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| ▲ | jacquesm 3 hours ago | parent | next [-] | | What makes you think everybody will be able to adapt to 'the new reality'? That's pretty cruel. I know plenty of people in their late 40's 50's and 60's that were doing fine and who now have to compete with junior and Claude. And sometimes just Claude. Obviously they had no inherent right to income but still, people have obligations that need to be met and if they stop spending the economy is not going to be happy. Especially cruel because we have been telling everybody for decades that a career in software is stable and that there will always be a need for more people. I suspect that when all this is over 1929 will look pretty good. | | |
| ▲ | otterley 2 hours ago | parent [-] | | > What makes you think everybody will be able to adapt to 'the new reality'? That's pretty cruel. I don’t, necessarily; but I do know that if you’re not even trying, then you’re putting yourself at greater risk. This isn’t one of those developments that people can just stubbornly dig their heels in about. Life throws obstacles at everyone. Learning how to dodge and weave is essential to survival. > I suspect that when all this is over 1929 will look pretty good. Oh come on. Let’s not be so dramatic, shall we? | | |
| ▲ | fugalfervor 44 minutes ago | parent | next [-] | | > I don’t, necessarily; but I do know that if you’re not even trying, then you’re putting yourself at greater risk. We could also all put our gifts toward preventing the "new reality" you see as inevitable, and put you at greater risk. The future isn't written yet. Your ability to predict it is an illusion. In aggregate, people whose job it is to predict large-scale economic events are worse than chance in their predictions. | | | |
| ▲ | crabmusket an hour ago | parent | prev | next [-] | | > Life throws obstacles at everyone. This is sensible and pragmatic, but I think you're talking past the other commenter. Obstacles presented by, for example, your boss, or your company's competitors, or your political system, are not the same as obstacles like heartbreak, natural disasters, emotions, illnesses we cannot yet cure. > Learning how to dodge and weave is essential to survival. A lot of people perceive that elites are throwing dodgeballs at them in order to increase their own profits. Saying "them's the breaks, it's just the way it is" appears to be deflecting criticism from those elites and that system. It probably depends on whether you think we could actually feed everyone, today, if we chose to, or if you think e.g. human nature prevents that from being possible. | |
| ▲ | jacquesm 2 hours ago | parent | prev [-] | | > Oh come on. Let’s not be so dramatic, shall we? You'd have said the same thing in 1928... Seriously: this is a massive problem that we are creating and given that the tools that make the problem require better tools to solve them I really am not all that happy about how this is going. | | |
| ▲ | otterley 2 hours ago | parent [-] | | > You'd have said the same thing in 1928... Hindsight is 20/20. Besides, what good is panicking? It won’t help with the inevitable; better to adapt and save for it. > the tools that make the problem require better tools to solve them You’ve found the opening :-) | | |
| ▲ | jacquesm an hour ago | parent | next [-] | | Sorry but you are coming off as utterly tone deaf and patronizing. People are losing their jobs. This is not a small thing and it will cause a lot of misery for those people. To effectively tell them to man up and to adapt when that simply isn't an option is losing sight of the human angle. Not every problem is a technical one and not every problem can be solved with technology. I'm not worried about myself, I've had a lot of luck in my life for which I'm super greatful. But I'm also quite aware of the exceptional position that puts me in and how many people are not so fortunate that they could probably live on their savings for the rest of their life if things ground to a halt. Most people live paycheck to paycheck, or they may have a few thousand bucks in savings at most. They've worked hard all their lives and simply were never in a position to save enough against this kind of eventuality because the deck was stacked against them. Have a heart, and realize that barring a couple of unfortunate moves it could be you looking at your last 500 bucks with rent due and a couple of mouths to feed. | | |
| ▲ | yuye an hour ago | parent | next [-] | | >Sorry but you are coming off as utterly tone deaf and patronizing. I agree, but I'd like to think these people come from a optimistic point of view. A lot of people don't seem to understand that the "human in the loop" is exactly the thing the big AI leaders want to cut out as much as possible. | | |
| ▲ | jacquesm an hour ago | parent | next [-] | | That's being willfully blind at this point in time. | | | |
