Remix.run Logo
mrkurt 2 days ago

It's safe to say that if either Chris or I believed this to be anti worker, we wouldn't be working on it. He's spent the last 10+ years working on Phoenix specifically to improve the lives of the people doing the work.

My experience with software development is maybe different than yours. There's a massive amount of not-yet-built software that can improve peoples' lives, even in teeny tiny ways. Like 99.999% of what should exist, doesn't.

Building things faster with LLMs makes me more capable. It (so far) has not taken work away from the people I work with. It has made them more capable. We can all build better tools, and faster than we did 12 months ago.

Automation is disruptive to peoples' lives. I get that. It decreases the value of some hard earned skills. Developer automation, in my life at least, has also increased the value of other peoples' skills. I don't believe it's anti worker to build more tools for builders.

krainboltgreene 2 days ago | parent | next [-]

> There's a massive amount of not-yet-built software that can improve peoples' lives, even in teeny tiny ways. Like 99.999% of what should exist, doesn't.

We agree on this completely, however you and I know there are plenty of people without jobs in the world who could be employed to do this work. You are spending your finite amount of time on earth working with services that are trying to squeeze the job market (they've said this openly) rather than spending it increasing the welfare of workers by giving them work.

> Automation is disruptive to peoples' lives.

You know the difference between automation and the goals of these companies. You know that they don't want to make looms that increase the productivity of workers, they want to replace the worker so they never have to pay wages again.

tptacek 2 days ago | parent [-]

rather than spending it increasing the welfare of workers by giving them work.

Saying the quiet part loud here.

jonator 2 days ago | parent | prev [-]

Exactly. And as more software is written, the demand and possible set of softwares increase.

It's really a matter of positive sum/growth mindset vs scarcity/status quo mindset.

hooverd 12 hours ago | parent [-]

Maybe, but it's zero sum to the people with money. We saw wage growth in the lowest end during the Biden admin and it drove the bosses insane.