Both Meta & Microsoft have said they're shedding staff explicitly to free up cash flow to invest in AI;
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Both Meta & Microsoft have said they're shedding staff explicitly to free up cash flow to invest in AI;
on one level this is unemployment linked to technology, but its a bit different from *actual* technological unemployment - the latter sees people losing jobs due to the deployment of technology to do their jobs. Microsoft & Meta on the other hand are sacking people to take a (bigger) punt on a business strategy that is yet to prove its transformation of productivity.
Monopolising data sources is a race because there's a limited supply, a bit like space for LEO satellites.
All of these companies are monopolists at heart and as a nation the US is trying to monopolise data capture like any other global resource.
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@ChrisMayLA6 This is a business move that deserves to bankrupt the corporations doing it. Hundreds of thousands of people being sacked, with less alternative employment opportunities available to them, and unemployment assistance/other supports being cut repeatedly does not make for a healthy economy or country. Add in the hostility experienced if they emigrate to try and improve their lives. Why are governments rushing to embrace this dangerous technology?
Why are governments embracing AI?
Because they value corporate profits over the wellbeing of their citizenry (IMO). They fear a massive financial drain if they aren't competitive with the US in encouraging AI replacement of human workers.
Also, they fear even greater dependence on US-based technology dependence.
But what will society be with mass unemployment and hallucinating machines making most decisions?
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Both Meta & Microsoft have said they're shedding staff explicitly to free up cash flow to invest in AI;
on one level this is unemployment linked to technology, but its a bit different from *actual* technological unemployment - the latter sees people losing jobs due to the deployment of technology to do their jobs. Microsoft & Meta on the other hand are sacking people to take a (bigger) punt on a business strategy that is yet to prove its transformation of productivity.
@ChrisMayLA6 By shedding workforce, they say they are going to invest into "AI" initiatives, but in the end that cash could also be more easily redirected/hoarded/frozen in order to survive the bubble popping. Could they be preparing in advance for a crash? I wonder if this isn't another sign of the impending bubble collapse.
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Both Meta & Microsoft have said they're shedding staff explicitly to free up cash flow to invest in AI;
on one level this is unemployment linked to technology, but its a bit different from *actual* technological unemployment - the latter sees people losing jobs due to the deployment of technology to do their jobs. Microsoft & Meta on the other hand are sacking people to take a (bigger) punt on a business strategy that is yet to prove its transformation of productivity.
I was at Microsoft when the pandemic hit. Amy Hood told all of the employees that they were not going to rush into hiring (unlike many competitors) because they wanted sustainable growth. Hiring people to deal with a spike in demand and then firing them when the spike subsides would be bad for everyone, she said.
Since then, Microsoft has got rid of about 20% of the workforce. That counts only people in the big redundancy rounds. A lot of people I respected left voluntarily and they ended the policy that orgs reclaim headcount when people leave and so can hire replacements: if someone left, you needed to explicitly request new headcount from your management to get a replacement. A lot of the folks who left had their role filled by promoting someone else, who was then not replaced.
The culture of lying to management means that the senior leadership has no idea how under resourced most of the critical revenue-generating business units are. Anyone who tells them anything other than ‘everything is great, I bet we don’t even need all of the people we have!’ gets a reduced bonus and learns not to do it again.
The company reminded me of a dead oak tree. It looks strong from the outside but a single storm could knock the whole thing down.
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Productivity calculated as were reducing our forces because the productivity technology is costing nine or 12 times as much as we get in revenue.
Truly revolution, where the laws of physics no longer applied to business in any way shape or form. Maybe productivity was assigned integer and they just rolled over max positive value or something.
@GhostOnTheHalfShell @ChrisMayLA6 @HarriettMB
AI is a fascist loss leader.
Like cheap chicken at a grocery store, it brings in the rubes & achieves other aims, like subscribers.
https://www.inc.com/bill-murphy-jr/how-costco-turns-loss-leaders-into-an-art-form-and-why-your-business-might-want-to-copy-them/91270572Sam Altman says AI will eventually be sold like electricity and water — by companies like OpenAI
"We see a future where intelligence is a utility like electricity or water and people buy it from us on a meter," OpenAI CEO Sam Atlman said.
Business Insider (www.businessinsider.com)
It's achieving other oligarchic goals.
