What's the Future and Why It's up to Us

What Hacker News says

1. mojomarkJul 2018
   Not bad points, but I won't believe youre first statement (Re: "tripling down" on automation) without a citation.

   The heart of what's going on (good or bad; I tend to think it's bad for society in general) does not lie on the surface, instead it's rooted on the flawed notion that profits to appease shareholders should be maximised and indeed prioritized over corporate goals that benefit society in general.

   Increased automation and productivity are a good thing. They have the potential for increased standards of living for all. Unfortunately, the profits from increased productivity are not being redistributed/recycled into higher wages and a more educated workforce, they are instead being hoarded at the top by shareholders accumulating wealth.

   That's certainly the prerogative of shareholders, but it's a foolish shortsighted bet. This faulty thinking is depleting a large consumer base because an increasing number of people have less to spend on taxes, and also products/services that these same companies sell. So, they're basically stealing from the future to eat heartily now. The future of our children, as a result will have a less educated and poorer populous, resulting in more crime, litter/pollution, and likely even a social atmosphere ripe for violent revolution thanks to the increasingly segregated wealth gap. It is what it is, and you can bet your sweet bippy that I'm not selling the stock I've accumulated for the good of the masses in the long term. However, I don't think it needs to end poorly.

   If you want to dig into this deeper, I highly recommend "WTF? What's the Future and Why It's Up to Us," by Tim O'Reilly.(1)

   It explains the philosophical shift that needs to occur to repair our societal trajectory, not just for the sake of the 99%, but also the 1% (and even the 0.01% where the worlds wealth reserve is truly accumulating).

   1.) https://www.harpercollins.com/9780062565716/wtf/

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2. mojomarkSep 2018
   This is not a uniquely Chinese problem - we have the same problem right here in the US...

   In Tim Oreilly's book 'WTF? What's the future and why it's up to us' (1), he talks quite a bit about the emergence of the idea of corporations focussing on maximizing shareholder value over actually productivity (true societal/economic value).

   It's the same philosophy that drives the standard massively inflated corporate 'leader' comoensation packages - even when some leaders are severely incompetant. This Wash. Post article describes it a bit (2), but Tim pinpoints the origin to a specific conference talk (can't remember who/when exactly, but the shift occured sometime in early 80's). It's why founders/early invvestors can achieve massive payouts by selling a company even when they've never achieved a profit and ultimately fail - because they're paid in 'smart money' vice cash from profits ('dumb money' - how the worker bee's are paid). It's why companies will continue to opt for short-term gains by displacing workforce with automation versus investing in the long term health of a comoany by training their workforce to be more efficient working in conjunction with automation.

   Trust me, I believe in large compensation/payouts for talent, but I think that the talent should be measured in true contribution to the health of the economy - which is distinct from the percieved value of a share.

   HN: Can we please start focussing on building truely productive companies again?

   1. https://www.oreilly.com/tim/wtf-book.html 2. https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/businesses-f...

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3. SchoolmeisterJul 2018
   I recollect reading about the UK GDS in Tim O'Reilly's book from last year "WTF: What's The Future And Why It's Up To Us". In the chapter "Government as a platform" he's got a small, amusing anecdote about the service.

   Having looked up the relevant part, let me transcribe it for you:

   > "One of the first things that struck Jen and me as we entered the GDS office on an upper floor of an old office building high above a busy London street was a large sheet of butcher paper covering the picture window in the lobby. In the paper was a small cutout through which you could see the people on the street below. The cutout had a large arrow pointing to it, labeled "Users", reminding everyone when they walked in just whom the unit was meant to serve."

   I found it really drove home the service's users-first approach. Following that anecdote he elaborates on the service's "10 commandments" (the 10 GDS Design Principles). They're also quite interesting, but I'm sure a search engine lookup can help you there. I really recommend the book if you want an optimist's outlook on the future of technology, government and economy.

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