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> The article frames this as a bad thing, but a shift towards standardizing and commoditizing roles isn't necessarily anti-labor—this is one of the major things

> The article frames this as a bad thing, but a shift towards standardizing and commoditizing roles isn't necessarily anti-labor—this is one of the major things that unions do, after all. All of this is fine as a theoretical argument where every individual being commodities is doing the exact same job with the exact same level of complexity. Is software engineering like that or is there a large element of creativity, exploration, and differing complexity? The answer to this question will inform how lazy standardization and commoditization of tech is.

lolinder 2y ago
You're assuming that you can't standardize expectations and comp for creative roles. I'm not sure if that's true or not, just pointing out that it's an assumption. I do know from experience that the existing system where roles are fuzzy and people get promoted based on gut is not fair or effective.
- nine_zeros 2y ago
  > You're assuming that you can't standardize expectations and comp for creative roles. I'm not sure if that's true or not, just pointing out that it's an assumption. I am asking you to present a worksheet that describes engineering activities and to explain how they can be standardized. If you can, great. If you present something as broken as FAANG companies, then maybe we don't have a way to standardize yet. > I do know from experience that the existing system where roles are fuzzy and people get promoted based on gut is not fair or effective. And this is a problem only because of pyramid org structures. Is a promo-driven culture necessary for tech work?