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Why would that be better? Wouldn't that leave him less time to do his actual work?

rychco 4y ago
It would be better for the stated goal of understanding the culture & challenges of living as an actual barista at Starbucks, rather than just a publicity stunt.
gannonburgett 4y ago
Sure. But it'd also give them a level of empathy it seems many CEOs lack. I'd say that's worth 1/12 of their work and, if anything, might make them a more efficient and truly understanding leader the remaining 11/12 of the year.
- brookst 4y ago
  And just skip any major business meetings in that month? If you think he’s a bad CEO, you shouldn’t want him there at all. If you think he’s a good CEO you shouldn’t want him dropping his work for a month.
coldpie 4y ago
He's a CEO of a major company, man. They don't have actual work. This would be the most productive month of his life.
- dachryn 4y ago
  I was not expecting this Reddit level of comments on HN. Really hoping you are sarcastic.
  - coldpie 4y ago
    Nope. The role of executives at large companies is to most effectively move resources away from labor and towards the owners of capital. They decide where to open the next branch to crush competitors who treat their workers and customers better; they negotiate deals with suppliers so those suppliers and their workers have fewer resources; they coordinate with other large competitors to hamper workers' attempts at improving labor conditions. This, to me, doesn't qualify as work. Large company executives create no value. They only take and store value from those who actually perform real work.
    - umeshunni 4y ago
      This is HN, not /r/antiwork. Back to Reddit, you go, troll.
      - coldpie 4y ago
        Acknowledging the relationship between capital and labor is not an antiwork sentiment.
    - sebzim4500 4y ago
      That sounds like a lot of work to me. Whether it is good for society is an entirely separate question.
      - wahnfrieden 4y ago
        you're conflating work and, uh, "activity", so you're just talking past the OP instead of understanding them. a common usage definition of work being used here is in terms of creating "use value". the ceo's activities do not. they do generate profit for ownership though. which is not the same thing as "use value" and serves a different purpose in society. this is basic analysis, not a judgment.
  - bannedbybros 4y ago
    [dead]
  - AnIdiotOnTheNet 4y ago
    Literally every time I've moved up the chain in my career I have done less work. I have seen the same in peers who have surpassed me. I have no reason to believe this changes by the time you reach CEO level.
    - yamtaddle 4y ago
      The bit where they bring in a pro CEO in Silicon Valley who spends most of his time messing around with his horse-breeding hobby instead of running the business is basically just a documentary. Like most of the rest of the show. This is how CEOs often manage to "do so much". All kinds of charity involvement, "advisor" work on other businesses, sit on boards, et c, then blog about how they still find time for their family and/or staying fit despite being so "busy". It's not because they're super-humans working 100 hours a week with perfect time-management discipline, but because a lot of them don't really do jack-shit for any of their "jobs".

It would be better for the stated goal of understanding the culture & challenges of living as an actual barista at Starbucks, rather than just a publicity stunt.

gannonburgett 4y ago

Sure. But it'd also give them a level of empathy it seems many CEOs lack. I'd say that's worth 1/12 of their work and, if anything, might make them a more efficient and truly understanding leader the remaining 11/12 of the year.

brookst 4y ago
And just skip any major business meetings in that month? If you think he’s a bad CEO, you shouldn’t want him there at all. If you think he’s a good CEO you shouldn’t want him dropping his work for a month.

coldpie 4y ago

He's a CEO of a major company, man. They don't have actual work. This would be the most productive month of his life.

dachryn 4y ago
I was not expecting this Reddit level of comments on HN. Really hoping you are sarcastic.
- coldpie 4y ago
  Nope. The role of executives at large companies is to most effectively move resources away from labor and towards the owners of capital. They decide where to open the next branch to crush competitors who treat their workers and customers better; they negotiate deals with suppliers so those suppliers and their workers have fewer resources; they coordinate with other large competitors to hamper workers' attempts at improving labor conditions. This, to me, doesn't qualify as work. Large company executives create no value. They only take and store value from those who actually perform real work.
  - umeshunni 4y ago
    This is HN, not /r/antiwork. Back to Reddit, you go, troll.
    - coldpie 4y ago
      Acknowledging the relationship between capital and labor is not an antiwork sentiment.
  - sebzim4500 4y ago
    That sounds like a lot of work to me. Whether it is good for society is an entirely separate question.
    - wahnfrieden 4y ago
      you're conflating work and, uh, "activity", so you're just talking past the OP instead of understanding them. a common usage definition of work being used here is in terms of creating "use value". the ceo's activities do not. they do generate profit for ownership though. which is not the same thing as "use value" and serves a different purpose in society. this is basic analysis, not a judgment.
- bannedbybros 4y ago
  [dead]
- AnIdiotOnTheNet 4y ago
  Literally every time I've moved up the chain in my career I have done less work. I have seen the same in peers who have surpassed me. I have no reason to believe this changes by the time you reach CEO level.
  - yamtaddle 4y ago
    The bit where they bring in a pro CEO in Silicon Valley who spends most of his time messing around with his horse-breeding hobby instead of running the business is basically just a documentary. Like most of the rest of the show. This is how CEOs often manage to "do so much". All kinds of charity involvement, "advisor" work on other businesses, sit on boards, et c, then blog about how they still find time for their family and/or staying fit despite being so "busy". It's not because they're super-humans working 100 hours a week with perfect time-management discipline, but because a lot of them don't really do jack-shit for any of their "jobs".