7 ms·
Epic CEO Tim Sweeney says tech leaders are 'pretending to be Republicans'
- gjsman-1000 2y agoTim Sweeney literally exploits children’s psychology on an Epic scale with Fortnite V-Bucks. He doesn’t get a say about anything, and in a sane world, would probably be in prison (and he wouldn’t be alone).
- lern_too_spel 2y agoThat doesn't make him wrong here.
- gjsman-1000 2y agoThat doesn’t make him any more right than someone who pulled this claim out of his rear. Tim Sweeney has hated all of these people for years, so it’s a fine slur completely in line with past comments.
- lern_too_spel 2y agoYes, your GGP comment doesn't make him right. His words explaining his argument make him right on this particular topic.
- deleted 2y ago[deleted]
- sushid 2y agoI find Fortnite to have a much more reasonable monetization pattern compared to literally all other games that children play nowadays (Genshin and Roblox being the two most problematic). I also love that Epic is the only attempt at breaking the Steam game distribution monopoly we have today. Also, Sweeney not wrong. Billionaires are lining up to pay Trump his dues because it'll lead to more $$.
- wccrawford 2y agoI'm not saying Genshin's pull-gambling isn't problematic, but it was one of the first I knew of that have a pity system, where you'd eventually be guaranteed to get the unit you wanted. As a player that pays $5/mo for some gems and gets all their other gems for free, I've hit that pity payout quite a few times since launch. I wouldn't call it "one of the most problematic". It's bad, but it's not even close to the worst. Fortnite does feel a lot more reasonable to me. From what I know of it, you pay for things directly, or you pay for a pass that you earn things on if you just play enough. And it's pretty cheap, compared to other online service-based games.
- gjsman-1000 2y agoHow about we accept the truth that any child psychologist would tell you: they are both, and all, exploitative. The only thing that could remotely considered ethical would be a game paid for upfront. It’s like saying that it’s better that our children are smoking cigarettes instead of smoking weed. How about we just stop the smoking in the first place?
- wccrawford 2y agoYou do pay "up front" for Fortnite. For every season. It's constantly being updated and getting new content. You can continue playing for free with your old skins and enjoy the game. You don't need to pay more. But you can also choose to get the new stuff, and you know what it'll be before you pay. In a world where toys in cereal boxes are considered "exploitative", I'm not going to argue that live service games aren't. But there's a world of difference between what Fortnite does and what Genshin Impact does.
- prophesi 2y agoAnd it's not pay-to-win. I bought a skin when I was playing Fortnite just because I sunk enough time into it. Gachas in games like Genshin, on the other hand, directly impact gameplay and prey on the frustration of F2P gamers and their sense of progression. I'm a fan of microtransactions when it's purely cosmetic. I got into Pokemon TCG Pocket recently, and the temptation to pay to keep pulling cards / doing wonder picks is strong. I can see why it's making almost as much as Pokemon Go's launch.
- add-sub-mul-div 2y agoIn a sane world we let random citizens condemn each other based on imaginary laws?
- gjsman-1000 2y agoIf you wrote a web app for elderly people which demanded $799 every time they needed tech assistance, with said assistance coming straight from Pakistan and thus unintelligible, there’s no law against that. But seriously, if you have literally once condemned something that doesn’t have a law against it, that shows your argument is trash.
- insane_dreamer 2y agoI dislike Tim Sweeney very much. But it doesn't make what he's saying here wrong.
- slowhadoken 2y agoIt's hilarious that Epic would throw shade at anyone lmfao
- tjpnz 2y agoWhat's your point? You could literally say the same thing about Mark Zuckerberg and Instagram.
- scheeseman486 2y agoIt's not pretending if you're actually doing it.
- PlunderBunny 2y ago"You are whatever you pretend to be, so you had better like who you pretend to be." - paraphrased from Kurt Vonnegut.
- JohnnyLarue 2y agoIt's just pretend capitalism bro, we're just trolling, lol
- deleted 2y ago[deleted]
- thallium205 2y agoIs this guy ever not whining about something?
- insane_dreamer 2y agoOf course, currying favor with the new administration. This has always been the case, of course, but it feels much more out in the open now. Where does the slippery slope end? Go down this road too far and these tech companies will end up like their counterparts in China (Baidu, Tencent, Alibaba, etc.) who do the autocratic government's bidding in controlling the population (by controlling information) for fear of retribution to their bottom line.
- nazgulnarsil 2y agoAlready
- scarab92 2y agoI suspect individuals capable of being tech leaders are also capable of holding less partisan opinions. I suspect most don’t really see themselves as a Democrat or a Republican, but individuals with their own principals, which makes it easier to see where there is alignment with each side.
- Craighead 2y ago[dead]
- jhanschoo 2y ago> where does this slippery slope end? [...] who do the autocratic government's bidding in controlling the population (by controlling information) for fear of retribution to their bottom line. The people have exercised power and voted for Trump. Corporations currying favor with the currently fashionable leader is what you should want, because the currently fashionable leader represents the interests of the people, and this is a check that the people have over corporations. You theoretically want to go all the way down this slippery slope for as long as the people control their government; the people are sovereign, and invest their power in an elected government; that in turn invest in corporations the freedoms that they need to maximize prosperity. Or is something wrong with the institutions today that despite Trump winning both in terms electorally and the popular vote, this is somehow undemocratic? I would like for you to examine why a dynamic that is supposed to be democratic has led you to consider that it is aligned with autocracy (I think you mean authoritarian here); such an exercise will help with the quality of the discussion we are having.
- Xunxi 2y agoStarts seeing with adapting a strategy that works in the best interest of your company. It is up the leadership to weigh the upside against the odds, short term reprieve or the consequences of going against the grain. Pick your poison.
