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> Is it better or more efficient for the people who assemble the phones? yes. Factory work is better than subsistence farming. And big tech has done 100x mor

> Is it better or more efficient for the people who assemble the phones? yes. Factory work is better than subsistence farming. And big tech has done 100x more than anyone else in the consumer electronics supply chain to push for better working conditions in those factories. >Is it better or more efficient for the retail employees making minimum wage? Yes. Improved margins are what allow wages to rise. Inefficient businesses don’t have the money to pay employees more. Apple retail stores pay on average 18$/hr vs the 10.50 a mom and pop might be able to afford to pay someone. >Is it better or more efficient for app developers who lose 30% of their revenue to private taxation, or the businesses that never reached their potential because a BigTechCo launched a competing product at a loss? Yes. Software distributors used to pay 50% to retailers.

arrosenberg 5y ago
> Factory work is better than subsistence farming. Working in a 1900's Chicago meatpacking plant may have been better than subsistence farming too, but the alternative to working in bad conditions isn't going back to farming, it's improving the working conditions. Big tech has NOT done 100x more than anyone to push for better working conditions. If they really wanted to provide good, first-world working conditions in their factory, they could do so. Yes, their costs would go up, that's what happens when you stop subsidizing consumer products with labor abuse. > Yes. Improved margins are what allow wages to rise. Inefficient businesses don’t have the money to pay employees more. Apple retail stores pay on average 18$/hr vs the 10.50 a mom and pop might be able to afford to pay someone. Is the Apple store representative of all retail? And further, with Apple's massive stack of cash in the bank, shouldn't they be paying their workers even better? Are they not a big part of getting that premium margin for apple? Further, that doesn't seem like a better or more efficient deal for entrepreneurs. Should we be happy that most independent electronics stores have been replaced by branded stores and Best Buy? > Yes. Software distributors used to pay 50% to retailers. More bad faith arguments huh? I guess you mean before the internet, when they actually had to ship physical medium and deal with retailers? Keystone pricing is pretty standard in that setup, and at least you had a broad choice of distributors to pick from. There is no justification for the high fees or the lack of distribution options in 2021. It's almost pure profit for the landlords.

arrosenberg 5y ago

> Factory work is better than subsistence farming. Working in a 1900's Chicago meatpacking plant may have been better than subsistence farming too, but the alternative to working in bad conditions isn't going back to farming, it's improving the working conditions. Big tech has NOT done 100x more than anyone to push for better working conditions. If they really wanted to provide good, first-world working conditions in their factory, they could do so. Yes, their costs would go up, that's what happens when you stop subsidizing consumer products with labor abuse. > Yes. Improved margins are what allow wages to rise. Inefficient businesses don’t have the money to pay employees more. Apple retail stores pay on average 18$/hr vs the 10.50 a mom and pop might be able to afford to pay someone. Is the Apple store representative of all retail? And further, with Apple's massive stack of cash in the bank, shouldn't they be paying their workers even better? Are they not a big part of getting that premium margin for apple? Further, that doesn't seem like a better or more efficient deal for entrepreneurs. Should we be happy that most independent electronics stores have been replaced by branded stores and Best Buy? > Yes. Software distributors used to pay 50% to retailers. More bad faith arguments huh? I guess you mean before the internet, when they actually had to ship physical medium and deal with retailers? Keystone pricing is pretty standard in that setup, and at least you had a broad choice of distributors to pick from. There is no justification for the high fees or the lack of distribution options in 2021. It's almost pure profit for the landlords.