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Woke at Work: Why tech firms are trying to run away from politics and failing

economist.com

251–260 of 1001 posts

Re: Woke at Work: Why tech firms are trying to run away from politics and failing

#251

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Society would be better off glorifying entrepreneurs than instagram celebrities. Also most founders do not get a multi-hundred X income multiplier. Instead they fail and often go into debt. Yes there are some outsized winners, but the vast majority don’t. That’s why we should be elevating those individuals to promote a culture of risk-taking.

Hey now, those Instagram celebrities are "influencers". They're entrepreneurs too. I don't think either is particularly worthy of "glorification". I'd reserve glory purely for people who help other people without much monetary reward.

So someone like Henry Ford who helped popularize cars gets no glory, but someone who dedicates their life to running an orphanage for free does?

Sure the latter is important, and we should talk about them too. But civilization progresses due to risk-takers like Ford who spot an opportunity and dogmatically pursue it.

Re: Woke at Work: Why tech firms are trying to run away from politics and failing

#252

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I worked at place like this at Lyft and to be honest it made me pretty uncomfortable. I was aligned with most people about most of the causes circulated freely, but not all. And on the items I wasn't fully onboard with the party line, I felt there was a huge risk to my job if I ever were to voice that. I won't ever work in an environment like that again. Once I cross the threshold with my coworkers to be friends I fe…

This sounds like a problem found in fancy valley tier-1 unicorns then. I keep hearing stories of people bombarded with political discussions on a daily basis and can hardly believe them. I'm not doubting anyone's sincerity but jeez... I feel like this perhaps localized to certain segments of the industry. I've worked in this industry for over a decade and really haven't had any major political discussions with cowork…

This is happening because these large tech companies- not just tier-1 unicorns but FAANGs themselves, have been presenting themselves as paternalistic employers for the past decade. You provide employees with all the free food, on-campus gyms, and massages by appointment as they want, then present them with supposedly open cultures of free inquiry, your employees are going to use it. You satiate someone's lower levels of Maslow's hierarchy, and they're going to want to self-actualize. So the freethinkers and activists motivated to join these companies are going to try to engage in activities beyond, well, work.

So the companies reaped what they sowed. They wanted to have their employees stay at work and did so by making the office a desirable place to not only work but live at, and their employees start wanting to bring their lives into work.

This totalistic capture of big tech over employee lifestyles mirrors what these companies are also seeking to do at the marketplace. When a company manages not only the technological needs of their customers, but everything from entertainment, to healthcare, to home security, to shopping, logistics, and everything else, then they set themselves up to be veritable empires. That's why big tech companies are now dealing with every issue including free speech, environmentalism, worker's rights, what activities should be eligible for payment services. That's just the price of being a business that wants to be involved in all facets of human society. It includes politics. You can't be an empire and still pretend to be above it all. Both your customers and your employees are going to treat you as one.

Re: Woke at Work: Why tech firms are trying to run away from politics and failing

#253

> Coinbase and Basecamp, which each lost 60 employees after their bosses changed the rules, have apparently been inundated with applications from people wanting to work for politics-free firms. Basecamp had 57 employees at the time of their announcement. Are they down to -3?

It’s a sum

Coinbase alone lost 60 employees. [1] Doesn't seem like a sum. Also not phrased right. Should have been "together" not "each".

1: https://www.forbes.com/sites/rachelsandler/2020/10/08/60-emp...

Re: Woke at Work: Why tech firms are trying to run away from politics and failing

#254
post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The point of a workplace is to come together to fulfill the aims of the entrepreneurs. The personal aims of the workers are fulfilled best outside of work. What? I can’t be the only one who works directly in order to fulfill my needs (like literally my most basic needs, think food and shelter).

I was about to say, this is the most chilling HN sentence I’ve ever read. The totality of our existence from 8-5 is not owed to someone who profits from our labor and skills because they got lucky with some seed money or an inheritance a decade ago. That’s just the divine right of kings with extra steps.

People have been brainwashed by this type of attitude for years.

I think people bringing their politics into the workplace are more interested in attracting attention than anything else. But the obsequious worship of the boss is just gross.

Re: Woke at Work: Why tech firms are trying to run away from politics and failing

#255

I have no tolerance for politics at work. As far as woke at work goes, not too long ago someone in my office commented on slack "I don't approve of unnecessarily gendered emoji" - I can't even begin to imagine what sort of mind produces such thoughts. First world problems? No idea.

Yeah. I grew up in a third world country and moved to North America pretty late. I never realized how sheltered and weak Americans were till I joined a well known YC company.

I feel like this is true, especially of younger generations, in many rich countries.

I think maybe because it takes challenge and pain to grow and things have been quite comfortable for a long time for many.

It could just be my perception. But I've never seen so much anxiety, such reluctance to do hard things, and such inability to focus. Social media may be largely to blame.

Re: Woke at Work: Why tech firms are trying to run away from politics and failing

#256
post #144

I'm not sure where we go from here, but not being able to escape anxiety-inducing situations in a workplace is the definition of a toxic work environment. I don't think the answer is a return to 20th century "no politics at work," but at the FAANG I worked at, politics was impossible to avoid. Even the desire to be apolitical is itself criticized at worst and not respected at best. Work doesn't afford the use of the…

>I don't think the answer is a return to 20th century "no politics at work"

Why not?

Re: Woke at Work: Why tech firms are trying to run away from politics and failing

#257
post #164

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Indeed. Yellow was race-neutral - nobody's skin color. Then the race-ist emojis started... and discrimination sky-rocketed (e.g. there's still no ginger emojis!).

Yellow is more neutral than specific light-to-tan skin tones, but it's certainly not neutral in regards to everyone. Or, to put it another way - if the default for all emoji was a dark magenta skin tone, would you consider that "race-neutral"?

I think you'd mostly consider it bad design for the lack of contrast. But, yes?

I'm not sure what you're getting at.

Re: Woke at Work: Why tech firms are trying to run away from politics and failing

#258

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Society would be better off glorifying entrepreneurs than instagram celebrities. Also most founders do not get a multi-hundred X income multiplier. Instead they fail and often go into debt. Yes there are some outsized winners, but the vast majority don’t. That’s why we should be elevating those individuals to promote a culture of risk-taking.

Instagram celebrities are just entrepreneurs of fame. Many have made entire fortunes by monetizing social media exposure.

Sure and I’d rather society glorify those who decide to start things - mom & pop shops, new products, services, etc. than someone who takes photos of themselves to create an online persona that they go on to monetize.

Re: Woke at Work: Why tech firms are trying to run away from politics and failing

#259
post #236

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The workplace is 8+ hours of most people's day. You cannot divorce it from the very real problems that exist in the world.

Actually you can. And it has been done successfully for decades. Proselytizing has no place in the workplace.

If it were for people like you we'd still be working 18 hour days from the age of 7 until death

Re: Woke at Work: Why tech firms are trying to run away from politics and failing

#260

A feature of US work culture is that you invest your “whole self” into work. As in work isn’t just a thing you do for money, but a calling... Additionally, there’s a lack of basic social services. Those that do well can carry guilt, this leads to USs tipping culture, among other things.. also in the US private companies wield a lot of political power and capital. Companies work in this context to attract talent. And…

>A feature of US work culture is that you invest your “whole self” into work. As in work isn’t just a thing you do for money, but a calling...

and it is utter bullshit. I have watched my father and grandfather been chewed up and spit out by their respective employers and that work culture. Work isn't your life its what you do to pay for your life. any time a employer tells you that they are a family or any such BS run the other way.

I am exchanging x number of hours of my time skills and effort for their cash period.

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