I think my (apologies for taking a while to get there) point is that you can look at digitization and automation as a cost cutting exercise to improve the bottom line or instead view it as a way to invest in and improve the customer experience. Information Technology as margin-defense is a short-term benefit, while IT as a value-driver is a long-term one. "offensive operations, often times, is the surest, if not the only (in some cases) means of defence" --George Washington
- KineticLensman 6y ago
  > you can look at digitization and automation as a cost cutting exercise to improve the bottom line or instead view it as a way to invest in and improve the customer experience Also as a way of 'getting rid of the boring bits' of a task allowing system users to spend more time on tasks that add value to the business and / or the customers.
- tehjoker 6y ago
  This is the consequence of production being oriented towards people who are not the producers. In previous economic systems, what you produced was yours and the more you produced in a given interval, the fewer hours you had to put in to reach subsistence. In our mode of production, incentives are geared towards producing more and more with less and less with no natural endpoint.
moksly 6y ago
> I've come to the conclusion that it's not a moral failing on my behalf that people might suffer as they were replaced by code, but a failing of society. I mean no disrespect, and I’ve felt/feel this too, but I’m scared it falls in under the old punk saying of “the guilty don’t feel guilty, they learn not to”.

superhuzza 6y ago

> my job is basically to put people out of a job by replacing them with software, and those people might then suffer because of it. If you're gonna dig a hole, you can have 1 person use a digger, or you can have 100 people use spoons.

Sohcahtoa82 6y ago
Won't someone think of the spoon operators?!

gav 6y ago

> This is something I've struggled with in the past too, my job is basically to put people out of a job by replacing them with software, and those people might then suffer because of it. I spent five years working for a small company that was a scrappy startup, especially in how they thought about technology--everything was duct taped together and barely worked--but was cheap! At a high level, my job was to replace people with software. What I am proud of is that we didn't let anyone go, we just found something more valuable for them to do. When I started they had 4-5 people who's job was to spend 40 hours copy and pasting tracking numbers from one system to another. This was automated and they were able to move to roles that actually helped customers. I think my (apologies for taking a while to get there) point is that you can look at digitization and automation as a cost cutting exercise to improve the bottom line or instead view it as a way to invest in and improve the customer experience. Information Technology as margin-defense is a short-term benefit, while IT as a value-driver is a long-term one. "offensive operations, often times, is the surest, if not the only (in some cases) means of defence" --George Washington

KineticLensman 6y ago
> you can look at digitization and automation as a cost cutting exercise to improve the bottom line or instead view it as a way to invest in and improve the customer experience Also as a way of 'getting rid of the boring bits' of a task allowing system users to spend more time on tasks that add value to the business and / or the customers.
tehjoker 6y ago
This is the consequence of production being oriented towards people who are not the producers. In previous economic systems, what you produced was yours and the more you produced in a given interval, the fewer hours you had to put in to reach subsistence. In our mode of production, incentives are geared towards producing more and more with less and less with no natural endpoint.

moksly 6y ago

> I've come to the conclusion that it's not a moral failing on my behalf that people might suffer as they were replaced by code, but a failing of society. I mean no disrespect, and I’ve felt/feel this too, but I’m scared it falls in under the old punk saying of “the guilty don’t feel guilty, they learn not to”.