4 ms·

I understand, but it sounds like we are digging ourselves into the same hole as USSR workers who were not incentivized to deliver working products, when we do t

I understand, but it sounds like we are digging ourselves into the same hole as USSR workers who were not incentivized to deliver working products, when we do that. It’s a civilizational peril. How do we solve cooperation at large scale? Is the only way to watch large companies accumulate bored employees and constantly recreate “the small guy”, the startup, which will finally make things right, until they become too big to be incentivized?

WalterBright 5y ago
That's exactly how it works, and why big companies do not grow until they consume the entire world. They become complacent and unable to change, and a startup eventually takes their business away.
- saalweachter 5y ago
  It's funny that people expect management to function better because it's employee-owners of a capitalist corporation, instead of feudal lords or members of a communist central committee.
  - laurent92 5y ago
    The feudal owners in a startup situation are the marketplace owners who organize all startups to compete. The day we lose is the day all of those marketplaces themselves are cannot be replaced.
    - disgruntledphd2 5y ago
      i.e. VC's and other providers of capital.
- rdtwo 5y ago
  Well they would except often startups are prohibited from competing via regulatory capture or excessive funding costs
Spooky23 5y ago
That comparison is apt. A big corporate entity is a mini command economy, and fails in similar ways. There is an inflection point where the focus of the organization shifts from mission focus to control focus. Usually it’s when growth slows. A fast-mover industry like tech is a great example, but it happens almost everywhere.
snowwrestler 5y ago
> Is the only way to watch large companies accumulate bored employees and constantly recreate “the small guy”, the startup, which will finally make things right, until they become too big to be incentivized? Yes, and you have just illustrated why the USSR struggled economically in comparison to the United States.

WalterBright 5y ago

That's exactly how it works, and why big companies do not grow until they consume the entire world. They become complacent and unable to change, and a startup eventually takes their business away.

saalweachter 5y ago
It's funny that people expect management to function better because it's employee-owners of a capitalist corporation, instead of feudal lords or members of a communist central committee.
- laurent92 5y ago
  The feudal owners in a startup situation are the marketplace owners who organize all startups to compete. The day we lose is the day all of those marketplaces themselves are cannot be replaced.
  - disgruntledphd2 5y ago
    i.e. VC's and other providers of capital.
rdtwo 5y ago
Well they would except often startups are prohibited from competing via regulatory capture or excessive funding costs

Spooky23 5y ago

That comparison is apt. A big corporate entity is a mini command economy, and fails in similar ways. There is an inflection point where the focus of the organization shifts from mission focus to control focus. Usually it’s when growth slows. A fast-mover industry like tech is a great example, but it happens almost everywhere.

snowwrestler 5y ago

> Is the only way to watch large companies accumulate bored employees and constantly recreate “the small guy”, the startup, which will finally make things right, until they become too big to be incentivized? Yes, and you have just illustrated why the USSR struggled economically in comparison to the United States.