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Jeff Bezos wants to end standard raises and gut severance at the Washington Post

Again, I agree. I am reminded of the documentary Before the Bridge which I saw earlier this week as it hits a lot of the big themes coming ahead.

When Barack Obama warned the Democratic Party to smarten up about problems, I thought we can handle a "slow burn" problem, even if the suffering was unjustifiable from humanistic views. But this was before we got Trump.

Slow burns are no longer acceptable, as we can easily fall into a climate where we simply choose to detonate the whole thing to the ground. If people feel this society is actively working against them -- and one has a mountain of reasons to believe this -- how many are quick to press the "eh, fuck it" button? Wasn't Trump literally this button? And of course, he got in because he has a type of charisma that can deflect things that would kill other candidates. That's a highlight of how bad things are for people, because while we can all agree he got help from another country's government, he was simultaneously the amalgamation of everything wrong of this country in the last 30 years but also the image of what we've made successes and "the guys at the top" to seem like.

What if for you and I, the concept of the GOP as enemies of reason and reality isn't really of Reagan's "children," in that our enemy today normalized the views of a senile person who created deep chaos, but one of Trump's "children?" Can this country even survive? We're barely keeping on due to the cancerous ideas, ideals, and memes of Reagan, and Trump has created an entire new platform for a new generation.

What in the world do we have to even oppose this?

Fear is what drives his supporters. And right now fear is pervasive in not only the US, but in many places around the world. This fear forms the bedrock upon which the ever growing surveillance state is built. It is counterintuitive in the age of information, but an increasing amount of people are being deceived into viewing all possibilities as equally probable. This is not the case obviously, and I believe the mass failure of responsible news reporting is the reason why this fact is not being conveyed to people.

It is critical that the distinction between information and knowledge is made. While the former is not necessarily true, the latter is verifiable and able to be documented. Most people like the time or energy to critically analyze information that is given to them to determine whether it may be credible or not; they typically don't even bother to seek out differing viewpoints. When there are so many sources of information out there it becomes incredibly easy to mislead the undiscerning. This is the greatest threat facing democracy today, as Russia is well aware.

So then the question becomes how do you elevate the sources of information that are actually supplying the truth to the population over the deceptive noise makers? Similar to the founding of the Atlantic in the 1800's an alliance of people dedicated to truth and enlightenment must be formed to attack and defeat the noise makers piece by piece. And if I had my preference it would start with Facebook.
 

KingV

Member
Google is matching $3000 per pay period? Whew

I think that is 3000/year, since you can only put in like ~$16.5K or something like that every year.

Matching $3k sucks. Considering Googles wages in Mountain View, that’s probably about on par with Amazons.

Why do people want to work at these companies? I get like a 6% full match + an end of year kicker that’s based on a formula of how long you have been an employee + your age. That kicker can be quite substantial if you are old + have been an employee for a long time. (It’s about an additional 3% for me in my thirties with a relatively short time at the company).
 

Aselith

Member
I think that is 3000/year, since you can only put in like ~$16.5K or something like that every year.

Matching $3k sucks. Considering Googles wages in Mountain View, that’s probably about on par with Amazons.

Why do people want to work at these companies? I get like a 6% full match + an end of year kicker that’s based on a formula of how long you have been an employee + your age. That kicker can be quite substantial if you are old + have been an employee for a long time. (It’s about an additional 3% for me in my thirties with a relatively short time at the company).

At the 120k income level, $3000 a year is still 2.5% matched 100%
 

entremet

Member
I think that is 3000/year, since you can only put in like ~$16.5K or something like that every year.

Matching $3k sucks. Considering Googles wages in Mountain View, that’s probably about on par with Amazons.

Why do people want to work at these companies? I get like a 6% full match + an end of year kicker that’s based on a formula of how long you have been an employee + your age. That kicker can be quite substantial if you are old + have been an employee for a long time. (It’s about an additional 3% for me in my thirties with a relatively short time at the company).
Working in a company like Google also gives you an immense network of super sharp and smart people.
 

Syriel

Member
Kind of like the Netflix model where employees are not a family but a professional team. Sounds great on PowerPoint presentation but completely sucks for stability and long term security. Might as well make all your employees freelancers or temps.

Netflix pays top-of-market.

If you're working at Netflix, you're getting paid well for whatever you're doing.

Whole foods is next.

