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Some day, when the AI systems take over, and the world no longer needs so many people that enjoy reading programming manuals and studying Fourier transformation

Some day, when the AI systems take over, and the world no longer needs so many people that enjoy reading programming manuals and studying Fourier transformations, the great bulk of programmers will be lined up and shot, in retribution for their years of pampered arrogance. And it won't be the people we put out of work, it will be the people who paid us, who will have long since had enough of it.

nathan_long 13y ago
I find your comment bizarre. A baker doesn't spend $X on flour unless she can make more than that from selling the bread. Companies don't pay programmers big bucks and give nice benefits unless they make a lot more off the software programmers build. Nobody is getting ripped off here.
- ceejayoz 13y ago
  I think the point was that you don't see many bakers bloviating on web forums about how merit-worthy they are.
  - nathan_long 13y ago
    I don't see programmers saying "I'm a superior human." I see them saying "I know I can make $X elsewhere, so I'm clearly not going to accept less than $X here." I believe bakers do the same thing, for smaller values of $X.
- ForHackernews 13y ago
  What a joke. What you've written could be said of any well-paid job right up until it's eliminated: "Telegraph operators were paid well and felt themselves part of an honored profession. It was a good way to make a living for a lot of people."[1] Companies would be THRILLED to eliminate developers and no longer have to pay them. And plenty of people are working on that problem: "Imagine sitting at a Salesforce event in 2008 in Chicago while Salesforce.com’s CEO, Marc Benioff, swiftly works an entire room of business users into an anti-software frenzy. I was there to learn about Force.com, and I’ll summarize the message I understood four years ago as 'Not only can companies benefit from Salesforce.com, they also don’t have to hire developers.'"[2] [1] http://www.appalachianhistory.net/2010/06/3918.html http://www.appalachianhistory.net/2010/06/3918.html [2] http://programming.oreilly.com/2012/10/salesforce-developers-acquisitions-investment.html http://programming.oreilly.com/2012/10/salesforce-developers...
  - nathan_long 13y ago
    Sure, if companies could do without paying programmers, they would and should. That doesn't change the fact that they continue doing so (at least for now) because they see it as a good deal. Programmers are responsible for continuing to have skills that are marketable if the economy changes. >> "right up until it's eliminated" This phrase implies an Evil Power is deciding who gets to live or something. In reality, a job is "the opportunity to meet a demand by selling labor." It's not unjust to stop demanding something. When people stopped wanting top hats, that wasn't unjust, even though it meant hat-makers needed new jobs. If people stop wanting software, it won't be unjust, even though it will mean programmers need new jobs. I'd love for my house to produce its own electricity so that I could fire the power company, but until that seems easy and cost-effective enough, I pay for power because I think the money I spend gives me outsize benefits. Same with my employer paying me.
  - thedufer 13y ago
    From 2 comments up: > the great bulk of programmers will be lined up and shot, in retribution for their years of pampered arrogance. _This_ is what your parent finds "bizarre". Are you arguing that the same would be said about any other job that was eliminated by changing market conditions? No, that would be insane. They lost their jobs and found a new line of work (or fell into poverty). And that's what will happen to programmers if (when?) our job is eliminated.
- deleted 13y ago
  [deleted]
VMG 13y ago
But the programmers will have encoded preferential treatment for their class into the AI. Checkmate unmeritants.

nathan_long 13y ago

I find your comment bizarre. A baker doesn't spend $X on flour unless she can make more than that from selling the bread. Companies don't pay programmers big bucks and give nice benefits unless they make a lot more off the software programmers build. Nobody is getting ripped off here.

ceejayoz 13y ago
I think the point was that you don't see many bakers bloviating on web forums about how merit-worthy they are.
- nathan_long 13y ago
  I don't see programmers saying "I'm a superior human." I see them saying "I know I can make $X elsewhere, so I'm clearly not going to accept less than $X here." I believe bakers do the same thing, for smaller values of $X.
ForHackernews 13y ago
What a joke. What you've written could be said of any well-paid job right up until it's eliminated: "Telegraph operators were paid well and felt themselves part of an honored profession. It was a good way to make a living for a lot of people."[1] Companies would be THRILLED to eliminate developers and no longer have to pay them. And plenty of people are working on that problem: "Imagine sitting at a Salesforce event in 2008 in Chicago while Salesforce.com’s CEO, Marc Benioff, swiftly works an entire room of business users into an anti-software frenzy. I was there to learn about Force.com, and I’ll summarize the message I understood four years ago as 'Not only can companies benefit from Salesforce.com, they also don’t have to hire developers.'"[2] [1] http://www.appalachianhistory.net/2010/06/3918.html http://www.appalachianhistory.net/2010/06/3918.html [2] http://programming.oreilly.com/2012/10/salesforce-developers-acquisitions-investment.html http://programming.oreilly.com/2012/10/salesforce-developers...
- nathan_long 13y ago
  Sure, if companies could do without paying programmers, they would and should. That doesn't change the fact that they continue doing so (at least for now) because they see it as a good deal. Programmers are responsible for continuing to have skills that are marketable if the economy changes. >> "right up until it's eliminated" This phrase implies an Evil Power is deciding who gets to live or something. In reality, a job is "the opportunity to meet a demand by selling labor." It's not unjust to stop demanding something. When people stopped wanting top hats, that wasn't unjust, even though it meant hat-makers needed new jobs. If people stop wanting software, it won't be unjust, even though it will mean programmers need new jobs. I'd love for my house to produce its own electricity so that I could fire the power company, but until that seems easy and cost-effective enough, I pay for power because I think the money I spend gives me outsize benefits. Same with my employer paying me.
- thedufer 13y ago
  From 2 comments up: > the great bulk of programmers will be lined up and shot, in retribution for their years of pampered arrogance. _This_ is what your parent finds "bizarre". Are you arguing that the same would be said about any other job that was eliminated by changing market conditions? No, that would be insane. They lost their jobs and found a new line of work (or fell into poverty). And that's what will happen to programmers if (when?) our job is eliminated.
deleted 13y ago
[deleted]

VMG 13y ago

But the programmers will have encoded preferential treatment for their class into the AI. Checkmate unmeritants.