I’m that, but in reverse, a bro tech
RIP Aaron Swartz
And we’ll never know, selfishly speaking, the possible extent of his further contributions to society. Died at 26 after an incredible life already.
Besides his life, what else did they steal from us?
RIP Aaron
(Reposting my comment from last year)
2030: By the implementation of AI, the orphan crushing machine can now process 35% more biomass per hour, providing a sustainable power source to our server parks
Hey, you figured out a way to get MAGA types to support abortion - just find a way for tech bros to monetize aborted fetuses for shiny tech thing. Starte= referring to them as “extruded excess biomass” or something.
No, that is wrong. You have to wait for them to be born, as all life is sacred. After that, they can die of measles or rot on the street, it doesn’t matter anymore
I have a very very real problem with this oversimplification of very distinct tech viewpoints.
Like, what, you dont think information should be freely available? You LIKE the model where information is locked down with hefty fees? Because that’s what the actual “tech bros” want.
This is at best ignorant and at worst just hateful.
i’d say both ignorant and hateful
Am I stupid? Idk what the hell this is trying to say
The feeling of power that being in the technology sector brings changes a man.
It’s not something that’s unique to tech, but I read it as a joke about enshittification due to greed.
Lots of start-up companies start out all idealistic and positive, then don’t stay true to that mission as the founders age and want more (or sell out to a bigger company).
Also as an aside, if stock points cripples your integrity then you never had any to begin with
I honestly think delusion is a core component of startup culture. There’s this energy of overly sincere rich kids who think they can make the world a better place by perpetuating a system of exploitation
It’s kinda tragic really
I do envy their ability to take such big risks though (often because they have money to fall back on, I assume).
I’ve never been in a position to take a risk like that without jeopardizing my (and now my family’s) future.
Oh yeah there’s definitely a joy to it. I think doing crazy things when your young and inspired is core experience in life. It’s a shame most people are in your position and can’t rely on the support of their community to fall back on if the risk fails
Tech bruh
Sorry, but I feel 2014 should be replaced with 1980, 2018 should be replaced with 2000… Maybe 1990. But the whole monetisation thing started loooonngg before 2025.
I just listened to War is a Racket by General Smedley D Butler. It’s 40 minutes long and very insightful.
Bankers monetize the lives of soldiers to protect private investments. If they put a price on blood there’s nothing they won’t monetize.
Butler prevented the business plot from happening…now it’s happening.
Thanks for this recommendation, I’m going to give this a listen
There are several public domain readings of this book on YouTube for others who are interested
When you stare into the abyss, the abyss stares back at you.
I think only a handful of people could remain principled in spite of having attained wealth, power and status. And it is not that power makes one greedy, I think a person who attains success becomes surrounded by sycophants and yes-men who like to gain access to the successful person for the sycophants’ own use.
If anything, this is more how money corrupts tech folks.
“I want to change the world with this tech”
…
“3 billion you say? The company is yours!”
I mean a lot of us talk big game but I’m sure many of us would sell out for a 9 figure acquisition. Hell for 7.
Nah, precisely because we would cash out and settle for peaceful lives long before we’d become billionaires or even millionaires. It takes a certain type of person to begin earning millions and conclude “that’s not nearly enough, I need this times a thousand”. None of them are “good” people.
You don’t usually just “begin earning millions”, some businesses snowball to billion-dollar size quite quickly. Instagram had only a few dozen employees before being sold to Facebook for billions.
It happens, especially in tech, but I’d say it’s still the exception to the norm.
I’m taking the money and giving a fat chunk of it to programs and things that my government refuses to do anything about. I don’t give a fuck about shallow things like “selling out.”
How many here are working for these tech bros or putting money on their companies?
We have a ton of developers on lemmy. It is entirely possible one of them will face this dilemma one day.
The company I work for isn’t amazing and our most recent CEO is human garbage. I’ve got medical stuff I had to pay for and need the funds to get out of country. Doing my best to be a net drain though by working as slowly and poorly as I can without being fired and I don’t buy into tech stock (or most any stock for that matter). Idk if what I’m doing is as ethical as it could be but I’m doing my best to not support unhinged tech bros despite being in tech
7 figures??? That’s not selling out, that’s just trying to get anything for a sinking ship if you sell for a million. Thats barely covering salary+expenses for 2-5 engineers depending on level and location.
I’m talking about taking a seven figure personal payout to walk away from my company and let some asshole handle it
Yes, you’re talking about a personal “payout” thats probably only 2-3 years of a salary? That’s not much of a “payout” that’s just a nicer severance package. If you built a company that wasn’t about to go under, it’s not worth handing it to some asshole for practically nothing
annuities my dude
1M is 2-3 yr salary??? Hook a brother up with these $300-500k/yr job leads d00d
OK well you can hold onto your company and turn down millions of dollars. For the rest of us normal people that’s a life-changing amount of money.
Jesus what kind of job do you have where millions of dollars, let’s even be conservative and say 1-2, is 2-3 year’s salary? Most people don’t make $300k+ a year and that’s like…the floor of my theoretical.
Software engineers at FAANG companies easily make that amount. And that’s the caliber of engineer that is typically making this type of exit.
You’re commenting as if your circumstances are the same as a tech bro founder’s, which seems to be incorrect.
You have a very myopic view of how these things can play out.
Honestly selling the company is understandable. Getting out is normal.
It’s the ones that turn into sociopaths that bother me.
I work with these fucking yuppies every day and I hate them so fucking much.
Ai slop
Yeah, by 2014 that mentality was being phased out, they just couldn’t do it overnight.
TIL there were no tech bros before 2014.
People like 2025 guy have never held thoughts like the other 2, they were always self serving cunts. They just kept a facade till they depended on others, but once they joined the rich fucks club, they dropped the facade.