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I've always wondered why worker co-ops aren't more common in software. It seems like the industry would be particularly well-suited for it.

friedman23 5y ago
The two primary motivations for building a startup are money and independence/freedom. Why would someone with that priority go and constrain themselves with the whims of others?
- akomtu 5y ago
  Dont forget ego: "why would I give control over _my_ idea, over _my_ company that _I_ created to simpletons without ideas, without ability or will to execute?" This ego is also why software devs are allergic to unions.
- TaylorAlexander 5y ago
  Depends on your definition of startup but a lot of people want to solve a problem that is important to them and they are smart enough to set their ego aside and recognize that they will produce a better solution if they collaborate with others and ensure those people have an equal stake.
SequoiaHope 5y ago
Silicon Valley has deep roots in individualist capitalism. You don’t get big US government contracts to design transistors in the 1950’s and 1960’s if you’re a worker cooperative. Silicon Valley was created under McCarthyism and anti-communism which also opposes labor rights movements. Since the 1980’s worker cooperatives have not been very popular in the USA, but they do seem like they would present an antidote to the worker-abusing poverty-wage paying mega corps we have today.
raxxorrax 5y ago
I think most importantly they are paid decently. The ambitious career developer on coke or medication became more common recently, but is still an outlier and not the type to start worker rebellions either. Smaller developers work in very cooperative endeavours. While some form of work councils don't need to be antagonistic to management, there often is simply no need of something like this in smaller studios. Game development is an extremely high risk endeavour in any case. A large developer like Ubisoft can dampen that risk a bit, but insecurity remains. This is a large driver while they will use established formulas much more often than smaller indie devs. A union does make sense in some industries, but tariffs would probably lead to worse conditions and leave the individual dev with less choice. Currently many employers do quite a lot to accommodate devs.

friedman23 5y ago

The two primary motivations for building a startup are money and independence/freedom. Why would someone with that priority go and constrain themselves with the whims of others?

akomtu 5y ago
Dont forget ego: "why would I give control over _my_ idea, over _my_ company that _I_ created to simpletons without ideas, without ability or will to execute?" This ego is also why software devs are allergic to unions.
TaylorAlexander 5y ago
Depends on your definition of startup but a lot of people want to solve a problem that is important to them and they are smart enough to set their ego aside and recognize that they will produce a better solution if they collaborate with others and ensure those people have an equal stake.

SequoiaHope 5y ago

Silicon Valley has deep roots in individualist capitalism. You don’t get big US government contracts to design transistors in the 1950’s and 1960’s if you’re a worker cooperative. Silicon Valley was created under McCarthyism and anti-communism which also opposes labor rights movements. Since the 1980’s worker cooperatives have not been very popular in the USA, but they do seem like they would present an antidote to the worker-abusing poverty-wage paying mega corps we have today.

raxxorrax 5y ago

I think most importantly they are paid decently. The ambitious career developer on coke or medication became more common recently, but is still an outlier and not the type to start worker rebellions either. Smaller developers work in very cooperative endeavours. While some form of work councils don't need to be antagonistic to management, there often is simply no need of something like this in smaller studios. Game development is an extremely high risk endeavour in any case. A large developer like Ubisoft can dampen that risk a bit, but insecurity remains. This is a large driver while they will use established formulas much more often than smaller indie devs. A union does make sense in some industries, but tariffs would probably lead to worse conditions and leave the individual dev with less choice. Currently many employers do quite a lot to accommodate devs.