^^^ this guy productivity-maxxes

But seriously: It's a game. If that kind of "productivity" is seen as a positive measure of their worth, then in this game they're rewarded for optimizing it.

And the game is simply fucked up.

And that's not new. Ye olde corpo rat race has always often revolved not around maximizing the things that are useful, but instead around maximizing the things that the boss-man perceives to be valuable.

Here in 2026, if the boss-man is himself boss-maxxing by using a bot to evaluate performance, this kind of automated charade would probably work very well. Champagne would fall from the heavens. Doors would open. Velvet ropes would part.

This game is quite clearly not sustainable and must ultimately collapse, but it's still a game with winners and losers. Historically, lots of unsustainable games have left winners standing around when the the games ultimately collapses.

(And, to be frank: It's perfectly OK to hate the game. It's also OK to hate the players and the mediators.)