Re:Uber lays off 435 people
by earthboundkid on Tuesday September 10, 2019 @10:54PM
(#20936159)
Put it this way, if the standard theory of why capitalism beat Soviet communism is that competition created better products etc. none of that requires that the goal of firms is to create better than market average returns to shareholders rather than the goal of firms being a) earn sufficient profit to continue to exist b) benefit consumers c) benefit employees d) benefit shareholders. Yes shareholder would prefer to invest in companies that prioritize them over all else, but why should we the public not say “that’s not an acceptable charter. We don’t want feudalism to happen again, so we are not allowing firms to prioritize shareholders over consumers.”
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If the only defense of capitalism is competition, why not market socialism? As in, markets, competition, and entrepreneurship still exist, but all firms must be worker-owned.
Because then you would be forcing everyone to be an equity partner, even if they would rather take a higher salary than share in the risk. Doesn't sound like freedom to me.
Re:Uber lays off 435 people
by earthboundkid on Wednesday September 11, 2019 @10:31AM
(#20940585)
The "freedom" to monopolize capital is not a meaningful freedom, any more than the freedom to starve in a ditch is a real freedom.
Re:Uber lays off 435 people
by lliamander on Wednesday September 11, 2019 @05:17PM
(#20944814)
I imagine independent contracting would be a way to avoid that.
Re:Uber lays off 435 people
by lliamander on Wednesday September 11, 2019 @05:15PM
(#20944799)
Quibble: I don't really see worker-owned firms as a form of socialism, which I understand as the government ownership of the means of production. Worker-owned firms I associate more with distributism.
Worker-owned firms are a great idea, but if that's the only ownership model then you lose some ability to diversify your investments. Everyone's 401k goes poof.
Thinking through this, what are the alternatives? Simple cash reserves are out (because most societies can't seem to shake the tendency towards inflation). Bank savings accounts are a good idea, although impractical in our current society because interest rates are so low.
Re:Uber lays off 435 people
by anticensor on Wednesday September 11, 2019 @02:27AM
(#20937143)
It is too fragile.
Re:Uber lays off 435 people
by earthboundkid on Wednesday September 11, 2019 @10:32AM
(#20940590)
Did I miss when Denmark elected Trump because the people completely distrust the elites and wanted someone to burn it all down?