Ikea founder Ingvar Kamprad has died • Hacker News Board

Re: Ikea founder Ingvar Kamprad has died

#161

Post by jacquesm » Sun, Jan 28, 2018, 10:56 PM UTC

kalleboo wrote: post #103

loceng wrote: post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Eventually once we build the post-usefulness processing costs into products, we'll process/recycle everything fully as it should be instead of going to landfill; it's one of those Genuine Progress Index vs. GPD measurement things.

I think landfilling is pretty rare in developed countries. Mostly only the US has enough cheap free space to do it. Most countries incinerate their garbage. Countries that used to mostly landfill like the UK are now moving more and more to incineration.

Incinerating stuff made of particle board or MDF puts a lot of bad chemicals into the environment including dioxins.

Re: Ikea founder Ingvar Kamprad has died

#162

Post by carussell » Sun, Jan 28, 2018, 11:26 PM UTC

fermienrico wrote: post #152

carussell wrote: post #109

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The original anecdote is that there were very few IKEA items in a store for recycled goods. The point you seem to be ignoring is tjoff's comment that IKEA products are so good that you can resell them and don't have to resort to donating them. Here's my anecdata: My desk is made by IKEA. It's sitting in front of me right now, having been disassembled, moved, and reassembled 5 times. I had an IKEA bed that I got rid o…

>> The original anecdote is that there were very few IKEA items in a store for recycled goods. The point you seem to be ignoring is tjoff's comment that IKEA products are so good that you can resell them and don't have to resort to donating them. That doesn't make any sense to me. Overall lifespan of the product is short - doesn't matter how many hands it changes! Eventually more IKEA products end up in the landfill.…

Now you're begging the question. In the original anecdote, we started with something we know based on observation—that very few IKEA products end up in stores selling recycled goods—and are offered the conclusion that this is because they shortly end up in the landfill due to their quality.

However, you've now taken that (flawed) inference and are presenting it as the starting point—as if it were an axiom, rather than the very thing that is in contention.

Re: Ikea founder Ingvar Kamprad has died

#163

Post by scott_karana » Sun, Jan 28, 2018, 11:48 PM UTC

Ma8ee wrote: post #136

methodin wrote: post #115

Earlier quoted context omitted.

On another take, the amount of IKEA furniture I've assembled over the years has instilled some basic sense of design and structure which has aided my in building my own outdoor furniture. IKEA is, effectively, a DIY store and you aren't limited to the pieces they package together. You can really be creative with it.

I think you’d like Enzo Mari’s Autoprogettazione. He designed some furniture with the intention that they should be easy for people to build themselves from simple material and with a few simple tools. And by building their own furniture, people would get a better understanding and appreciation of good design.

For those like me who want something clickable:

https://makezine.com/2013/04/20/enzo-maris-autoprogettazione...

Re: Ikea founder Ingvar Kamprad has died

#164

Post by reader5000 » Mon, Jan 29, 2018, 12:09 AM UTC

unicornporn wrote: post #155

Ingvar was a fascist sympathizer with corporatist ideas. He stayed true to his nazi sympathies long after the atrocities of Nazi Germany became known to the world. He was once a very active member of Svensk Socialistisk Samling[1][3]. As late as 2010 he hailed the Swedish fascist leader Per Engdahl[1][2]. He may have been an excellent business man (and tax evader), but please remembers these facts too. [1] https://ww…

The man was a hero.

Re: Ikea founder Ingvar Kamprad has died

#165

Post by orsenthil » Mon, Jan 29, 2018, 12:15 AM UTC

unicornporn wrote: post #155

Ingvar was a fascist sympathizer with corporatist ideas. He stayed true to his nazi sympathies long after the atrocities of Nazi Germany became known to the world. He was once a very active member of Svensk Socialistisk Samling[1][3]. As late as 2010 he hailed the Swedish fascist leader Per Engdahl[1][2]. He may have been an excellent business man (and tax evader), but please remembers these facts too. [1] https://ww…

