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Tech Workers' Values

blog.samaltman.com

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Re: Tech Workers' Values

#21

Post by EduardoBautista »

rfrank wrote: post #12

From the earlier sama post, What I Heard From Trump Supporters: > Almost everyone I asked was willing to talk to me, but almost none of them wanted me to use their names—even people from very red states were worried about getting “targeted by those people in Silicon Valley if they knew I voted for him”. One person in Silicon Valley even asked me to sign a confidentiality agreement before she would talk to me, as she…

Silicon Valley (especially SF) are all for diversity...as long as you think exactly like they do.

Re: Tech Workers' Values

#22

Post by throwaway29292 »

alphonsegaston wrote: post #11

There's already a solution for this - worker ownership of companies with corresponding democratic rights. We've just emerged from an era where benevolent tech companies were supposed to stand up for us and reflect our values. Instead, they put on a polite face, said the right words to us, and then did whatever served their interests irrespective of our concerns. Repeating this scenario is foolish and only going to wo…

If the root cause of this problem is that

-companies violate privacy rights to gather more big data

-more data translates to more investment (I'm seeing this happen at my current company right now)

-VCs, who are the top of the food chain, are the ones pushing for higher returns (like any rational actor would do)

-then shouldn't the government step in and regulate this area?

Define standards that would limit the amount of funding/valuation based on 'user as product'?

Re: Tech Workers' Values

#24

Post by TheAdamAndChe »

The same forces that have killed unions in the US will kill this. As long as labor can be shipped to areas of the world with a lower quality of life, they will do so. Lower level tech positions like tech support have already been shipped overseas, and once countries like India and China develop the infrastructure to take higher level tech jobs, they will go there too.

If we want to protect our workers, our labor laws, and our standard of living, we have to stop globalization.

Re: Tech Workers' Values

#25

Post by djsumdog »

AndrewKemendo wrote: post #10

We believe that employees should come together and clearly define the values and policies they'd like to see their companies uphold. A tech union isn't the perfect metaphor for this, but it's not far off. If it's going to do anything but be window dressing then it needs to have the teeth of union - so just call it what it is. I've argued for a while that tech workers need a union, but the chorus on HN and other place…

It's interesting because it would need to have the teeth of a union yes, but unlike unions of the past that lobbied for better wages and working conditions, what is being proposed is a union to ensure their company does what the workers feel is morally right for the world (not necessarily their customers, but the greater community of people affected by each companies goals and purposes).

Re: Tech Workers' Values

#26

Post by j1z0 »

closeparen wrote: post #8

It's pretty much the nature of tech hiring to select the most elite candidates from around the world. Distributing the offices through Rust Belt exurbs does not mean tech jobs for laid-off steelworkers in Rust Belt exurbs.

While it may not mean jobs for laid off rust belt workers if there were a number of tech workers living in the rust belt they would spend most of their salary in the rust belt which could very well lead to jobs in other sectors in the region.

Re: Tech Workers' Values

#27

Post by j1z0 »

closeparen wrote: post #8

It's pretty much the nature of tech hiring to select the most elite candidates from around the world. Distributing the offices through Rust Belt exurbs does not mean tech jobs for laid-off steelworkers in Rust Belt exurbs.

While it may not mean jobs for laid off rust belt workers if there were a number of tech workers living in the rust belt they would spend most of their salary in the rust belt which could very well lead to jobs in other sectors in the region.

Re: Tech Workers' Values

#28

Post by _xhok »

zorpner wrote: post #6

This is a pretty bizarre and direct ripoff of pinboard's Tech Solidarity, except run by The Man and they'll "select" who's allowed to attend. Classless and tone-deaf would be charitable interpretation.

I see the phrase "tone-deaf" everywhere and still don't get what it means. Is it just another getting-along-with-other-people thing?

Re: Tech Workers' Values

#29

Post by j1z0 »

closeparen wrote: post #8

It's pretty much the nature of tech hiring to select the most elite candidates from around the world. Distributing the offices through Rust Belt exurbs does not mean tech jobs for laid-off steelworkers in Rust Belt exurbs.

While it may not mean jobs for laid off rust belt workers if there were a number of tech workers living in the rust belt they would spend most of their salary in the rust belt which could very well lead to jobs in other sectors in the region.
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