> A factory's productivity, which has legible inputs and outputs is really different to something which doesn't. I've worked in the semiconductor industry, and

> A factory's productivity, which has legible inputs and outputs is really different to something which doesn't. I've worked in the semiconductor industry, and the situation is just as bad over there, if not worse. To the common capitalist's credit, this absolutely has to do with lack of competition (not necessarily due to regulation, but because the cost of the ticket to get in—capital to build and operate a fab—is so high). Under something more Taylor-esque, 2x productivity is on the low end of what I'd expect a contender to be able to operate at, relative to the clip that the small pool of incumbents move at. The main sources of inefficiency based on what I observed 2014–2020 are either people problems or process problems that call for technical solution that doesn't look anything like materials science, chemistry, physics, etc. (Elite overproduction ⨯ poorly trained/selected workforce + terrible, absolutely godawful software supporting the whole operation; bullshit jobs abound.)