11–20 of 31 posts
My gut says half can be automated away and the other half needs a strictly defined job description free from any opportunity for freestyling. You could probably hire 2 or 3 extra for a while to hammer out the spec.
There's a weird standard established in this post: you're either a bureaucrat or an "innovator," with the implication being that only innovators do "real" engineering. I don't know of any engineering profession in the real world that adheres to this standard: the gold standard for actual engineering is consistency within operational margins : building the cheapest and strongest bridge that doesn't collapse given the…
On top of that, the implicit assumptions about how to identify a bureaucrat, and the historical claims about what they've accomplish, get a wee bit expansive at the end: > There are widespread popular revolts against the evil bureaucratic pyramids: Milei, yellow vests, the recent Dutch elections, the Trucker revolt in Canada, the Bukele revolution in El Salvador; even Elon buying X and firing 75% of the head count. T…
Non-playable character
There's a weird standard established in this post: you're either a bureaucrat or an "innovator," with the implication being that only innovators do "real" engineering. I don't know of any engineering profession in the real world that adheres to this standard: the gold standard for actual engineering is consistency within operational margins : building the cheapest and strongest bridge that doesn't collapse given the…
There's a weird standard established in this post: you're either a bureaucrat or an "innovator," with the implication being that only innovators do "real" engineering. I don't know of any engineering profession in the real world that adheres to this standard: the gold standard for actual engineering is consistency within operational margins : building the cheapest and strongest bridge that doesn't collapse given the…
Also, there's an important ability: to be able to come up with new or modified procedures.
First they suggest that most computer programmers are bureaucrats: > Most “software engineers” dealing in protocols, technical debt, the JVM, operations …. are also bureaucrats. Then they complain that Google is probably hiring bureaucrats, instead of real technical people: > Do you think the extra 100,000 people Google hired over the last 5 years are actual engineers, or any kind of innovator? I’m willing to bet the…
Also, this is astonishingly ahistorical: " Bureaucrats are also almost universally reviled for their lack of accountability and the lack of pride in their work. While there certainly have been great men; leaders who were great bureaucrats (Napoleon), they’re mostly seen as mostly a caste of sniveling eunuchs who flee from taking responsibility or attempting to make things better or taking any risks, even when that is…
Maybe we should change the term "red herring" to "de-tentacled octopus head"
Edit: changed "dismembered" to "de-tentacled" :)
First they suggest that most computer programmers are bureaucrats: > Most “software engineers” dealing in protocols, technical debt, the JVM, operations …. are also bureaucrats. Then they complain that Google is probably hiring bureaucrats, instead of real technical people: > Do you think the extra 100,000 people Google hired over the last 5 years are actual engineers, or any kind of innovator? I’m willing to bet the…
Also, this is astonishingly ahistorical: " Bureaucrats are also almost universally reviled for their lack of accountability and the lack of pride in their work. While there certainly have been great men; leaders who were great bureaucrats (Napoleon), they’re mostly seen as mostly a caste of sniveling eunuchs who flee from taking responsibility or attempting to make things better or taking any risks, even when that is…
Your work is about making companies more successful in this system & I'm sure you are quite effective at your job. However, many are left out with their wealth & agency transferred to these organizations.
The innovator creates a tide that rises all boats. That improves the quality of life for society at large. The bureaucrat administers the existing order. Order is a service that saves many lives but can become very expensive to maintain...eventually costing more than it's benefits, or the cost/benefits of an alternate system. Some systems are more effective than others in maintaining an empire or civilization. The feedback of growing antagonistim toward counterproductive beucracies should be an indicator or the health of an empire or society. Sometimes it's better to cut the Gordian knot of complexity & let the innovators reform the system, through buecratic innovations, tech innovations, & social innovations.
Such a bizarre world view: Most “software engineers” dealing in protocols, technical debt, the JVM, operations …. are also bureaucrats. Such people are not engineers in any normal definition of the word; they’re dealing with plumbing and protocol and social problems which come about from large groups of people. As an actual Big-E Engineer (of the Civil|Mech|Electrical|Electronic Professional Member type with conferre…
“General things I can do for your business:
Mathematical and statistical modeling Data architecture Predictive analytics, statistical modeling and machine learning Physics/technology assessment and development Data science team building/recruiting Data reporting engines Technical writing Writing for technical and general audiences Time series databases”
No more explanation needed. Do not hire this person.
Edit
I'm sure Lachlan will find it amusing that this post was flagged on HN. It does help to have a thick skin in light of critique...especially in the game of innovation. It is difficult to respect someone in a leadership position who cannot handle a critique...just sayin