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>we ended up in law and finance, because those fields pay way more. Compared to STEM research or an EE sure, but is this true compared to say, MD or FAANG soft

>we ended up in law and finance, because those fields pay way more. Compared to STEM research or an EE sure, but is this true compared to say, MD or FAANG software engineer? (assuming the same level of competence. I don't think every L3 AMZN engineer could hack it as a surgeon or something).

rayiner 3y ago
FAANG salaries are roughly comparable. But they further illustrate the problem: Alphabet and Meta are advertising companies, Apple is essentially the Louis Vuitton or Prada of computers, and Netflix makes entertainment. Amazon is the closest thing to a real company, and it is a delivery service for cheap Chinese products. Moreover, the middle-class jobs generated by those companies, outside the engineering teams, are crappy service jobs.
- lotsofpulp 3y ago
  > Apple is essentially the Louis Vuitton or Prada of computers, The extra utility of LV and Prada products relative to their competitors is zero compared to the extra utility of Apple products, for example due to lower power usage and more longevity. Also, FAANG is just a catchy acronym for high profit/profit margin earning businesses, that also includes Microsoft and a multitude of other businesses that pay well.
  - rayiner 3y ago
    > Also, FAANG is just a catchy acronym for high profit/profit margin earning businesses Most of those businesses are high profit/profit margin precisely because they target sectors such as finance and advertising that are of questionable social value.
- VirusNewbie 3y ago
  If you hadn't already said you didn't work in tech, this would be the smoking gun that would clue us all in. Most of us here are aware of AWS being one of the primary profit makers of amazon, and GCP isn't far behind. You missed those very obvious business segment that sort of renders your argument moot.
  - rayiner 3y ago
    The fact that between them FAANG has some real businesses doesn’t render moot my point that Google and Meta are advertising companies while Netflix is a movie studio.
  - dctoedt 3y ago
    > If you hadn't already said you didn't work in tech, this would be the smoking gun that would clue us all in. Um, you should look up 'rayiner — he's now a lawyer but (from a former life) has better tech credentials than most.
    - VirusNewbie 3y ago
      ? I certainly couldn't find the 'better tech credentials than most' when I looked him up. Seems like a great lawyer, it wasn't a knock against his intelligence.
      - dctoedt 3y ago
        Yeah, he seems to have deleted everything from his profile, so I won't identify him further, but he's a pretty high-powered guy (albeit with some views that puzzle me).
        deleted 3y ago
        [deleted]

rayiner 3y ago

FAANG salaries are roughly comparable. But they further illustrate the problem: Alphabet and Meta are advertising companies, Apple is essentially the Louis Vuitton or Prada of computers, and Netflix makes entertainment. Amazon is the closest thing to a real company, and it is a delivery service for cheap Chinese products. Moreover, the middle-class jobs generated by those companies, outside the engineering teams, are crappy service jobs.

lotsofpulp 3y ago
> Apple is essentially the Louis Vuitton or Prada of computers, The extra utility of LV and Prada products relative to their competitors is zero compared to the extra utility of Apple products, for example due to lower power usage and more longevity. Also, FAANG is just a catchy acronym for high profit/profit margin earning businesses, that also includes Microsoft and a multitude of other businesses that pay well.
- rayiner 3y ago
  > Also, FAANG is just a catchy acronym for high profit/profit margin earning businesses Most of those businesses are high profit/profit margin precisely because they target sectors such as finance and advertising that are of questionable social value.
VirusNewbie 3y ago
If you hadn't already said you didn't work in tech, this would be the smoking gun that would clue us all in. Most of us here are aware of AWS being one of the primary profit makers of amazon, and GCP isn't far behind. You missed those very obvious business segment that sort of renders your argument moot.
- rayiner 3y ago
  The fact that between them FAANG has some real businesses doesn’t render moot my point that Google and Meta are advertising companies while Netflix is a movie studio.
- dctoedt 3y ago
  > If you hadn't already said you didn't work in tech, this would be the smoking gun that would clue us all in. Um, you should look up 'rayiner — he's now a lawyer but (from a former life) has better tech credentials than most.
  - VirusNewbie 3y ago
    ? I certainly couldn't find the 'better tech credentials than most' when I looked him up. Seems like a great lawyer, it wasn't a knock against his intelligence.
    - dctoedt 3y ago
      Yeah, he seems to have deleted everything from his profile, so I won't identify him further, but he's a pretty high-powered guy (albeit with some views that puzzle me).
      - deleted 3y ago
        [deleted]