> these actions are a consequence of going public and becoming huge megacorps IDK, seen and heard plenty of the same in private companies with no apparent trac

> these actions are a consequence of going public and becoming huge megacorps IDK, seen and heard plenty of the same in private companies with no apparent track to go public. It's industry-wide, not just FAANG. I'm not sure that can all be waved off as cargo-culting. > There is NO OTHER INDUSTRY wherein "normies" that didn't go to highly-regarded school for years and years on end have a realistic shot at this kind of compensation. > Software is still a high-skilled, highly-niche profession. Generative AI "simplifies" writing software, but that's only 20-40% of the job, IMO. As long as that remains true, and as long as margins on software remain astronomical, demand will remain high and SWE/SWE-adjacent professionals will continue to be paid well. That's not counter to Doctorow's points. In fact, they contribute to the trend he's describing ("golden handcuffs", for example). The relatively high paycheck and impression of privilege and comfort vs workers in worse conditions are levers, not the point.