4 ms·
I get the impression there's an attitude from the newer generation of tech workers--the ones that are more progressive and less libertarian--about their right t
by dehrmann 3y ago
I get the impression there's an attitude from the newer generation of tech workers--the ones that are more progressive and less libertarian--about their right to unionize. They were so interested in union politics and the reading about the glory days of unions that they overlooked their current situation.
You don't sell a company to break up a union and lay off half the staff. Bandcamp wasn't a good fit any more, and it was over-staffed. Unions worked during their heyday because there was a labor shortage, so they had leverage. Bandcamp employees didn't have that leverage.
- afterburner 3y agoUnions don't need a labour shortage to have power. Collective bargaining is its own leverage. Besides, unemployment is low, so I'm not sure why you're talking about there not being a labour shortage.
- dehrmann 3y ago> Besides, unemployment is low Is it low in tech? There have been a lot of layoffs over the past year.
- afterburner 3y agoIt's 3.1 percent in tech, so, yeah, it's low. Those layoffs are peanuts. https://www.statista.com/statistics/199995/rates-of-jobless-persons-in-the-us-information-sector/ https://www.statista.com/statistics/199995/rates-of-jobless-...
- dehrmann 3y agohttps://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37981149 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37981149
- afterburner 3y agoNot sure what this proves. Maybe some people looking now are frustrated, but that's only from those who are looking. The point is a low number of people are looking in the first place. Hence low unemployment.
- micromacrofoot 3y agoBy most accounts I've seen, pre-epic bandcamp was not struggling at their size. Perhaps this is uninformed, but it will be interesting to see what information comes to light after NDAs expire. I suspect Epic had plans for bandcamp, for various reasons they had a change of heart... and re-sold partially out of a combination of frustration and the shifting economy. This wouldn't be the first time a somewhat purpose-driven company had a post-acquisition fallout, and it won't be the last.
- fzeroracer 3y agoThey (Epic) literally bought Bandcamp as fuel against their ongoing litigation vs Apple. They've outright admitted so [1]. This wasn't about Bandcamp being a 'good fit' or 'overstaffing'. This was because now that the litigation was over, they had no more use for the bludgeon they bought. [1] https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2022/04/epic-games-drags-bandcamp-into-its-google-antitrust-case/ https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2022/04/epic-games-drags-ban...
- SixDouble5321 3y agoThis is the only take that has any merit.