4 ms·

> It sucks. I miss feeling like my job was secure, ... The wheel of industry rolls forward and crushes everyone underneath it

• socalgal2 7mo ago
  Progress is inevitable.
  • ofrzeta 7mo ago
    Is it? I mean in the end it is a political decision. We are used to infinite progress, infinite growth and infinite rationalization. But for what good? People have not become more free to pursuit their generic interests in Marx' sense but there's just more concentration in the hand of the capital while unemployment is growing. Weren't we better of to have less rationalization and have more meaningful work for people?
    • satvikpendem 7mo ago
      "Meaningful work" for work's sake, why? I have no desire to work in a farm or a factory when I can work from the peace of my own home without breaking my back. Not to mention the work that other people do too, like doctors and scientists, which directly positively impact my own life. If they were to say, let's not continue progressing, then that's not a world I'd want to live in.
      • ofrzeta 7mo ago
        It depends on what we define as progress. At times nuclear power was considered progress while it's no longer now (at least to that extent). Why couldn't we consider a society with less technology as progressive? Learning that less reliance on technology makes us more resilient as individuals and as a society. Obviously there are areas where we didn't want to downscale such as medical care. But there's a lot of technological progress that does not contribute much value to society in general but to concentrate wealth in the hand of a few people. EDIT: also so-called "breaking your back" has the same effect as going to the gym. Sure I am aware that there are really back-breaking jobs and they should be helped by machines. But there's no rule to say that the helping machines need to to all of the work. A moderate amount of physical work is just beneficial to everyone.
        • satvikpendem 7mo ago
          This is a rose tinted glasses take. I guarantee if you took anyone from the past they'd want to live our lives today, and that's not to even say anything of being in a developing country today with lack of access to adequate supplies and medicine. > also so-called "breaking your back" has the same effect as going to the gym I can tell you've never worked a manual labor job in your life. The workload definitely does not have the same workload as just "going to the gym."
• parpfish 7mo ago
  i've been advocating for developers to unionize for years, and there'd always be a big group saying "we don't need a union". AI-based job displacement will do wonders for raising class consciousness when it's too late. the best time to unionize is when you don't need a union.
  • dmitrygr 7mo ago
    And do what, what buggy whip unions did?
    • parpfish 7mo ago
      The dynamics are different when the demand for the product dies off and there’s no money to pay salaries vs worker productivity increasing and you need fewer workers. Replacing workers will be used to increase profit margins rather than lower prices because there’s no competition to force prices down thanks to monopolistic consolidation
      • satvikpendem 7mo ago
        The demand for the product (software engineers) dies off, therefore a union has no leverage.
  • satvikpendem 7mo ago
    Unions won't do anything for AI based job displacement though, because they don't need you, whether you're in a union or not. I see this going the same way as SAG for example, if AI video or film creation ever gets good enough where a single "director" can make an entire movie themselves with no actors. Unions and indeed any bargaining organization only have leverage when their people are needed, but what happens when the people themselves are needed no longer?
    • parpfish 7mo ago
      Well, it’s all probably a moot point now because devs have lost leverage. But the union contracts can help bring some order to the layoff process - which employees get laid off and severance for the others.