Just as Koch kept awful rideshare companies like Uber & Lyfft afloat for years, to torpedo public transit projects.
https://jacobin.com/2019/08/uber-koch-brothers-david-charles-rideshare-public-transit
The Uber Leak Exposes Its Global War on Workers
The “Uber Files” leak reveals the power of the company’s multimillion-dollar lobbying effort — and how it worked with governments around the world to undercut workers’ rights.
(jacobin.com)
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Why are governments embracing AI?
Because they value corporate profits over the wellbeing of their citizenry (IMO). They fear a massive financial drain if they aren't competitive with the US in encouraging AI replacement of human workers.
Also, they fear even greater dependence on US-based technology dependence.
But what will society be with mass unemployment and hallucinating machines making most decisions?
I suspect that there's a lot of political and financial pressure to adopt US corporate technology generally and AI is a big part of that because of the huge investments.
It's a big gamble.
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I was at Microsoft when the pandemic hit. Amy Hood told all of the employees that they were not going to rush into hiring (unlike many competitors) because they wanted sustainable growth. Hiring people to deal with a spike in demand and then firing them when the spike subsides would be bad for everyone, she said.
Since then, Microsoft has got rid of about 20% of the workforce. That counts only people in the big redundancy rounds. A lot of people I respected left voluntarily and they ended the policy that orgs reclaim headcount when people leave and so can hire replacements: if someone left, you needed to explicitly request new headcount from your management to get a replacement. A lot of the folks who left had their role filled by promoting someone else, who was then not replaced.
The culture of lying to management means that the senior leadership has no idea how under resourced most of the critical revenue-generating business units are. Anyone who tells them anything other than ‘everything is great, I bet we don’t even need all of the people we have!’ gets a reduced bonus and learns not to do it again.
The company reminded me of a dead oak tree. It looks strong from the outside but a single storm could knock the whole thing down.
We must all use LINUX then!
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@GhostOnTheHalfShell @ChrisMayLA6 @HarriettMB
AI is a fascist loss leader.
Like cheap chicken at a grocery store, it brings in the rubes & achieves other aims, like subscribers.
https://www.inc.com/bill-murphy-jr/how-costco-turns-loss-leaders-into-an-art-form-and-why-your-business-might-want-to-copy-them/91270572Sam Altman says AI will eventually be sold like electricity and water — by companies like OpenAI
"We see a future where intelligence is a utility like electricity or water and people buy it from us on a meter," OpenAI CEO Sam Atlman said.
Business Insider (www.businessinsider.com)
It's achieving other oligarchic goals.
Just as Koch kept awful rideshare companies like Uber & Lyfft afloat for years, to torpedo public transit projects.
https://jacobin.com/2019/08/uber-koch-brothers-david-charles-rideshare-public-transit
The Uber Leak Exposes Its Global War on Workers
The “Uber Files” leak reveals the power of the company’s multimillion-dollar lobbying effort — and how it worked with governments around the world to undercut workers’ rights.
(jacobin.com)
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1. It's money laundering for petrostate despots & other oligarchs.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-11-06/saudis-plan-100-billion-ai-powerhouse-to-rival-uae-s-tech-hubSimilar to how Russia looted its national treasury & used Trump & Deutsche Bank to launder it via real estate.
Citizens go homeless in overpriced housing markets, so billionaire private equity can launder their loot in residential real estate.
Zuckerberg blew $77 billion on the Metaverse to launder cash & so still kept his job.
2. AI is fascist international state surveillance & is wasting energy
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1. It's money laundering for petrostate despots & other oligarchs.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-11-06/saudis-plan-100-billion-ai-powerhouse-to-rival-uae-s-tech-hubSimilar to how Russia looted its national treasury & used Trump & Deutsche Bank to launder it via real estate.
Citizens go homeless in overpriced housing markets, so billionaire private equity can launder their loot in residential real estate.
Zuckerberg blew $77 billion on the Metaverse to launder cash & so still kept his job.
2. AI is fascist international state surveillance & is wasting energy
3/
Microsoft and Google may have to surrender people's data to Saudi Arabia after signing huge deals there
Saudi Arabia is seeking to be an innovation hub, but activists are warning that tech firms could be complicit in the repression of dissidents.
Business Insider (www.businessinsider.com)
Omnipresent AI cameras will ensure good behavior, says Larry Ellison
We’re going to have supervision," says billionaire Oracle co-founder Ellison.
