The difference with a family-like artisan guild is that the workers themselves own the means of production, unlike today's typical corporate structure. Žižek's stated preference for the in-your-face authoritarian style is underpinned by his Marxist background. He wants the boss to get in your face so that you are better able to rebel against capitalism.

He sees this post-modern soft totalitarian style as far more threatening to the worker's liberty. Like with a cult, a prostitution ring, or organized crime, any situation where a person is convinced that they are part of a family in order to exploit them is dangerous to our free society.