I’ve been accused of not having hope, and I’ll admit, it’s true. I’m glad there are people out in the world fighting for rights, attempting to keep us safe, and generally keeping governments and big corporations in check. I know these same people can make a difference, but I think it’s a losing battle. I think we need to look at things more realistically, especially in regards to tech.
Big tech is in a constant struggle to make money for their shareholders. They demand infinite profit growth, usually at the expense of the workers. These companies ramp up, hire, invest, and then when things don’t go quite right, they downsize, leaving potentially thousands of workers out of jobs.
As someone who has worked for tech companies for over 30 years, I know how this works. I know that feeling when layoffs are announced and you worry you’re next. I also know how it feels to get numb to the whole experience. So when a company like Microsoft is rumored to lay off thousands of workers across the entire organization, I genuinely feel for those people. I also realize this is inevitable.
And while we feel for the workers, we also often have a vested interest. We become attached to products these companies make. Or, when a smaller company is acquired by a larger one, we worry the products will either change in unwelcome ways, or shutdown altogether.
The reality is, we can’t change this in any significant way. The stock market fuels the growth of these companies, often makes the people running them rich, but requires a cutthroat approach to managing the products and workforce. Just because we’re attached to a given product, we can’t expect the company to treat it differently.
It’s good to have compassion for others but we need to have a realistic outlook. We need to see big tech for what it is. It’s like a government constantly at war. Those workers who get burnt out, who maybe have lost their spouses after ignoring them for too long, and get laid off at the whim of the corporate overlords, are the casualties.
They survive, but are forever changed.
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