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▲ bubblethink 3 hours ago

The nice thing about these types of questions is that the market is very good at finding who needs what; we don't need a central planning committee.

▲howunfortunate 3 hours ago | parent | next [-]

The market IS very good at that, what it's not good at is handling externalities for citizens of a country that arise from taking the most efficient market path.

▲Zigurd an hour ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Cool theory. But there are confounding factors: H1B employees get exploited like a species of indentured servants. Lazy managers like that they are compliant and happy to implement stupid ideas.

▲ 2 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]
[deleted]
▲ethbr1 2 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

> we don't need a central planning committee

Ironic phrasing, as in my experience the steelman argument in favor of these companies is "The customer is really bad at thinking through their own requirements."

▲rcstank 2 hours ago | parent [-]

Then let that customer fail, and others prevail.

▲mckn1ght 3 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Is it though? Markets may be perfect, but humans are not. There’s plenty of laziness, incompetence and corruption, even in capitalism.

I guess it’s the least worst option we’ve found. That doesn’t mean it doesn’t need any guardrails at all though.

▲computerex 2 hours ago | parent [-]

I always marvel how “hacker news” is so pro capitalism and pro billionaire class. Site should be named “silicon valley hub” or something.

Late stage capitalism is a scourge for humanity.

▲the_doctah 2 hours ago | parent | next [-]

Sir, this is HN, not Reddit.

▲bubblethink 2 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

Hey man, I don't bite the hand that feeds me.

▲vrganj 2 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

> we don't need a central planning committee.

That is an ideological creed, not a fact. It might be true, but you're just smuggling in your priors with no evidence.

▲DANmode 3 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

I agree that we don’t need a central planning committee.

But if you’ve ever worked with the public, you know there is almost no cultural onus on nontechnical people to properly hire or contract technical people for technical tasks.

So…no: The market isn’t very good at this - yet.

▲Spooky23 2 hours ago | parent [-]

When was the last time the federal/state government failed to collect taxes? Or disburse social services? When did your bank not credit your interest?

This stuff is all contracted or subcontracted to these sorts of companies. You don’t need technical geniuses. You need good enough at the lowest cost.

▲DANmode 2 hours ago | parent [-]

The IRS getting okay work out of a contractor is not the same as a random food manufacturing or trucking company trying to contract work out.

Consulting companies, especially the largest ones, are known to employ more hacks than competent folks - because they can. (This is the “lowest cost” you mentioned.)

Just read the stories here about the big names.

Succeeding in not being sued - most of the time - doesn’t mean you’re doing good work or good business.