Whole Foods could use with cost cutting. It's always been an incredibly overpriced version of Trader Joe's, offering nothing more than a trendy name.
 
That 401k match is for shit, but the severance waiving the right to sue is standard practice almost everywhere. Across the board raises are also not standard, so while it sucks for them to lose it, if they don't like it they can try to find a similar deal elsewhere (good luck).
 

Super Mario

Banned
Netflix pays top-of-market.

If you're working at Netflix, you're getting paid well for whatever you're doing.



Whole Foods could use with cost cutting. It's always been an incredibly overpriced version of Trader Joe's, offering nothing more than a trendy name.

Netflix employees will find a rude awakening soon. Netflix can't continue the model they are on
 

m3k

Member
american heroes... i forgot about all the negative amazon employee stories since the company has been doin so well lately

the IT crowd will not save regular citizens
 

KingV

Member
Working in a company like Google also gives you an immense network of super sharp and smart people.

Are they going to pay my bills or match my 401K?

Living in a Mountain View on $140K/year and a 2.5% 401K match is straight up for suckers.

It’s like “I make a lot of money on a national standard but I’m still broke”.
 

Mumei

Member
Another case of America not being a democracy.

American workplaces, at least.

Anderson’s most provocative argument is that large companies, the institutions that employ most workers, amount to a de facto form of government, exerting massive and intrusive power in our daily lives. Unlike the state, these private governments are able to wield power with little oversight, because the executives and boards of directors that rule them are accountable to no one but themselves. Although they exercise their power to varying degrees and through both direct and “soft” means, employers can dictate how we dress and style our hair, when we eat, when (and if) we may use the toilet, with whom we may partner and under what arrangements. Employers may subject our bodies to drug tests; monitor our speech both on and off the job; require us to answer questionnaires about our exercise habits, off-hours alcohol consumption, and childbearing intentions; and rifle through our belongings. If the state held such sweeping powers, Anderson argues, we would probably not consider ourselves free men and women.

I've only skimmed parts of the book so far, mostly because I find it infuriating just doing that. But it looks good. Anderson also wrote a short piece for Vox on the subject.
 
It seems like the human workforce has been thoroughly hacked now.

- pay them, but increase pay less than inflation
- dog eat dog to encourage unpaid work
- make sure firing with for no cause is at worst a few months pay
- employment contracts that zip their mouths

Voila. It will do until we get robots.
 
Say goodbye to investigate journalism at The Post. The MO these days for newspaper publishers is to freeze pay and hiring, lay off as much of the workforce as possible and slash benefits. You are left with a skeleton of a newsroom and expected to do twice as much work for less pay. You fill positions with 20-something J-school grads who don't know anybetter and work them until they quit. All the while, ad space is increased and page size is slashed. Most reporters I know put up with the shitty pay because they viewed their job as a public service like teaching. Now, everyone I know is trying to get out because the job just sucks now and it's not worth all the unpaid overtime. I got out after 12 years and now make way more in just two years and work way less.
 

n64coder

Member
I worked at a software startup that went public. For the 8 years I was there, we had 0% matching except for 1 year we got $2K match. The issue was that we didn't have much of a margin as we were trying to grow the business. My current company has huge margins so we're able to have a very generous corporate match as well as a really good ESPP.
 

Madness

Member
Shocking that a capitalist would act capitalistically.

"You see kid, you're being bamboozaled. These capatalist fat cats are inflating the profit margin and reducing your total number of toys."

22-kramer-santa.w710.h473.2x.jpg
 
Since taking over, the fortunes of the WP have improved dramatically. Sales and revenue are up, readership, content output, investments in their tech and processes, even numbers of reporters has increased which is pretty much unheard of in this day and age. I dunno if this change will actually result in people getting paid more or less, but I do know that this team clearly knows how to run a newspaper. I'm sure there are lots of people here on GAF who are also very good at running newspapers, so I guess we'll have to just wait and see who is right.

This is delightful.

Is the current mode of Libertarian thought that low wages and poor benefits attract the best workers? Are we doing wrong by not paying our CEOs the same as a McDonalds employee?
 
Fear is what drives his supporters. And right now fear is pervasive in not only the US, but in many places around the world. This fear forms the bedrock upon which the ever growing surveillance state is built. It is counterintuitive in the age of information, but an increasing amount of people are being deceived into viewing all possibilities as equally probable. This is not the case obviously, and I believe the mass failure of responsible news reporting is the reason why this fact is not being conveyed to people.

