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The Graver Threat of the Growing Tech Backlash

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Re: The Graver Threat of the Growing Tech Backlash

#21

Post by ForHackernews »

> Using tech services isn’t like using a toaster. It’s often an act of faith. Logging into Apple, Facebook, Google or Square products requires confidence that those companies will treat intimate information in an aboveboard manner, including your contacts, communications, location, medical history, shopping preferences, surfing habits and more.

Time and again that faith has been demonstrated to be severely misplaced. If a "backlash" against the tech sector leads to fewer people thoughtlessly handing over their most private lives to giant, amoral entities, then so much the better.

Re: The Graver Threat of the Growing Tech Backlash

#22

Post by memracom »

apsec112 wrote: post #14

If tech companies pay their workers generously, then it's their fault for rising rents. But if they are misers and pay little, then it's their fault for mistreating working people (see: Apple and Foxconn). If the tech companies all move to San Francisco, then it's their fault for changing the fabric of local communities. But if they leave San Francisco, why, it's their fault for crashing the local economy. If the tec…

There is another way.

In London a group of businesses got together and lobbied government for better bus service among other things: http://www.londonriversidebid.co.uk/our-achievements/

For that matter England has http://www.bettertransport.org.uk/about_us which lobbies for improved transport all over the country.

You want to disrupt the old way of doing things? Setting up a private bus service is not disruption. The initiatives linked above are true disruption. They are all about doing government differently.

Re: The Graver Threat of the Growing Tech Backlash

#24

Post by varelse »

quanticle wrote: post #9

Everything in this article comes back to housing. That's not the tech. industry's fault. The tech. industry would love to have more housing in San Francisco and the rest of the Bay Area. Housing prices have increased so quickly, and are currently at such a high level that even highly paid tech. workers are thinking twice about moving to SF. We see it often enough in the comment threads right here. The problem is that…

For many years, I've wanted to move from the South Bay to SF.

Not anymore.

It's too damned crowded now. So I predict it will just get more crowded and there will be no changes to the zoning to improve mass transit and housing to embrace and handle that crowding. Even a small change like repealing rent control would work wonders for new residents by increasing housing supply and reducing opening rents at the expense of existing residents having to come to grips with market rates. Not gonna happen: the inmates are solidly in charge of this asylum.

So instead the overflow will continue early adopting Oakland and eventually gentrify the place. Not my cup of tea at this point in my life, but I'm happy to jump off the appropriate BART stops and enjoy their restaurants and coffee shops on the weekends as they appear.

That said, attacking the tech shuttles makes as much sense to me as shooting up an unemployment office when one loses one's job. All you're doing is venting your anger on people slightly less unlucky than you are. The people they truly hate are safely ensconced in Pacific Heights, Tiburon, Palo Alto, and Atherton with excellent security.

For the record, here's a description of what an Ellis eviction entails:

http://www.andysirkin.com/HTMLArticle.cfm?Article=3

Re: The Graver Threat of the Growing Tech Backlash

#25

Post by andyl »

The tech industry isn't perfect - not by a long shot.

But tech companies aren't putting the climate at risk. Tech companies didn't crash the economy. Over the past decades there isn't another industry that has delivered more growth and value.

The grave threat is to non-credible Media who deal in link-bait and manufactured controversy.

Re: The Graver Threat of the Growing Tech Backlash

#26

Post by pm90 »

swalsh wrote: post #12
gum_ina_package wrote: post #7

Everyone sees the success, but no one sees what it took to get there. They don't see the intense, competitive interviews tech workers go through. They don't see the grueling comp sci/engineering coursework they do leading up to said interviews. And they definitely don't see the thousands of hours programmers put into teaching themselves new skills and technologies.

Don't overwhelm your ego here, the guy who prepared my lunch today is working harder than me. And since that job doesn't pay enough to survive, he has two of them. You get paid more, not because you "worked hard" or "studied harder"... its because you have a line of work that both creates a shit ton of value, and the supply and demand for people with our skill sets works out in our favor.

...and this is why I love the tech community. I'm guessing (guessing because that is just the impression I get) that such a humbling observation on one's profession would not be given by, say, a banker.

But maybe, that's just my impression...

Re: The Graver Threat of the Growing Tech Backlash

#27

Post by smtddr »

Well, the more articles highlighting the problem the more discussion can happen and maybe a solution can be found. On the other hand, looking at all the HN comments coming up with so many different excuses make me less hopeful. I bet this is how the rich elite started; using the same thought process to excuse & dismiss their impact on those around them. Eventually reaching the point of just, "Meh, screw them."

Re: The Graver Threat of the Growing Tech Backlash

#28

Post by daniel-cussen »

memracom wrote: post #22
apsec112 wrote: post #14

If tech companies pay their workers generously, then it's their fault for rising rents. But if they are misers and pay little, then it's their fault for mistreating working people (see: Apple and Foxconn). If the tech companies all move to San Francisco, then it's their fault for changing the fabric of local communities. But if they leave San Francisco, why, it's their fault for crashing the local economy. If the tec…

There is another way. In London a group of businesses got together and lobbied government for better bus service among other things: http://www.londonriversidebid.co.uk/our-achievements/ For that matter England has http://www.bettertransport.org.uk/about_us which lobbies for improved transport all over the country. You want to disrupt the old way of doing things? Setting up a private bus service is not disruption. Th…

That would fall under "nefarious influence of money in politics."

Re: The Graver Threat of the Growing Tech Backlash

#29

Post by apsec112 »

memracom wrote: post #22
apsec112 wrote: post #14

If tech companies pay their workers generously, then it's their fault for rising rents. But if they are misers and pay little, then it's their fault for mistreating working people (see: Apple and Foxconn). If the tech companies all move to San Francisco, then it's their fault for changing the fabric of local communities. But if they leave San Francisco, why, it's their fault for crashing the local economy. If the tec…

There is another way. In London a group of businesses got together and lobbied government for better bus service among other things: http://www.londonriversidebid.co.uk/our-achievements/ For that matter England has http://www.bettertransport.org.uk/about_us which lobbies for improved transport all over the country. You want to disrupt the old way of doing things? Setting up a private bus service is not disruption. Th…

If, tomorrow, Google bought Caltrain and started running it competently (unlike the current clowns), I'd throw a party to celebrate. But I'm sure the anti-Google-bus crowd would condemn that too. It would be 'corporatizing our cherished community institutions' or something.

Re: The Graver Threat of the Growing Tech Backlash

#30

Post by rayiner »

api wrote: post #11
quanticle wrote: post #9

Everything in this article comes back to housing. That's not the tech. industry's fault. The tech. industry would love to have more housing in San Francisco and the rest of the Bay Area. Housing prices have increased so quickly, and are currently at such a high level that even highly paid tech. workers are thinking twice about moving to SF. We see it often enough in the comment threads right here. The problem is that…

I turned down a really great salary offer in the Bay Area recently because it was not that great given the housing prices. Basically you'd have to offer me over $175k to even consider coming there... and even then I'd be concerned about continued real estate inflation pricing me out of any chance of getting desirable housing and paying it off in a decent amount of time. The other thing is that in Silicon Valley you'r…

Some of the DC suburbs are getting close in terms of how expensive it is to live in desolate suburbia.
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