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Tech Workers Now Want to Know: What Are We Building This For?

nytimes.com

11–20 of 354 posts

Re: Tech Workers Now Want to Know: What Are We Building This For?

#11

For money, my dear, for money. Is there any other reason for a company to exist? The stuff like "do no evil" or "we are green" is just a smoke screen. At the end they will do everything for money.

That has been the answer for last era. I think that’s why tech workers are starting to ask what we’re building it for. Because we’re here at this point because building “for money” is no longer good enough. Because what’s the point of having money when we’re cancer ridden and polluting our planet, and despite living in a rich planet people are starving, and the very resources that feed us are being destroyed. What’s…

> despite living in a rich planet people are starving

A overused rhetoric that does not hold much ground when you realize that poverty is decreasing fast everywhere around, and faster than we expected it to.

https://ourworldindata.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/World-...

Re: Tech Workers Now Want to Know: What Are We Building This For?

#12
post #5

For money, my dear, for money. Is there any other reason for a company to exist? The stuff like "do no evil" or "we are green" is just a smoke screen. At the end they will do everything for money.

I was under the impression that pre 20th century companies just existed as a legal and organizational convenience in order to help collect a number of people with similar goals rather than to solely make a profit.

I'm curious. I've read a few (mostly fictional) accounts of early companies, and the drive for profit seemed stronger (if anything) than it is now.

Re: Tech Workers Now Want to Know: What Are We Building This For?

#13
post #8
post #4

I think this makes a good deal of sense. The tech job market is extremely buoyant in the present age, meaning very few programmers are in a position where they have to settle for a job they dislike just to make ends meet. I mean, every tech company talks about wanting engaged, passionate, proud employees - so why settle for doing work you can't take pride in when you could switch to work you could be proud of, and pr…

Because you can’t get a raise - the big companies pay the most money.

Not necessarily true. There are some series A/B startups that offer extremely competitive salaries and stock options for top talent.

And also, I think he/she means if you can't get behind what Facebook is doing, maybe jump to Apple who "supposedly" have security and privacy as their top priorities and in the mean time receive a raise.

Re: Tech Workers Now Want to Know: What Are We Building This For?

#14

For money, my dear, for money. Is there any other reason for a company to exist? The stuff like "do no evil" or "we are green" is just a smoke screen. At the end they will do everything for money.

The current obsession that companies exist solely for making money for shareholders is an historical aberration. If that's still the common view in a hundred years or so, it will carry more weight.

> The current obsession that companies exist solely for making money for shareholders

Making money for shareholders is an instrument to secure long term/regular investment. It's not the "end goal", and almost no company's mission is "to make money". Money is just the blood stream that enables everything else.

Re: Tech Workers Now Want to Know: What Are We Building This For?

#15
post #8
post #4

I think this makes a good deal of sense. The tech job market is extremely buoyant in the present age, meaning very few programmers are in a position where they have to settle for a job they dislike just to make ends meet. I mean, every tech company talks about wanting engaged, passionate, proud employees - so why settle for doing work you can't take pride in when you could switch to work you could be proud of, and pr…

Because you can’t get a raise - the big companies pay the most money.

And for the good paying but "immoral" jobs there's a queue. The rest of the world is hungering for >200k$ IT Jobs, especially in Europe where the competence is also there.

Re: Tech Workers Now Want to Know: What Are We Building This For?

#16
post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That has been the answer for last era. I think that’s why tech workers are starting to ask what we’re building it for. Because we’re here at this point because building “for money” is no longer good enough. Because what’s the point of having money when we’re cancer ridden and polluting our planet, and despite living in a rich planet people are starving, and the very resources that feed us are being destroyed. What’s…

> despite living in a rich planet people are starving A overused rhetoric that does not hold much ground when you realize that poverty is decreasing fast everywhere around, and faster than we expected it to. https://ourworldindata.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/World-...

What metric is that measuring? The standard of living? Or the amount of money people have? Because those are 2 very different things. What about access to affordable health care? Access to clean water? Access to nutritious food? Poverty measures so many things. Not just having money and wealth.

Re: Tech Workers Now Want to Know: What Are We Building This For?

#17

For money, my dear, for money. Is there any other reason for a company to exist? The stuff like "do no evil" or "we are green" is just a smoke screen. At the end they will do everything for money.

That has been the answer for last era. I think that’s why tech workers are starting to ask what we’re building it for. Because we’re here at this point because building “for money” is no longer good enough. Because what’s the point of having money when we’re cancer ridden and polluting our planet, and despite living in a rich planet people are starving, and the very resources that feed us are being destroyed. What’s…

For money is good enough for me. You probably doubt me, but I'm not callous, mercenary or indifferent to the experiences of others - I'm just buying into a system that is objectively working. Spend some time clicking through https://ourworldindata.org/ ... we're not doing as badly as you seem to suggest.

Re: Tech Workers Now Want to Know: What Are We Building This For?

#18
post #4

I think this makes a good deal of sense. The tech job market is extremely buoyant in the present age, meaning very few programmers are in a position where they have to settle for a job they dislike just to make ends meet. I mean, every tech company talks about wanting engaged, passionate, proud employees - so why settle for doing work you can't take pride in when you could switch to work you could be proud of, and pr…

That you probably won't get a raise (rather, a huge pay cut) is one thing; another problem is, when you start looking for positive impact in the world, the list of companies to work for starts to rapidly diminish. I tried that, and for now I had to settle for companies that are not actively trying to make the world a worse place.

Re: Tech Workers Now Want to Know: What Are We Building This For?

#19
post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because you can’t get a raise - the big companies pay the most money.

Not necessarily true. There are some series A/B startups that offer extremely competitive salaries and stock options for top talent. And also, I think he/she means if you can't get behind what Facebook is doing, maybe jump to Apple who "supposedly" have security and privacy as their top priorities and in the mean time receive a raise.

>>There are some series A/B startups that offer extremely competitive salaries and stock options for top talent.

Not everyone is top talent though - and I don't think there's anything wrong with being an average programmer and not wanting to work on morally wrong projects.

Re: Tech Workers Now Want to Know: What Are We Building This For?

#20
post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> despite living in a rich planet people are starving A overused rhetoric that does not hold much ground when you realize that poverty is decreasing fast everywhere around, and faster than we expected it to. https://ourworldindata.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/World-...

What metric is that measuring? The standard of living? Or the amount of money people have? Because those are 2 very different things. What about access to affordable health care? Access to clean water? Access to nutritious food? Poverty measures so many things. Not just having money and wealth.

https://ourworldindata.org/water-access-resources-sanitation
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