- ryanmcbride 2y agoI pick not siding with the cartoon fascists
- whamlastxmas 2y agoI agree, the entire US political establishment is really problematic
- rcruzeiro 2y agoI fear people like you and me might become extinct.
- piva00 2y agoMoney above all is a freak ideology, completely understand the incentives but it's quite sad to see this industry's slow descent.
- slowhadoken 2y ago[flagged]
- cocacola1 2y agoThe explosion of subcultures has been wild. I have no idea who these people are.
- slowhadoken 2y agoThat's wild. They've been in and around the indie game scene for over a decade.
- stackghost 2y agoThe only name I recognize on that list is Sarkeesian, who made waves years ago for being one of the first journalists to criticize mainstream games for being misogynistic, objectifying, and/or overly-sexualizing female characters. It was controversial at the time because she was/is an outsider and not a gamer, and kicked off the Gamergate thing in which some really ugly things got said about her.
- slowhadoken 2y ago[flagged]
- cocacola1 2y agoThat'd explain it. I'm aware of some of the more popular indie games but besides Florence, I don't think I've played any.
- slowhadoken 2y agoYeah they don’t make games, they’re just talking heads.
- deleted 2y ago[deleted]
- friend_Fernando 2y agoTech leaders are just making do like the rest of us, swirling around while the world goes down the drain.
- TheNewsIsHere 2y ago[flagged]
- friend_Fernando 2y agoWe don't have shareholders that will blame us for the apocalypse just because we didn't pay to play.
- bathtub365 2y agoThe big tech leaders easily have enough money to walk away but they choose not to
- threatofrain 2y agoDoesn’t that mean those who replace them are more likely to be even colder?
- TheNewsIsHere 2y agoWhy would it?
- threatofrain 2y agoBecause it sieves for those who don't give a damn about whatever values lead the previous generation to forfeit their seat. Are we not just climbing an old argument?
- TheNewsIsHere 2y ago
- kristopolous 2y agoIt's just a liability calculation. To become a "tech leader" your values of market dominance and maximizing profit overrides any party sentiment. Look at international chains - they're in countries that are democratic, authoritarian, theocratic, monarchist, capitalist, socialist ... it doesn't matter
- ljsprague 2y agoThere's definitely no currying of favor when you donate to Democrats though.
- jarsin 2y agoSweeneys tweet starts with: "After years of pretending to be democrats, big tech is now pretending to be republican..."
- TMWNN 2y agoThe word "currying" is never used at all in that context. There is no coverage at all, typically, because it's accepted as a good and virtuous thing. Do you remember seeing standalone articles about [insert company here] donating to a presidential inauguration fund? Of course not; there is no more mention than the fifth paragraph in an article discussing overall planning for the inauguration itself, with a few names mentioned as representative examples of how corporate America is donating to this celebration of American democracy.
- jas39 2y agoI thought the Zuck interview with Rogan was pretty genuine though.
- robocat 2y agoLink: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7k1ehaE0bdU https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7k1ehaE0bdU
- tacitusarc 2y agoI see you’re getting downvoted but I’d be interested in a comment with an alternative perspective. I haven’t listened to it so I don’t know the contents or how genuine they are.
- verdverm 2y agoMike Masnick has a good thread on it https://bsky.app/profile/mmasnick.bsky.social/post/3lfgh7dbglk2d https://bsky.app/profile/mmasnick.bsky.social/post/3lfgh7dbg...
- pixxel 2y agoZuck is innocent PR piece.
- jasdi 2y agoOpportunists. Not Leaders. Tech Opportunists could coast taking advantage of Moore's Law, outsourcing and low interest rates for decades. As the environment changes, we will see new types of leadership.
- antisthenes 2y agoBig business pretending to be whatever flavor of tribalism the current wind carries. A tale as old as time.
- tjpnz 2y agoWhy am I no longer able to vouch for flagged submissions?
- jarsin 2y agoIt got kicked from near the top of the homepage well before it had the flag status. Maybe something to do with that. I've heard superusers have the ability to kick stories off the homepage, but not sure if that is true.
- anotherhue 2y agoI don't like this being flagged. This is a leader in our industry, involved in precedent setting legal action, discussing the solipism of his opposing side, and the further weakening of the laws on which he relies. This is as relevant as anything we can have here. @dang if you're taking opinions I vote it stays.
- 1vuio0pswjnm7 2y agoFlagging only potentially limits further discussion, i.e., the ability of HN commenters to add more comments and votes. The submission stays regardless of being flagged. I'm not a gamer but Tim Sweeney seems like he has some integrity unlike these so-called "tech leaders".
- m463 2y agowhat's the difference between flagged and dead?
- 1vuio0pswjnm7 2y agoExample 1: "dead" https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42666783 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42666783 Example 2: "flagged" https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42666783 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42666783 Unless "yes" is selected for "showdead" on member profile page, visitors may not be able to see example #1 More importantly, even if the submission is not hidden, visitors cannot comment further on the submission
- m463 2y agohmm... I think you make a mistake. both are the same link. And neither seems to show dead/flagged, and it makes no difference if I turn showdead on or off.
- 1vuio0pswjnm7 2y agoApologies for the error Example 1: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42665771 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42665771 Example 2: same A submission can be both "flagged" and "dead" hence the example URL is the same
- barkingcat 2y agoLining up to kiss the ring.
- 0xbadc0de5 2y agoJust for the sake of argument, what if they were just pretending to be Democrats? I think the "fair weather voter" is a real phenomenon - people are often more attached to being part of the winning team than they are to their political beliefs. And I don't see why tech leaders would be immune from this.