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A billionaire complaining he has to pay people.... to paraphrase the title of the post, screw him.

apotheon 17y ago
Actually, he's complaining that he can't employ people for a project that probably won't happen at all unless he can employ interns. You're saying "screw him" because he wants to create something that is of greater advantage to people entering the workforce than not having it in existence at all.
- pradocchia 17y ago
  > he can't employ people for a project that probably won't happen at all unless he can employ interns I find that very doubtful. Why is he even considering the project if the cost of paid interns would negate the upside?
  - apotheon 17y ago
    I could speculate about that all day. Maybe it has the potential to become beneficial. Maybe it has secondary effects that would be beneficial to his sports franchise, but he can't justify the expense to shareholders. Maybe he would like to provide something for the fans because he's a fan himself. What's it to you why he wants to do it?
    - mcantelon 17y ago
      If it has value in these forms then why isn't he willing to pay for this value? Basically he wants unpaid interns to subsidize his investment. Not only do the interns themselves pay, but society as a whole pays as unpaid internships devalue labor.
      - apotheon 17y ago
        Why does everyone seem so insistent on ignoring the claim that it's too expensive to pay regular employees for this work, and as a result, without interns, the project won't happen at all?
        mcantelon 17y ago
        If there is no value in it, why does it matter if it doesn't happen?
    - codexon 17y ago
      If it even has the potential to turn a profit, then he should foot the cost of the risk, not the interns. To put it in terms of the startup culture of hacker news: This is like asking entrepreneurs to work on your startup for free because there is a huge chance that the startup will be unprofitable. However in the chance that it does become profitable, then you will not be paid in any way, and the only thing you will get out of it is a resume booster and a "chance" to work as a regular salaried employee. See how silly this reasoning is now?
      - apotheon 17y ago
        > If it even has the potential to turn a profit, then he should foot the cost of the risk, not the interns. Do you think he's not paying a bunch of money to make a project like this happen -- even if he doesn't have to pay all of his workers initially? If the difference between "intern" and "minimum wage" is the difference between the project happening and the project not happening, I still don't see how it's so terrible to let him try when the would-be interns think it's worth their time.
- tptacek 17y ago
  Yes. That's what he's complaining about. His business has a project that only works if he can start it with people he doesn't pay. You just said nothing at all: we knew he wanted to do something with the interns, apotheon.
  - apotheon 17y ago
    Whoosh. Jesus, people. It's not like he refuses to pay anyone for anything at any time. The core of his complaint is that a project won't happen and people won't get work experience (how much you think he weights each of these relative to the other is your own affair), and not that paying people for projects that can happen that way is a problem somehow. It may seem like a fine distinction, but it's pretty much central to the whole discussion. If you think I said nothing at all, you aren't listening (or maybe you just refuse to think beyond your intense desire to believe Cuban is eeevil).

Actually, he's complaining that he can't employ people for a project that probably won't happen at all unless he can employ interns. You're saying "screw him" because he wants to create something that is of greater advantage to people entering the workforce than not having it in existence at all.

pradocchia 17y ago
> he can't employ people for a project that probably won't happen at all unless he can employ interns I find that very doubtful. Why is he even considering the project if the cost of paid interns would negate the upside?
- apotheon 17y ago
  I could speculate about that all day. Maybe it has the potential to become beneficial. Maybe it has secondary effects that would be beneficial to his sports franchise, but he can't justify the expense to shareholders. Maybe he would like to provide something for the fans because he's a fan himself. What's it to you why he wants to do it?
  - mcantelon 17y ago
    If it has value in these forms then why isn't he willing to pay for this value? Basically he wants unpaid interns to subsidize his investment. Not only do the interns themselves pay, but society as a whole pays as unpaid internships devalue labor.
    - apotheon 17y ago
      Why does everyone seem so insistent on ignoring the claim that it's too expensive to pay regular employees for this work, and as a result, without interns, the project won't happen at all?
      - mcantelon 17y ago
        If there is no value in it, why does it matter if it doesn't happen?
  - codexon 17y ago
    If it even has the potential to turn a profit, then he should foot the cost of the risk, not the interns. To put it in terms of the startup culture of hacker news: This is like asking entrepreneurs to work on your startup for free because there is a huge chance that the startup will be unprofitable. However in the chance that it does become profitable, then you will not be paid in any way, and the only thing you will get out of it is a resume booster and a "chance" to work as a regular salaried employee. See how silly this reasoning is now?
    - apotheon 17y ago
      > If it even has the potential to turn a profit, then he should foot the cost of the risk, not the interns. Do you think he's not paying a bunch of money to make a project like this happen -- even if he doesn't have to pay all of his workers initially? If the difference between "intern" and "minimum wage" is the difference between the project happening and the project not happening, I still don't see how it's so terrible to let him try when the would-be interns think it's worth their time.
tptacek 17y ago
Yes. That's what he's complaining about. His business has a project that only works if he can start it with people he doesn't pay. You just said nothing at all: we knew he wanted to do something with the interns, apotheon.
- apotheon 17y ago
  Whoosh. Jesus, people. It's not like he refuses to pay anyone for anything at any time. The core of his complaint is that a project won't happen and people won't get work experience (how much you think he weights each of these relative to the other is your own affair), and not that paying people for projects that can happen that way is a problem somehow. It may seem like a fine distinction, but it's pretty much central to the whole discussion. If you think I said nothing at all, you aren't listening (or maybe you just refuse to think beyond your intense desire to believe Cuban is eeevil).