It is critical that the distinction between information and knowledge is made. While the former is not necessarily true, the latter is verifiable and able to be documented. Most people like the time or energy to critically analyze information that is given to them to determine whether it may be credible or not; they typically don't even bother to seek out differing viewpoints. When there are so many sources of information out there it becomes incredibly easy to mislead the undiscerning. This is the greatest threat facing democracy today, as Russia is well aware.

So then the question becomes how do you elevate the sources of information that are actually supplying the truth to the population over the deceptive noise makers? Similar to the founding of the Atlantic in the 1800's an alliance of people dedicated to truth and enlightenment must be formed to attack and defeat the noise makers piece by piece. And if I had my preference it would start with Facebook.

Fuck man where do i sign

I want in
 

turmoil

Banned
I heard that their coverage of patent trolls went to shit since Bezos took over, but I don't read it that often.

Anyways, fuck Bezos.
 

Kill3r7

Member
Netflix pays top-of-market.

If you're working at Netflix, you're getting paid well for whatever you're doing.

They view their employees as professional athletes. Netflix is not keeping you around because you work hard and do more than the next guy. Once they cease to need your services, you are shown the door. I know this view has permeated throughout corporate America but it is not necessarily the best way to do business. Especially as we come closer and closer to mass automation.
 

Foffy

Banned
This is delightful.

Is the current mode of Libertarian thought that low wages and poor benefits attract the best workers? Are we doing wrong by not paying our CEOs the same as a McDonalds employee?

I've always wondered if places outside of the Americas get kookery like we do with Libertarian logic.

It's like such people double down on fiction that they have no idea they confront an alternative universe every day they're alive.
 

numble

Member
Since taking over, the fortunes of the WP have improved dramatically. Sales and revenue are up, readership, content output, investments in their tech and processes, even numbers of reporters has increased which is pretty much unheard of in this day and age. I dunno if this change will actually result in people getting paid more or less, but I do know that this team clearly knows how to run a newspaper. I'm sure there are lots of people here on GAF who are also very good at running newspapers, so I guess we'll have to just wait and see who is right.

They do not create their content, which is news. They report on it. It isn't a coincidence that the two major newspapers reporting on Washington DC politics, the Washington Post and New York Times have had major gains in the last year; the news networks have also had major gains for some reason, and even web-only businesses like Politico, Crooked Media, 538 and yes, Breitbart have seen major gains. Is it because they all have business-savvy teams that know how to run a news organization, or is it because the content they offer (which is created by present politics) has become more interesting?
 
I know people out of college, that have bare bones medical and have to figure out their own retirement plans because their company offers none.

WE SHOULD BE SO LUCKY TO BE PAID BY OUR GENEROUS CORPORATE OWNERS.
my last job had 0% match and i did my own investing by declining their 401k plan. one manager said with a smirk.... now that you’re making big bucks you should join our 401k, why aren’t you....

luckily my current company does 5, but the place is not doing so well so who knows how long it will last :(
 
They do not create their content, which is news. They report on it. It isn't a coincidence that the two major newspapers reporting on Washington DC politics, the Washington Post and New York Times have had major gains in the last year; the news networks have also had major gains for some reason, and even web-only businesses like Politico, Crooked Media, 538 and yes, Breitbart have seen major gains. Is it because they all have business-savvy teams that know how to run a news organization, or is it because the content they offer (which is created by present politics) has become more interesting?

Actually if you studied basic fucking economics you'd know that if you offer the worst wages and benefits you'll attract the best, brightest, and hardest workers.

Wait.... huh
 
Whole Foods could use with cost cutting. It's always been an incredibly overpriced version of Trader Joe's, offering nothing more than a trendy name.
What sucks that it will be at the expense of the people that work there with arguably a good wage and benefits for retail shop.
 

leroidys

Member
Netflix pays top-of-market.

If you're working at Netflix, you're getting paid well for whatever you're doing.



Whole Foods could use with cost cutting. It's always been an incredibly overpriced version of Trader Joe's, offering nothing more than a trendy name.

I never shop at whole foods unless it's literally the only option (too expensive), but this is completely not true at all. They are completely different business. Trader Joes almost only carries self-branded stuff. They carry 0 local produce. They sell everything at set prices (no bulk section). I could keep going...
 
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