4 ms·

I always found it odd that people expect tech companies to be leaning either way. Their goal is to be as good friends with whoever has power as possible. If th

by moksly 6y ago

I always found it odd that people expect tech companies to be leaning either way. Their goal is to be as good friends with whoever has power as possible. If they cared about ethics they wouldn’t have the supply chains or be in the markets they are. Of course they cozied up to Trump, why wouldn’t they? The only reason Facebook is pretending to take democracy and truth seriously now, is because they have data that tells them they need new political friends post November.

krapp 6y ago
Not many people really did until the ousters of Brendan Eich and James Damore sort of kickstarted the narrative that tech companies are universally dominated by left-wing activists (despite the strong right-libertarian capitalist streak in startup culture.)
- im3w1l 6y ago
  The cynic in my thinks that the previous libertarian policies were the bait needed to get people to hand over control over their lives and allow their friendships to be intermediated, and the new authoritarian policies are the hook.
  - krapp 6y ago
    The cynic in me thinks that's a convenient pretense to maintain belief in a vast left-wing conspiracy despite evidence to the contrary.
    - im3w1l 6y ago
      I think it's more about being a power broker than left-wing ideology.
- laurent92 6y ago
  Startups can be libertarian (small people believe in free market because it has been the source of their development) while superbig startups become left-wing: - Inside a company, comically the communist model prevails. Everything is shared, and decisions to produce for another department are not exchanged for money nor compared on the free market. Left-leaning employees fit the internal structure of large companies, where things are more managed by paperwork than talent. - A sufficiently large company has an interest in a heavy government, for example to prevent entry of competitors (that is an underestimated effect of GDPR), to control norms, or even simply to look good. A libertarian government is of no advantage to Google. The best demonstration is MS in 1998: A libertarian company is also of no advantage to a government. It’s a well-known fact in rightwing scene that SMBs and craftsmanship people are right-leaning, as free market is the process by which medium classes have a chance of becoming rich, whereas regulated market is the process by which the rich stay rich.
- inglor_cz 6y ago
  This graph shows overwhelming financial support of big tech employees for Democrats: https://www.vox.com/2018/10/31/18039528/tech-employees-politics-liberal-employers-candidates https://www.vox.com/2018/10/31/18039528/tech-employees-polit...
  - krapp 6y ago
    Employees don't determine the policies or agenda of a company, nor do they donate to political parties on behalf of or at the behest of their employer (at least not legally.) And that same article claims that donations by those tech companies' own political action committees favored Republicans. At best it shows that individuals donate based on personal political ideology, and that tech hub demographics favor the left over the right, whereas the companies themselves donate in order to further their business interests, rather than a politically activist agenda.
    - dmingod666 6y ago
      "Employees don't determine the policies or agenda of a company" - No other industry has employees playing activists at their jobs than technology. What do you think the Spotify employees are trying to do with the whole Joe Rogan thing.
      - krapp 6y ago
        >No other industry has employees playing activists at their jobs than technology. I take it you're unaware of the existence of unions or feminists or people of color or the disabled, then, because plenty of industries have had their share of politically active employees.
    - inglor_cz 6y ago
      "Employees don't determine the policies or agenda of a company" There are some interesting exceptions. Thousands of employees had objected to Google's involvement with Project Maven. Project got cancelled. https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/google-project-maven-cancelled-military-ai-drones-pentagon-a8379821.html https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/ne...
deleted 6y ago
[deleted]

by moksly 6y ago

krapp 6y ago

Not many people really did until the ousters of Brendan Eich and James Damore sort of kickstarted the narrative that tech companies are universally dominated by left-wing activists (despite the strong right-libertarian capitalist streak in startup culture.)

im3w1l 6y ago
The cynic in my thinks that the previous libertarian policies were the bait needed to get people to hand over control over their lives and allow their friendships to be intermediated, and the new authoritarian policies are the hook.
- krapp 6y ago
  The cynic in me thinks that's a convenient pretense to maintain belief in a vast left-wing conspiracy despite evidence to the contrary.
  - im3w1l 6y ago
    I think it's more about being a power broker than left-wing ideology.
laurent92 6y ago
Startups can be libertarian (small people believe in free market because it has been the source of their development) while superbig startups become left-wing: - Inside a company, comically the communist model prevails. Everything is shared, and decisions to produce for another department are not exchanged for money nor compared on the free market. Left-leaning employees fit the internal structure of large companies, where things are more managed by paperwork than talent. - A sufficiently large company has an interest in a heavy government, for example to prevent entry of competitors (that is an underestimated effect of GDPR), to control norms, or even simply to look good. A libertarian government is of no advantage to Google. The best demonstration is MS in 1998: A libertarian company is also of no advantage to a government. It’s a well-known fact in rightwing scene that SMBs and craftsmanship people are right-leaning, as free market is the process by which medium classes have a chance of becoming rich, whereas regulated market is the process by which the rich stay rich.
inglor_cz 6y ago
This graph shows overwhelming financial support of big tech employees for Democrats: https://www.vox.com/2018/10/31/18039528/tech-employees-politics-liberal-employers-candidates https://www.vox.com/2018/10/31/18039528/tech-employees-polit...
- krapp 6y ago
  Employees don't determine the policies or agenda of a company, nor do they donate to political parties on behalf of or at the behest of their employer (at least not legally.) And that same article claims that donations by those tech companies' own political action committees favored Republicans. At best it shows that individuals donate based on personal political ideology, and that tech hub demographics favor the left over the right, whereas the companies themselves donate in order to further their business interests, rather than a politically activist agenda.
  - dmingod666 6y ago
    "Employees don't determine the policies or agenda of a company" - No other industry has employees playing activists at their jobs than technology. What do you think the Spotify employees are trying to do with the whole Joe Rogan thing.
    - krapp 6y ago
      >No other industry has employees playing activists at their jobs than technology. I take it you're unaware of the existence of unions or feminists or people of color or the disabled, then, because plenty of industries have had their share of politically active employees.
  - inglor_cz 6y ago
    "Employees don't determine the policies or agenda of a company" There are some interesting exceptions. Thousands of employees had objected to Google's involvement with Project Maven. Project got cancelled. https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/google-project-maven-cancelled-military-ai-drones-pentagon-a8379821.html https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/ne...

deleted 6y ago

[deleted]