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> so there are more niches where hiring someone to babysit a few hundred VMs is profitable This makes a lot of sense. The same thing happened in the past with

> so there are more niches where hiring someone to babysit a few hundred VMs is profitable This makes a lot of sense. The same thing happened in the past with new technology, such as the electronic spreadsheet: "since 1980, right around the time the electronic spreadsheet came out, 400,000 bookkeeping and accounting clerk jobs have gone away. But 600,000 accounting jobs have been added." Episode 606: Spreadsheets!, May 17, 2017, Planet Money

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deeptote 4y ago
Basically, "why technological innovation creates and transforms jobs, instead of causing unemployment".
- gruez 4y ago
  ...except that 400k in 1980 translates to 608k in 2017, if you factor in overall labor force size. That means even though there were 600k jobs "created", it's still a net loss. [1] https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/CLF16OV https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/CLF16OV
  - mkoubaa 4y ago
    This is a weak argument, since it ignores the productivity gains in all the industries that necessitated more accountants. Accountants don't only do each other's taxes, so more productivity in accountants is an indicator for a more productive economy
  - jvanderbot 4y ago
    I think the point of the comment in discussion is: "Though the spreadsheet was supposed to make clerks obsolete, it in fact just upgraded their job requirements to allow the operation of spreadsheets" And probably their salaries too. This is more in line with the discussion related to OP, as well, as devops employees exist, even though apparently it is automated.
onlyrealcuzzo 4y ago
In 1980 - there were 90M employees in the US. Now there's 151M. Given that the US has transitioned out of manufacturing and into businesses services - I don't think much of this is explained by technology creating new jobs. I think it's just explained by the workforce growing - and the shift in the US's role in the global economy.
- chii 4y ago
  workforce grows as more is goods and services are produced. So the real question is - whether the ratio of different roles changed vs total population.
aitchnyu 4y ago
ATMs caused a decrease in teller transactions, but led to an explosion of bank branches.

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deeptote 4y ago

Basically, "why technological innovation creates and transforms jobs, instead of causing unemployment".

gruez 4y ago
...except that 400k in 1980 translates to 608k in 2017, if you factor in overall labor force size. That means even though there were 600k jobs "created", it's still a net loss. [1] https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/CLF16OV https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/CLF16OV
- mkoubaa 4y ago
  This is a weak argument, since it ignores the productivity gains in all the industries that necessitated more accountants. Accountants don't only do each other's taxes, so more productivity in accountants is an indicator for a more productive economy
- jvanderbot 4y ago
  I think the point of the comment in discussion is: "Though the spreadsheet was supposed to make clerks obsolete, it in fact just upgraded their job requirements to allow the operation of spreadsheets" And probably their salaries too. This is more in line with the discussion related to OP, as well, as devops employees exist, even though apparently it is automated.

onlyrealcuzzo 4y ago

In 1980 - there were 90M employees in the US. Now there's 151M. Given that the US has transitioned out of manufacturing and into businesses services - I don't think much of this is explained by technology creating new jobs. I think it's just explained by the workforce growing - and the shift in the US's role in the global economy.

chii 4y ago
workforce grows as more is goods and services are produced. So the real question is - whether the ratio of different roles changed vs total population.

aitchnyu 4y ago

ATMs caused a decrease in teller transactions, but led to an explosion of bank branches.