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I appreciate your comment, because even though I came to the opposite conclusion, I like seeing how our own experiences color our interpretations. First off, t

I appreciate your comment, because even though I came to the opposite conclusion, I like seeing how our own experiences color our interpretations. First off, the thing I really connected to with Karpf's piece was how this techno-optimist manifesto might have made sense in the mid 90s, but it seems baffling to write this with 30 years of hindsight. And as someone who was a techno-optimist in the mid 90s, I don't just see how you couldn't be at least moderately disillusioned with the promise of tech. But to your point specifically, "Hollowing out of the American middle class isn’t Google’s fault" - yeah, it kinda is, at least partially. Tech isn't the only reason for the decline of the middle class, but the Internet specifically has made markets huge and is directly responsible for "winner take all" dynamics in these larger markets. There used to be "regional winners" in lots of different retail categories, for example, and thus there were many smaller and midsized cities with vibrant main streets where the money went back to local proprietors. Now most of that goes to Amazon (or Walmart before that, but Walmart is still tech).

kukkeliskuu 3y ago
Do you consider Google to be responsible for "winner take all" dynamics? I also think they have contributed to it, but my intuition says this dynamics would have happened even without Google. Before Google, there were other dominant search engines and portals.
- hn_throwaway_99 3y ago
  Yes, to be clear, I don't blame Google specifically, and I agree the Internet would have created this dynamic regardless. But, for one specific example, Google vacuumed up a huge amount of advertising dollars that used to support local journalism and advertising jobs. The death of local journalism has been written about many, many times, so no need to rehash that. I'm also not saying Google is "evil" for being a better advertising platform than local classifieds, but I'm just saying a natural consequence of this tech change is more concentration of wealth (small number of high paid Google employees but way less middle class newspaper and support jobs).
kortilla 3y ago
Walmart is not tech (even though it’s trying to pivot) and it definitely was not when it was consuming regional stuff. None of its edge was from technology. Equating global companies with tech a reduction that dilutes it to meaninglessness. That’s like saying standard oil was a tech company.
- hn_throwaway_99 3y ago
  > None of its edge was from technology. With all due respect, you have no idea what you are talking about. Walmart famously invested a ton in their logistics management software, which was widely considered to have given them a huge edge over competitors. Here's one recent article I found that gives a good overview of the topic, https://www.elkner.net/static/UoPeople/LogisticsAndPlanning_WalmartsCompetitiveAdvantage.pdf https://www.elkner.net/static/UoPeople/LogisticsAndPlanning_.... One quote from that article (among many good ones): "In 1987 it completed the largest private satellite communication system in the United States at the time, linking all of the company's operating units with two-way voice, data and one-way video communication."

kukkeliskuu 3y ago

Do you consider Google to be responsible for "winner take all" dynamics? I also think they have contributed to it, but my intuition says this dynamics would have happened even without Google. Before Google, there were other dominant search engines and portals.

hn_throwaway_99 3y ago
Yes, to be clear, I don't blame Google specifically, and I agree the Internet would have created this dynamic regardless. But, for one specific example, Google vacuumed up a huge amount of advertising dollars that used to support local journalism and advertising jobs. The death of local journalism has been written about many, many times, so no need to rehash that. I'm also not saying Google is "evil" for being a better advertising platform than local classifieds, but I'm just saying a natural consequence of this tech change is more concentration of wealth (small number of high paid Google employees but way less middle class newspaper and support jobs).

kortilla 3y ago

Walmart is not tech (even though it’s trying to pivot) and it definitely was not when it was consuming regional stuff. None of its edge was from technology. Equating global companies with tech a reduction that dilutes it to meaninglessness. That’s like saying standard oil was a tech company.

hn_throwaway_99 3y ago
> None of its edge was from technology. With all due respect, you have no idea what you are talking about. Walmart famously invested a ton in their logistics management software, which was widely considered to have given them a huge edge over competitors. Here's one recent article I found that gives a good overview of the topic, https://www.elkner.net/static/UoPeople/LogisticsAndPlanning_WalmartsCompetitiveAdvantage.pdf https://www.elkner.net/static/UoPeople/LogisticsAndPlanning_.... One quote from that article (among many good ones): "In 1987 it completed the largest private satellite communication system in the United States at the time, linking all of the company's operating units with two-way voice, data and one-way video communication."