Ars Technica (arstechnica.com)
Why US Power Bills Are Surging
Americans are paying more for electricity—and rates will keep rising. But after a period of pain, rates should level off as the benefits of a shift away from fossil fuels begin to be felt.
WIRED (www.wired.com)
Trump and the Energy Industry Are Eager to Power AI With Fossil Fuels
At a Pittsburgh summit, the Trump administration, energy executives, and tech barons joined as one to promote AI as the future of fossil fuels.
WIRED (www.wired.com)
3. AI is going to be the next Russian Internet Research Agency for election meddling & hack-for-hire disinformation.
Five Billionaires Pledged $1 Billion To Boost Economic Mobility Using AI
Five of America’s top philanthropists are teaming up for a new venture aimed at helping low-income Americans rise from poverty. An AI giant has signed on to help.
Forbes (www.forbes.com)
These folks have never given two hoots for worker's "economic mobility". NextLadder is forced user adoption & malign influence.
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I suspect that there's a lot of political and financial pressure to adopt US corporate technology generally and AI is a big part of that because of the huge investments.
It's a big gamble.
@ReggieHere @HarriettMB @ChrisMayLA6
Correct. Corey Doctorow has written about the decades of US trade policy that pushes US tech dominance.
But Trump has made it clear to every nation that relying on America (for anything) is doomed to fail.
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3/
Microsoft and Google may have to surrender people's data to Saudi Arabia after signing huge deals there
Saudi Arabia is seeking to be an innovation hub, but activists are warning that tech firms could be complicit in the repression of dissidents.
Business Insider (www.businessinsider.com)
Omnipresent AI cameras will ensure good behavior, says Larry Ellison
We’re going to have supervision," says billionaire Oracle co-founder Ellison.
Ars Technica (arstechnica.com)
Why US Power Bills Are Surging
Americans are paying more for electricity—and rates will keep rising. But after a period of pain, rates should level off as the benefits of a shift away from fossil fuels begin to be felt.
WIRED (www.wired.com)
Trump and the Energy Industry Are Eager to Power AI With Fossil Fuels
At a Pittsburgh summit, the Trump administration, energy executives, and tech barons joined as one to promote AI as the future of fossil fuels.
WIRED (www.wired.com)
3. AI is going to be the next Russian Internet Research Agency for election meddling & hack-for-hire disinformation.
Five Billionaires Pledged $1 Billion To Boost Economic Mobility Using AI
Five of America’s top philanthropists are teaming up for a new venture aimed at helping low-income Americans rise from poverty. An AI giant has signed on to help.
Forbes (www.forbes.com)
These folks have never given two hoots for worker's "economic mobility". NextLadder is forced user adoption & malign influence.
4/
Gig work is coming for nursing. It might mean below-minimum wage pay and AI surveillance | Fortune
Nursing is tough work. A new report outlines how the gig economy might make it even harder.
Fortune (fortune.com)
4. It'll be used to suppress wages using the same algorithms that Harlan Crow used in RealPage to blow up rents internationally.
Investigation of Alleged Rental Price-Fixing via “Algorithmic Collusion” on RealPage and Other Revenue Management Software
Is algorithmic pricing secretly hiking your rent? Uncover the hidden truth behind RealPage’s rental software and your monthly bill.
UC Berkeley School of Information (www.ischool.berkeley.edu)
It'll be used to balloon utility rates & grocery prices.
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/economy/personalized-pricing-has-spread-across-many-industries-heres-how-consumers-can-avoid-it -
I was at Microsoft when the pandemic hit. Amy Hood told all of the employees that they were not going to rush into hiring (unlike many competitors) because they wanted sustainable growth. Hiring people to deal with a spike in demand and then firing them when the spike subsides would be bad for everyone, she said.
Since then, Microsoft has got rid of about 20% of the workforce. That counts only people in the big redundancy rounds. A lot of people I respected left voluntarily and they ended the policy that orgs reclaim headcount when people leave and so can hire replacements: if someone left, you needed to explicitly request new headcount from your management to get a replacement. A lot of the folks who left had their role filled by promoting someone else, who was then not replaced.
