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If the product is being sold for less than its true value then the person making that product will be underpaid and/or overworked. Sure someone choosing between
by tech_ken 3y ago
If the product is being sold for less than its true value then the person making that product will be underpaid and/or overworked. Sure someone choosing between "glass factory" and "semiconductor fab" may choose the latter if they can, but that doesn't mean that they will get standards and pay commensurate with other jobs in the US requiring similar training or effort. Taiwanese labor standards are way lower than in the US, and the price-point of our consumer electronic goods requires that. Either the prices go up (and people get mad), the labor standards come down (and people get mad), or the tech companies accept lower profit margins (and capital owners get mad, and they tend to get their way). There's no magic fix to this trilemma, historically we've just moved the bad labor standards out of sight so US voters can get their labor standards and Tim Cook can get his ballooning valuation. One of these two things is going to have to give if we want to make chips on-shore.
- riku_iki 3y ago> Taiwanese labor standards are way lower than in the US, and the price-point of our consumer electronic goods requires that. not necessary. tsmc has 40% profit margin, so they could totally pay more to taiwanese employees, but decided not to and pocket profit instead.
- tech_ken 3y agoBig-time agreement with you there