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“ Alternate reading, Amazon is worsening the supply chain chaos by buying up transport” any evidence behind your theory? Like assuming Amazon wasn’t doing this,

“ Alternate reading, Amazon is worsening the supply chain chaos by buying up transport” any evidence behind your theory? Like assuming Amazon wasn’t doing this, would things get better? Assume your bus is stuck because the driver is an idiot. Would putting more ppl on the bus solve the problem?

ZeroGravitas 5y ago
So, after actually reading the article, it's not clear what Amazon are actually doing in this area, the article seems a bit stretched, linking the vague idea that Amazon is investing heavily in supply logistics to the recent pandemic related supply chain issues. My point was a more general one, that this claim of someone 'beating' or 'bypassing' a problem can, in many common cases, actually just be foisting the problem onto others and/or their future self. Beating a vaccine shortage by buying up stocks of the vaccine is a solution from one angle, but a problem from another. And it's become fairly mainstream thought that traffic jams are emergent properties of traffic rather than individual problems (e.g. the viral video of the cars going in a circle and causing jams that pass backwards like a wave via mismatched breaking/acceleration). The tone of recent coverage of the supply chain stuff on HN from people with some inside knolwedge reminds me more of traffic engineering, than a stupid bus driver causing trouble.
- AzzieElbab 5y ago
  Actually dedicated bus lines is what works in preventing buses getting stuck in traffic. Not surprisingly, even that does not seem to make buses more popular. Overall, I think we arguing about competition as a whole being good or bad. I worked at global logistics, and in my experience most of the players, both public and private, are unchangeable rent-seeking dinosaurs. I have 0 issues with amazon eating them up, and when amazon itself becomes an unchangeable rent-seeking dinosaur I hope something else will end it.

ZeroGravitas 5y ago

So, after actually reading the article, it's not clear what Amazon are actually doing in this area, the article seems a bit stretched, linking the vague idea that Amazon is investing heavily in supply logistics to the recent pandemic related supply chain issues. My point was a more general one, that this claim of someone 'beating' or 'bypassing' a problem can, in many common cases, actually just be foisting the problem onto others and/or their future self. Beating a vaccine shortage by buying up stocks of the vaccine is a solution from one angle, but a problem from another. And it's become fairly mainstream thought that traffic jams are emergent properties of traffic rather than individual problems (e.g. the viral video of the cars going in a circle and causing jams that pass backwards like a wave via mismatched breaking/acceleration). The tone of recent coverage of the supply chain stuff on HN from people with some inside knolwedge reminds me more of traffic engineering, than a stupid bus driver causing trouble.

AzzieElbab 5y ago
Actually dedicated bus lines is what works in preventing buses getting stuck in traffic. Not surprisingly, even that does not seem to make buses more popular. Overall, I think we arguing about competition as a whole being good or bad. I worked at global logistics, and in my experience most of the players, both public and private, are unchangeable rent-seeking dinosaurs. I have 0 issues with amazon eating them up, and when amazon itself becomes an unchangeable rent-seeking dinosaur I hope something else will end it.