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Hyundai to acquire Boston Dynamics

therobotreport.com

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Re: Hyundai to acquire Boston Dynamics

#251

Post by joshspankit »

gorgoiler wrote: post #181
llboston wrote: post #37

I have been secretly hoping Tesla to buy Boston Dynamics and revolutionize autonomous manufacturing. One day, a Starship fleet will send an army of robots to Mars and build out a city.

What is the moral case for implementing autonomous manufacturing? If you eliminate one kind of job, then another, then another, and then implement general purpose job elimination, where does it end? Is it not an axiom of the world that there simply isn’t enough knowledge work to go around all seven billion of us? By taking away jobs what do those of us who aren’t programmers, architects, novelists or day spa wait sta…

If we implement UBI (my preference is by taxing automation), or some post-capitalism model where people can get paid by the emotional and cultural value they provide, then the moral case for autonomy is to free everyone from boredom and drudgery.

I could talk about this for days, but: the more we automate below us on Maslow’s pyramid, the higher we raise our baseline.

Re: Hyundai to acquire Boston Dynamics

#252

Post by joshspankit »

mrguyorama wrote: post #241
gwicks56 wrote: post #189

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Surely the whole point of tech is to make life involve less work? The problem becomes an economic one, how to you distribute the wealth automation enables.

Solving the tech part of the issue while ignoring the societal aspect is somewhat condemning millions to misery though. Here in the US, it's expected you work, the economy and society are built around it, and millions of people would scream at you for trying to make a system that some people "don't have to" work in

No offence, but the economy and society in the US is long-overdue for an oil-change.

Re: Hyundai to acquire Boston Dynamics

#253

Post by jelliclesfarm »

mmc4444 wrote: post #221
simonh wrote: post #216

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Most capital is invested in businesses, it's not piles of money in banks, but it's embodied in factories, jobs, products, research efforts. The vast majority fo the wealth of billionaires is tied up in the businesses they control, and that's fine. That money is doing useful work. We don't want to take it away from people who have proven they are effective leaders and managers and hand it over to bureaucrats. Let the…

> inheritance is a problem because it's un-earned wealth > Inheritance taxes should be high, without being overly punitive What's strange is that when you talk to people about inheritance tax they become instantly outraged at the idea of the government taking their money by force, yet they seem to have no problem with the government forcibly taking close to half of their salary. It's a strange paradox and it seems th…

Inherited wealth is already taxed at source. Taxing it again is double taxation. What is being levied is basically a death tax. You are taxed because you died.

Your statement is a gross misunderstanding of tax codes. Inheritance should not only be protected from excessive taxation, it shouldn’t be taxed at all in the first place. It is literally taxing Death.

Re: Hyundai to acquire Boston Dynamics

#254

Post by jelliclesfarm »

karmicthreat wrote: post #2

I wonder if this is because of the SoftBank cash crunch. Or if it's just nobody has figured out how to make money with Boston Dynamics. Though if the 1 billion sale price is true, maybe flipping BD is the only way to make money with it.

There is some merit to that theory.

Also..historically robotics companies get acquired by Asian companies because that’s where manufacture and production is happening. Also..in America, we are not as tech forward and don’t embrace robots on our intersections like they’d do in Asia..China, Singapore, Japan, Korea etc.

Can you imagine if SPOT mini went around asking people to mask up in American public parks? But Singapore deployed SPOT minis during covid and no one batted an eyelid.

When I approached my city’s PD and FD to acquire a couple of SPOT minis, I got a response that I wish I can share here..but sadly I can’t.. suffice to say that it was jaw dropping. With calls for defunding police departments, they are already on financial survival mode.. high tech will never reach American cities never mind be well adopted as in Asian cities.

KUKA for example became a Chinese company and was bought out for a pittance. At least Boston Dynamics had a good valuation. I guess SoftBank in America are better deal makers than German KUKA.

I have consistently been amazed by the demise and/or sell off of robotics companies for cheap. If the $1 billion number is true, I think that would be the highest number for an acquisition for a robotics company.

Re: Hyundai to acquire Boston Dynamics

#255

Post by jelliclesfarm »

postingpals wrote: post #174

Crunchyroll acquired by Sony, BD acquired by Hyundai, Slack acquired by Salesforce... Our economic system seems to have a natural tendency towards monopoly. This is happening before our eyes and we don't even realise it.

BD is hardly the only one in the game. Even though they did sink in a lot of R&D that was likely done by Google..because remember BD was alphabet owned before SoftBank acquired it.

Ghost Robotics...DARPA funded.. are actually a tad cheaper but will likely only for govt and military contracts first.

Re: Hyundai to acquire Boston Dynamics

#256

Post by stolsvik »

jelliclesfarm wrote: post #253
mmc4444 wrote: post #221

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> inheritance is a problem because it's un-earned wealth > Inheritance taxes should be high, without being overly punitive What's strange is that when you talk to people about inheritance tax they become instantly outraged at the idea of the government taking their money by force, yet they seem to have no problem with the government forcibly taking close to half of their salary. It's a strange paradox and it seems th…

Inherited wealth is already taxed at source. Taxing it again is double taxation. What is being levied is basically a death tax. You are taxed because you died. Your statement is a gross misunderstanding of tax codes. Inheritance should not only be protected from excessive taxation, it shouldn’t be taxed at all in the first place. It is literally taxing Death.

Why is “taxing Death” a problem?

Re: Hyundai to acquire Boston Dynamics

#257

Post by jelliclesfarm »

stolsvik wrote: post #256
jelliclesfarm wrote: post #253

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Inherited wealth is already taxed at source. Taxing it again is double taxation. What is being levied is basically a death tax. You are taxed because you died. Your statement is a gross misunderstanding of tax codes. Inheritance should not only be protected from excessive taxation, it shouldn’t be taxed at all in the first place. It is literally taxing Death.

Why is “taxing Death” a problem?

A death tax says that the govt would gain/profit from someone dying. Family is the only way to remain immortal and inheritance is transferring assets to extensions of one’s own DNA. Because DNA..it can be argued is ‘property’.

The state can levy a small fee to retire identity of the deceased for legal purposes. But other than that, transfer of wealth being taxed is theft.

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