Some context also helps.

``` The tycoon revealed some elements of his past in a book in 1988, admitting that he was a close friend of the Swedish fascist activist Per Engdahl, and a member of his New Swedish Movement between 1942 and 1945.

He said that his involvement was youthful "stupidity" and the "greatest mistake" of his life. ```

Re: Ikea founder Ingvar Kamprad has died

#166

Post by jopsen » Mon, Jan 29, 2018, 12:23 AM UTC

coldtea wrote: post #50

WisNorCan wrote: post #45

Europe has less of a philanthropic tradition than the United States. For example, Warren Buffet and Bill Gates have both pledged to give away the vast majority of their fortunes. Jeff Bezos is now making plans for his philanthropy. This happens in Europe too, but is less common. I was looking to see if there were any specific plans for Mr. Kamprad’s wealth, but unfortunately did not see anything.

Europe doesn't believe as much in handouts from the rich, or in depending on arbitrary goodwill. We believe more in structuring society, government, welfare, healthcare, funding, etc, such that they're not needed.

Yeah, American has trickle down economics :)

Re: Ikea founder Ingvar Kamprad has died

#167

Post by alphonsegaston » Mon, Jan 29, 2018, 12:27 AM UTC

unicornporn wrote: post #155

Ingvar was a fascist sympathizer with corporatist ideas. He stayed true to his nazi sympathies long after the atrocities of Nazi Germany became known to the world. He was once a very active member of Svensk Socialistisk Samling[1][3]. As late as 2010 he hailed the Swedish fascist leader Per Engdahl[1][2]. He may have been an excellent business man (and tax evader), but please remembers these facts too. [1] https://ww…

He also used East German dissidents as slave labor in the 70s and 80s. Pretty despicable.

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2012/nov/16/ikea-regret...

Re: Ikea founder Ingvar Kamprad has died

#168

Post by alphonsegaston » Mon, Jan 29, 2018, 12:31 AM UTC

orsenthil wrote: post #165

unicornporn wrote: post #155

Ingvar was a fascist sympathizer with corporatist ideas. He stayed true to his nazi sympathies long after the atrocities of Nazi Germany became known to the world. He was once a very active member of Svensk Socialistisk Samling[1][3]. As late as 2010 he hailed the Swedish fascist leader Per Engdahl[1][2]. He may have been an excellent business man (and tax evader), but please remembers these facts too. [1] https://ww…

Some context also helps. ``` The tycoon revealed some elements of his past in a book in 1988, admitting that he was a close friend of the Swedish fascist activist Per Engdahl, and a member of his New Swedish Movement between 1942 and 1945. He said that his involvement was youthful "stupidity" and the "greatest mistake" of his life. ```

The parent already pointed out that in a 2010 interview he expressed his unchanged admiration for Endghal. And he was also later show to have remained friends with him well into the 50s, exchanging correspondence and kind regards, a further misrepresentation of the length and character of their friendship.

The 1988 “apology” was obviously just PR.

Re: Ikea founder Ingvar Kamprad has died

#169

Post by cortesoft » Mon, Jan 29, 2018, 12:32 AM UTC

mseebach wrote: post #137

erikrothoff wrote: post #4

I read the news in an IKEA sofa wrapped in an IKEA blanket resting my head on an IKEA cushion watching TV on an IKEA bench. He truly built a startup that changed the world.

Even the purported difficulty of assembling the furniture: When we moved last time, we decided that it was time to invest in some “proper” furniture (at, uhm, decidedly non-Ikea prices) and all of it needed to be assembled in some manner or other (one shelf-system rather extensively so) and the instructions were singularly opaque and the steps required convoluted and difficult. You can get into some interesting gymna…

I REALLY don't understand that trope; IKEA furniture is so crazy easy to build. The directions are always precise with no ambiguity, without using any words.

Re: Ikea founder Ingvar Kamprad has died

#170

Post by vadimberman » Mon, Jan 29, 2018, 12:40 AM UTC

slac wrote: post #132

Mixed feelings here. Incredible entrepreneur that built an empire on solid product values. Masterfully executed through laser focus on logistics. Brought design and furniture to the masses. Shadowed by his Nazi roots which I never felt he apologized forcefully enough... And the fact the incredibly shadowy ikea tax structure makes it hard for anyone to compete against. Profiles itself as a Swedish company and uses the…

> Also, the mountain of cash hidden in all the Dutch and Luxembourg trust funds coming from this tax structure is not being used to contribute back to society in a meaningful way like Gates and Buffett.

Not really an excuse, but at least since 1990s, that was very common among the European rich.

Psychologically, it's easy to justify: the state takes about half of your hard-earned cash, then passes it on to a bunch of bureaucrats in Brussels who have not done a damn thing in their lives. On the other hand, before everything became computerised, stashing the money in Luxembourg was way too easy.