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>People aren't mathematical entities. On average, you're a fool, because most people are fools. But if I start out treating you that way, you're right to be ups
by verandaguy 13y ago
>People aren't mathematical entities. On average, you're a fool, because most people are fools. But if I start out treating you that way, you're right to be upset.
That's true, but the two cases can't really be compared. Groups of people are, very frequently, in nearly every discipline and line of work, treated as mathematical entities. It's how governments determine how to allocate resources and funding in social programs, and how advertizing and marketing work.
In a public company, one of the main goals is to make as much of a profit as possible. Reducing costs is paramount to keeping profits in the green, and when you're operating on the same scale as YouTube, even a tiny optimization like this can translate to huge savings in the long run.
- wpietri 13y agoI agree that people are treated as mathematical entities. And I even said that was fine if that's not all you do. The mathematician's solution to the problem of overpopulation is just to shoot people until you get below the required number. You are also wrong about the main goals of a public company, and wrong again about how to get there. Those are central dogmas of the MBA worldview, but they're just dogmas. A great example is cars. American car companies minimized costs and focused on profits. Toyota maximized user value and minimized waste in creating that value. Toyota has been kicking the asses of American car makers for decades. Even when Toyota teaches American car-makers their secrets, they can't adapt, because those and other items of dogma make it impossible to change: http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/403/nummi http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/403/n...