The culture of lying to management means that the senior leadership has no idea how under resourced most of the critical revenue-generating business units are. Anyone who tells them anything other than ‘everything is great, I bet we don’t even need all of the people we have!’ gets a reduced bonus and learns not to do it again.
The company reminded me of a dead oak tree. It looks strong from the outside but a single storm could knock the whole thing down.
@david_chisnall @ChrisMayLA6 A pet hate is where expert gamers or game developers determining the user experience of games they develop. The 'Easy' level to them is often tortuously hard for me.
They should have a set of testers who represent the public better. Then watch them behind one way mirrors ...
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Both Meta & Microsoft have said they're shedding staff explicitly to free up cash flow to invest in AI;
on one level this is unemployment linked to technology, but its a bit different from *actual* technological unemployment - the latter sees people losing jobs due to the deployment of technology to do their jobs. Microsoft & Meta on the other hand are sacking people to take a (bigger) punt on a business strategy that is yet to prove its transformation of productivity.
@ChrisMayLA6 they've chosen DC CAPEX over employees. Which is a reminder to all use software devs: we're just rows marked R&D and Support in the spreadsheet
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Both Meta & Microsoft have said they're shedding staff explicitly to free up cash flow to invest in AI;
on one level this is unemployment linked to technology, but its a bit different from *actual* technological unemployment - the latter sees people losing jobs due to the deployment of technology to do their jobs. Microsoft & Meta on the other hand are sacking people to take a (bigger) punt on a business strategy that is yet to prove its transformation of productivity.
@ChrisMayLA6 "One of these things is not like the other"
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@ChrisMayLA6 the problem is. They have nothing else to induce growth. So they throw money on a bet and hope it will work.
@prefec2 If there are no longer any users willing to use those substandard products, the system will shut down immediately.
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@ReggieHere @HarriettMB @ChrisMayLA6
Correct. Corey Doctorow has written about the decades of US trade policy that pushes US tech dominance.
But Trump has made it clear to every nation that relying on America (for anything) is doomed to fail.
@TCatInReality @ReggieHere @ChrisMayLA6 Today there’s a headline that #Trump is threatening tarriffs on the #UK if they don’t drop the digital services tax; a couple of days ago he was claiming the relationship between the UK & #USA would be repaired because he likes the King. Typical Trump. He gets what he wants [Royal visit] but will continue to bully, demean and dominate the subject of his ire. There’s no pleasing this
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@TCatInReality @ReggieHere @ChrisMayLA6 Today there’s a headline that #Trump is threatening tarriffs on the #UK if they don’t drop the digital services tax; a couple of days ago he was claiming the relationship between the UK & #USA would be repaired because he likes the King. Typical Trump. He gets what he wants [Royal visit] but will continue to bully, demean and dominate the subject of his ire. There’s no pleasing this
Yes. I've mentioned this before, but US foreign policy is heavily biased towards US big tech and cross-border data transfers to the degree that it's becoming a geopolitical tool akin to hosting US military bases.
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@TCatInReality @ReggieHere @ChrisMayLA6 Today there’s a headline that #Trump is threatening tarriffs on the #UK if they don’t drop the digital services tax; a couple of days ago he was claiming the relationship between the UK & #USA would be repaired because he likes the King. Typical Trump. He gets what he wants [Royal visit] but will continue to bully, demean and dominate the subject of his ire. There’s no pleasing this
@HarriettMB @TCatInReality @ReggieHere @ChrisMayLA6 Let him tariff away. Americans for the bill. He's digging his own grave. He's impenetrably stupid.
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Yes. I've mentioned this before, but US foreign policy is heavily biased towards US big tech and cross-border data transfers to the degree that it's becoming a geopolitical tool akin to hosting US military bases.
@ReggieHere @TCatInReality @ChrisMayLA6 I’d like to see them out of every country as well, especially all of the EU and UK.
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@ChrisMayLA6 So humans are progressively shut out of economic as well as semantic loops, the algorithms talk to and copy each other... A weaving machine so perfect it no longer needs thread, nor makes cloth? https://thesinisterscience.wordpress.com/2021/01/11/frederik-pohls-mass-consumer-1-the-midas-plague/
@SusiArnott @ChrisMayLA6
Whatever you think of Pohl’s story, “The Midas Plague” seems an entirely apt description of the late stage capitalism we are currently suffering. Its greed will destroy everything, just as King Midas’s did.
#enshittification
