61–70 of 135 posts
Amazon is not handing out ‘Thank you’ T-shirts to its warehouse workers.
It is handing out “Thanks to you, we will deliver” T-shirts to its fulfillment associates.
It is a societal statement on their power dynamics, not a hypocritical act.
Amazon wants to be seen as exploitative today, because it will morally justify the layoffs tomorrow once all this is automated away.
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There will always be a company that delivers products according to the minimum regulations required by law - that's how capitalism and competition are meant to work (given a near-unlimited labour supply).
Correct. But in this Imaginary scenario it will Certainly be more expensive than current amazon. Is that more acceptable, to say the poorest in society, than bad worker conditions?
We are able to provide both good working conditions and a living wage to all people. We can afford it.
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My answer to your initial question (what do people think amazon should do?) Invest less in growth and more in the human capital that is essential to running the business. Playing by a different set of rules guided by Jeff's meglomania has driven them to the top and that is laudable. Once you've conquered the world do you still need to keep squashing the people you lead? What is it serving at that point other than pur…
Ok, so In your opinion amazon is “done”. Game complete. From now on it’s megalomania to grow. This isn’t how the world works. If you don’t develop others will take your place. Amazon is simply the best at this right now. Even so, as consumers everyone has every right not to buy from amazon. But they do.
From my POV the most productive growth amazon can make as a company would be engaging in better ESG practices There are forms of capital outside of material assets and intellectual property.
Amazon is losing human capital (tbray as a high profile example, but I am sure he's the tip of an invisible and silent iceberg) Amazon is losing brand capital which will hit the bottom line (ethical consumption is an ever increasing trend) Amazon will continue to irk Governments with its lack of respect for sovereignty laws (tax in particular, but also labour and monopoly).
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I am often amazed at how executive pay is overlooked in these debates. I have no qualms with founders making a pretty penny from taking the risk of starting the company. Most executives appointed once company has gained momentum don't deserve the huge pay they get. Don't get me wrong they deserve to be well paid but not as much as we are paying them. I have been in companies where people said to be "absolutely" criti…
I am often amazed at how good HN readers are at valuing labour of both workers and executives.
Our situation with the virus is not dystopian, but our handling of it from the world leaders, business leaders certainly is.
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I am often amazed at how executive pay is overlooked in these debates. I have no qualms with founders making a pretty penny from taking the risk of starting the company. Most executives appointed once company has gained momentum don't deserve the huge pay they get. Don't get me wrong they deserve to be well paid but not as much as we are paying them. I have been in companies where people said to be "absolutely" criti…
I am often amazed at how good HN readers are at valuing labour of both workers and executives.
I suppose you are naive enough believe the world is a true meritocracy
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A potential solution would be to pass regulations that protect workers. Examples could include minimum wages, profit sharing plans, or mandatory benefits. That wouldn't necessarily affect consumer behavior but it would affect what strategies corporations are able to use to service that behavior.
Ok, but then amazons prices will be higher. Taken to the extreme amazon might not exist because it can’t deliver the low prices it has so far. Is that what you want? If you do, that’s fine, that’s a fair enough perspective, but understand that you are probably making it harder for people with less money. Same goes for Walmart.
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A potential solution would be to pass regulations that protect workers. Examples could include minimum wages, profit sharing plans, or mandatory benefits. That wouldn't necessarily affect consumer behavior but it would affect what strategies corporations are able to use to service that behavior.
Ok, but then amazons prices will be higher. Taken to the extreme amazon might not exist because it can’t deliver the low prices it has so far. Is that what you want? If you do, that’s fine, that’s a fair enough perspective, but understand that you are probably making it harder for people with less money. Same goes for Walmart.
Yes they will be higher. Other companies that don't treat employes that badly, whether out of goodwill or due to being in places with more regulations, will be more competitive.
I’m genuinely interested in what people who think of amazon as an evil company think it should do. It hardly ever makes a profit. Any profit it makes is from AWS usually. It is popular because it’s so cheap, which is why people buy there. So really the solutions can only be: 1. Raise prices and consumers suffer 2. Keep wages low and workers suffer 3. Stop existing. I wonder how many people who complain about amazons…
Consumers suffer because they won't buy that 50in tv? Really, any business that exploits workers should not exist. If some goods are just too expensive then people should really learn to live without them. I don't mind "suffering" as a consumer if what I pay reflects the real costs of production. It's called honesty. The problem is that any company as big as Amazon is a billion pound train moving at high speed, it ca…
I’ve said it before and I won’t tire of saying it: »Gut, das ist der Pfennig! Und wo ist die Mark?« https://youtube.com/watch?v=Ihb2XqEsa4g The same bullshit is happening everywhere. In the German Bundestag MPs gave standing ovations for care workers. Meanwhile those continue to slave away for pennies, now more precariously than ever, while the next items on the MPs agenda are bailouts for airlines and fucking car ma…
I'm sorry but this is emotive gibberish. > slave No. > away for pennies No. > We can’t live without the care people What are you suggesting? Literally destroy all of civilisation to do what? Hire infinite care workers? > bailouts for airlines and fucking car manufacturers. So you don't want anything of society to remain? You want all efforts of existence to be focused on care workers?
>I'm sorry but this is emotive gibberish.
Are you saying all emotion is gibberish? So you want people to have no emotions whatsoever? You're literally in favour of killing people who display emotions?