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The Unexotic Underclass

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Re: The Unexotic Underclass

#211

Post by marcosdumay »

svmegatron wrote: post #11
Afforess wrote: post #7

Maybe I lack vision - but I don't see how any of the problems of the white collar and working poor can be solved by Silicon Valley. It would be impossible for a startup to work with the government in processing Veterns claims, for example. The regulations barriers are immense and the security and compliance problems are legion. Similarly, how are startups supposed to improve the earning potentials of the working poor…

> The regulations barriers are immense and the security and compliance problems are legion. Paging Uber ... I am kidding, kind of. I do wonder what would happen if a well-capitalized startup did something in this space. Provide services directly based on the hope/promise/belief of future repayment?

> I do wonder what would happen if a well-capitalized startup did something in this space.

There's a problem with this line of thinking... A statup is a company that lacks capital, and compensates that by an improved supply of other kinds of resources[1]. Compared to a mid-sized company budget, VC rounds are change money.

Red tape and government bureocracy are common examples of problems that can be solved with money (== people's time, not competency), and nothing else. Startups in that enviroment either discover one of the few exceptions or die.

[1] Besides other constraints you may want to apply to that term, like high growth potential. The point is, that one constraint is there.

Re: The Unexotic Underclass

#212

Post by enraged_camel »

gohrt wrote: post #32
Retric wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not that it's easier to make money scamming poor people. It's just easier to make money scamming people period. Rich people and poor people tend to fall for the exact same scams. The Vast majority of VC's are really running get quick scams to separate people / institutions with money from it. And if you dig into it so is much of the banking sector. EX: Morgage backed security's are really AAA. See savings and lo…

Budweiser is swill that passes for beer in the USA, because it is cheaper than what most of the world recognizes as beer -- until savvy people made microbrews popular in USA, and they are not in grocery stores.

Where I come from, people call Budweiser "sulandirilmis at sidigi" which translates as "watered-down horse piss."

Which bums me out because I don't mind the taste!

Re: The Unexotic Underclass

#213

Post by msmillie »

DanBC wrote: post #201
tsunamifury wrote: post #164

I built language learning applications that reached over 10 million users in the developing world and my brother built a startup that employs only ex-cons in one of the worst neighborhoods in America. We learned a few things from actually doing this: TL;DR its really expensive to make products for the 'forgotten underclass' due to many unforeseen issues. 1) Poor areas are overrun with corruption and graft. Its very h…

> An example would be, after my brother created several successful startups using ex-cons, he wanted to turn the program over to the City. He quickly learned without a politician attached and 'sitting on the board' you couldn't do this. The price of this? Paying him 70% of the donations coming in to support the program. I have numerous examples more blatant in 2nd and 3rd world nations. That sounds like an excellent…

Guess who's more important to the newspaper: this one guy who encountered some "you were naiive to not expect this" corruption, or the senior city hall politico? And what did he do, anyway, ask for a seat on the board in return for his help? and that position comes with a salary? We can't run that story, quit wasting our time.

Re: The Unexotic Underclass

#216

Post by aianus »

jwgur wrote: post #205
aianus wrote: post #186

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Let me understand how I'm supposed to see this: A-OK: Rich Americans die from kidney failure while poor Africans die from malnutrition/AIDS/TB/whatever. Reprehensible exploitation: Rich American buys a kidney from a poor African, feeding his family for a decade in the process. Nobody dies.

It's a false premise - the "Rich American" has a duty to help those who are less fortunate (poor Africans), and that duty extends further than just quid pro quo transactions.

That's not going to happen and in the meantime this idealism is killing people.

Re: The Unexotic Underclass

#217

Post by dilap »

tsunamifury wrote: post #164

I built language learning applications that reached over 10 million users in the developing world and my brother built a startup that employs only ex-cons in one of the worst neighborhoods in America. We learned a few things from actually doing this: TL;DR its really expensive to make products for the 'forgotten underclass' due to many unforeseen issues. 1) Poor areas are overrun with corruption and graft. Its very h…

I'd be curious to know more about the language learning app (it's a pet interest of mine).

Re: The Unexotic Underclass

#218

Post by dkarl »

tsunamifury wrote: post #164

I built language learning applications that reached over 10 million users in the developing world and my brother built a startup that employs only ex-cons in one of the worst neighborhoods in America. We learned a few things from actually doing this: TL;DR its really expensive to make products for the 'forgotten underclass' due to many unforeseen issues. 1) Poor areas are overrun with corruption and graft. Its very h…

Do you think it's safe to target smart phones on the assumption that they'll be reasonably ubiquitous reasonably soon? And is there any major price threshold where a decision goes from being a casual purchase (only requiring reasonable confidence that the product might be useful) to being a serious decision that might be nixed even if the product is attractive?

Re: The Unexotic Underclass

#219

Post by cdibona »

facepalm wrote: post #74
burgers wrote: post #29

I can sum this up so very simply. The way to make the most money is to get as close to money as possible. Hence why finance is such a lucrative career. We are seeing the obvious flaws of capitalism now that capital is no longer tied to low skill labor for manufacturing. Want to make a ton of money 1 year from today and have good credit? Spend your days with an MLS subscription finding under-priced homes to flip in a…

Where I live, many landlords prefer tenants who are on welfare. The state pays their rent, so it's practically guaranteed. So I think single mothers might be a lucrative market. Especially if you can get the foot into the door for some government contract. Another data point: I think Warren Buffet got rich with Coca Cola and chocolate bars? That's basically selling crap to the poor.

When it comes to victimizing the poor, I would look at the bh acquisition and running of rent-a-center before Coke or Candy..

Re: The Unexotic Underclass

#220

Post by marcosdumay »

jcalvinowens wrote: post #109
vixen99 wrote: post #86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As with most issues, there are costs and benefits with the minimum wage. It appears that Norway, Austria and Germany, amongst others, do not see a balance in favor of the benefits. Unsurprisingly their unemployment rates are low. Were I useless to an employer (as once I was) I would rather work for some wage (as I did) rather than exist (and get used to existing) on handouts from the wealth created by other tax payer…

> It appears that Norway, Austria and Germany, amongst others, do not see a balance in favor of the benefits. Germany just approved a minimum wage. > Unsurprisingly their unemployment rates are low. I have never bought this argument. A business hires employees because it has some amount of work it needs to be done. The amount of work to be done doesn't change as a function of how much workers are paid. Arguing that t…

> The amount of work to be done doesn't change as a function of how much workers are paid.

It probably does. But at least the number of business do change with salaries; I don't expect the relation to be monotonic, but it almost certainly have domains of negative rate of change.

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