| ▲ | otterley an hour ago | parent | prev [-] | | I hate the idea that it’s considered “tone deaf” to encourage people to adapt to changing conditions. I’m not going to adopt a pessimistic tone and say “yup we’re all fucked, ain’t nothing we can do.” It’s intentionally changing the tone, not being deaf to it. |
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| ▲ | otterley an hour ago | parent | prev [-] | | > Sorry but you are coming off as utterly tone deaf and patronizing. I’m sorry if it’s coming across that way. It’s not my intent, and I’m aware that many people are a lost paycheck away from a crisis. But if you really think the right thing to do in response is to complain and commiserate, I don’t think that is helpful, either. I think it’s much better to encourage behavior that has a chance of being effective. If you think it’s somehow wrong to encourage people to behave in such a way that has a better chance of setting them up for success, then I vehemently disagree. > To effectively tell them... to adapt when that simply isn't an option is losing sight of the human angle. You must have a pretty low opinion of people if you think they can’t adapt. | | |
| ▲ | jacquesm an hour ago | parent | next [-] | | You really don't get it, and I think I've tried my best so have a nice life. | | | |
| ▲ | fugalfervor 41 minutes ago | parent | prev [-] | | > But if you really think the right thing to do in response is to complain and commiserate, I don’t think that is helpful, either. What if complaining and commiserating leads to fighting for political actions that lead to outcomes we like better? | | |
| ▲ | otterley 29 minutes ago | parent [-] | | Possibly. But 1/this thread doesn’t seem designed for that; and 2/I’m not sure what outcome you’re contemplating. If it’s “we need better unemployment insurance and public healthcare,” I’m totally down with that. If it’s “ban the use of AI for writing software,” I think that’s a fool’s errand: the genie is not going back into that bottle. |
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| ▲ | debo_ an hour ago | parent | prev [-] | | How long would you be able to sustain a mostly-comfortable lifestyle if you were to lose your job right now with no chance of finding new employment? If the answer is, say, more than a year, that might alter your perspective on the issue. |
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| ▲ | bluefirebrand 3 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-] | | Dunno yet. Thinking about going back to school and retrain for something else, because software is pretty much over for me That or swallow a bullet, we'll see. Haven't decided. We'll see how long my current unemployment lasts, and how long my savings last after that | | |
| ▲ | alex_anglin 2 hours ago | parent [-] | | HN stranger, I want to observe that you shared a suicidal idea. I'm sorry to read about your unemployment situation and know things must not be easy. As one HNer to another, I implore you to not to pursue that path and seek help in doing so. That we are members of this community confers to us opportunities to build knowledge that serve us well as life long learners. In that vein, going back to school is not a bad idea. Having been in this game for a long time, I get the negative aspects of the industry. They grind on me, as I believe they have for you. Choosing a different path is not an all or nothing proposition. Your knowledge, and you as a person, have value. I hope you find a way towards better mental health and wish you well on that journey. | | |
| ▲ | otterley 2 hours ago | parent | next [-] | | Thanks for saying that. My sentiments are the same. Life is difficult for many, and we all struggle in different ways. I’m sure bluefirebrand has something amazing to contribute to this world, even if it’s not what they think it is right now. | |
| ▲ | yuye 2 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-] | | I appreciate your concern, because I feel the same way. However, you are wrong. >Your knowledge, and you as a person, have value. This is the exact thing AI is threatening to take away. | | |
| ▲ | otterley an hour ago | parent [-] | | If you honestly believe that is true (and I do not) — don’t let it. Become something AI cannot replace. | | |
| ▲ | yuye an hour ago | parent [-] | | >Become something AI cannot replace. What will it not replace, eventually? | | |
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| ▲ | bluefirebrand an hour ago | parent | prev [-] | | Yeah, you're right Been seeing a counselor for over a year already Went and made a doctor, guess it's time to look into medication Thanks Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. Been here before, just very unhappy to be here again that's all | | |
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| ▲ | vigilantpuma 3 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-] | | What are you doing? | | | |
| ▲ | micromacrofoot 3 hours ago | parent | prev [-] | | training my replacement |
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