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Luckily for mechanics, the shortage of actual blue collar Hands-On labor is so small, that good mechanics actually can charge more. The issue is that you have

Luckily for mechanics, the shortage of actual blue collar Hands-On labor is so small, that good mechanics actually can charge more. The issue is that you have to be able to distinguish a good mechanic from a bad mechanic cuz they all get to charge a lot because of the shortage. Same thing for plumbing, electrical, HVAC, etc etc etc But I understand your point.

Multicomp 1y ago
Here in Atlanta Georgia, we have a ToyoTechs business. They perform maintenance on only Toyota-family automobiles. They have 2 locations, one for large trucks, one for cars, hybrids, and SUV-looking cars. Both are always filled up with customers. Some of whom drive hundreds of miles out of state to bring their vehicles exclusively there, whether the beater is a customized off-roader or a simple econobox with sentimental value. Why? Because they are on a different incentive structure: non-comissioned payments for employees. They buy OEM parts, give a good warranty, charge fair prices, and they are always busy. If this computer fad goes away, I'm going to open my own Toyota-only auto shop, trying to emulate them. They have 30 years of lead time on my hypothetical business, but the point stands: when people discover that high quality in this market, they stick to it closely.
- worik 1y ago
  People understand cars. Abstract data structures, not so much. There are laws about what goes into a car, strict regulation. Software, not so much. Until my boss can be prosecuted for selling untested bug ridden bad software that is what I am instructed to produce
  - jimbokun 1y ago
    With the introduction of insurance for covering the cost of a security breach, suddenly managers have an understanding of the value of at least the security aspect of software quality. As it impacts their premiums.
    - worik 1y ago
      I really hope so. But I do not have much faith in insurance companies. I have seen what they have done to worker safety, made it a minefield for workers, a box ticking exercise for bosses, and done very little for worker safety. What works for worker safety is regulation. I am afraid the same will be true for software.
      - jimbokun 1y ago
        The regulations are the reason the insurance policies exist. Otherwise, corporations would just ignore or cover up any breaches.
- AtlasBarfed 1y ago
  That's a particularly good strategy with Toyota, a company with both a good reputation and a huge market share. Currently trading at a price to earnings ratio of about seven, compared to 150-800 for Tesla (depending on how you judge their book cooking)

Multicomp 1y ago

Here in Atlanta Georgia, we have a ToyoTechs business. They perform maintenance on only Toyota-family automobiles. They have 2 locations, one for large trucks, one for cars, hybrids, and SUV-looking cars. Both are always filled up with customers. Some of whom drive hundreds of miles out of state to bring their vehicles exclusively there, whether the beater is a customized off-roader or a simple econobox with sentimental value. Why? Because they are on a different incentive structure: non-comissioned payments for employees. They buy OEM parts, give a good warranty, charge fair prices, and they are always busy. If this computer fad goes away, I'm going to open my own Toyota-only auto shop, trying to emulate them. They have 30 years of lead time on my hypothetical business, but the point stands: when people discover that high quality in this market, they stick to it closely.

worik 1y ago
People understand cars. Abstract data structures, not so much. There are laws about what goes into a car, strict regulation. Software, not so much. Until my boss can be prosecuted for selling untested bug ridden bad software that is what I am instructed to produce
- jimbokun 1y ago
  With the introduction of insurance for covering the cost of a security breach, suddenly managers have an understanding of the value of at least the security aspect of software quality. As it impacts their premiums.
  - worik 1y ago
    I really hope so. But I do not have much faith in insurance companies. I have seen what they have done to worker safety, made it a minefield for workers, a box ticking exercise for bosses, and done very little for worker safety. What works for worker safety is regulation. I am afraid the same will be true for software.
    - jimbokun 1y ago
      The regulations are the reason the insurance policies exist. Otherwise, corporations would just ignore or cover up any breaches.
AtlasBarfed 1y ago
That's a particularly good strategy with Toyota, a company with both a good reputation and a huge market share. Currently trading at a price to earnings ratio of about seven, compared to 150-800 for Tesla (depending on how you judge their book cooking)