- I go to the supermarket: the screen calling the next customer at the register and running Windows 11 (sic) crash all the time, so chaos.
- I can't make a bank transfer online because the transfer system is unavailable
- I walk in my street: the lights are turned on during the day and turned off at night (and I usually don't even notice the government related stuff anymore, it is hopeless)
I see computer related things in need of a serious fix everywhere, all the time. Most of those are "local" systems. But those companies won't recruit and empower anybody to fix it, because everybody got used to things not working.
In the meanwhile, engineers are told there is no more jobs for them "because of AI". But it seems the AI they were sold can't figure out lights need to be turned on at night and not during the day...
I actually think this decline will have a positive impact on more local issues. Here is my reasoning:
Software Developers (and I am one) are too expensive for most companies. This caused a brain drain into "Big Tech" which while a valuable bubble of technologists, is only a niche in the greater community.
If software wages come down, more local, non-tech, smaller scale companies will be able to afford to have in house developers, and the world needs way more bespoke software to truly capitalize on the power of small software.
I would rather see software developers be on par with your local machinist or trade specialist rather than a tool to upper-echelon companies in big tech.
I don't see why all software roles are seen as in the same category. There is a huge difference between the difficulty level and experience requirements in different tasks and roles.
No, failing to build enough housing and apartments over the last 30 years made homes unaffordable. Software developers were just lucky enough to be making above average income, enough to afford a house even while prices rose.
Which is crazy. Where I live, even upper-middle class can't afford a house, so what is going on? Who is actually participating in the market to keep prices so high, and who ultimately benefits from all this imaginary value on non-productive asset speculation?
Please - not another us vs them blame game between the lower classes, it distracts from the govt policies and financial industries that got us into this mess.
There is no one cause that leads to housing shortages, but tech salaries are a huge issue in and around tech hubs like the SF Bay and Seattle. And especially during covid, with remote work, the rich spread out to towns nearby and bought up all the housing there too and pushed out the locals.
That's not the government's fault (besides lockdown), it's because tech workers were way overpaid (and hence all the layoffs and salary deflation now).
sure, in silicon valley. The rest of the US? Nope…that would be due to a variety of factors:
- allowing corporations to “own” homes.
- allowing individuals to personally own more than 1 home, EVEN if those other homes were vacant for 95% of the year. (this encourages the rich to “invest” in 2nd homes, or make them AirBnb’s)
- allowing foreign buyers at all (this encourages wasteful ultra-luxury real estate in places like manhattan)
- not building _enough_ housing, especially starter homes.
- corporations and billionaires taking a larger piece of the pie, which has cause stagnating income growth (except for a minor bump post-covid) for decades.
i could go on. Most of this problem was “manufactured” by the US govt via greedy (or in some case shortsighted) laws and policies. In other words, there are almost no strict policies on housing in the US. It’s a free for all, and the rich win. How surprising.
For context i own a home so im not personally affected. But i’m bitter because the people “at the top” in the US seem to hate everyone else. It’s an “i got mine attitude”. Shameful.
There is no law of economics that says that a society must improve. It is entirely feasible for capital to concentrate to the point that the productive classes are no longer able to produce due to lack of surplus investible capital.
The reason why these systems are not fixed is that it does not make sense to hire the engineers to fix them, the customers lack the money to afford the improvements.
Perhaps as coding becomes commoditized by Agentic AI, or whatever it evolves into, these types of problems in infrastructure too will become easier to maintain.
Government hires capitalists to do it's job, and is bribed by them. Still people have voted with their silence for this to be the status quo. So what government is for, is a choice of the people, the rest is toothpaste advertisement.
Not to let it get so deregulated that it falls under the weight of its own greed. Pure capitalist forces will cook any system, needs a mix for functioning markets.
Sounds like someone made a bunch of bad hires recently and needs take some time to mature their workforce.
Are good programmers the ones that fix everything and put themselves out of work or the ones that can drag things out to keep themselves employed long enough to jump to another company?
- I go to the supermarket: the screen calling the next customer at the register and running Windows 11 (sic) crash all the time, so chaos.
- I can't make a bank transfer online because the transfer system is unavailable
- I walk in my street: the lights are turned on during the day and turned off at night (and I usually don't even notice the government related stuff anymore, it is hopeless)
I see computer related things in need of a serious fix everywhere, all the time. Most of those are "local" systems. But those companies won't recruit and empower anybody to fix it, because everybody got used to things not working.
In the meanwhile, engineers are told there is no more jobs for them "because of AI". But it seems the AI they were sold can't figure out lights need to be turned on at night and not during the day...