Yet they moved their taxable entity to Ireland, if I understand things correctly. I'm not sure what it means to say that they're an "American" company. And what do we actually gain from having companies nominally located in the US?

> they moved their taxable entity to Ireland

Apple’s Double Irish With a Dutch Sandwich avoids taxes on non-U.S. profits [1]. U.S. profits are still taxed domestically.

[1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double_Irish_arrangement

With the Apple mothership, Google, Facebook and Twitter headquarters just a few miles from my house, it's hard not to feel hometown pride and really, why should I? I'm aware of their problems but I have normal human emotions.

Yet they moved their taxable entity to Mars, if I understand things correctly. I'm not sure what it means to say that they're an "Earth" company. And what do we actually gain from having companies nominally located on Earth?

Not trying to put you down, but isn't it weird to feel pride for something you contributed nothing to?

Maybe you are very old, and built the infrastructure those successful companies now used, in which case I'm wrong and some pride is warranted.

I also cannot understand nationalism for the same reason. Other than a marketing scam or massive delusion, that is.

I can't say if my code is still in use, but it had an impact on a lot of people for awhile

Every person that ever committed a patch to the Linux Kernel probably has more impact. Not because if the code itself but Linux is just so much more important than Apple, Facebook and Google altogether.

What a weird thing to say since you don't know what code I wrote, but anyway my larger point is all of us programmers and IT workers should be proud of what we have accomplished. We all together made those companies possible. Now the fact that I live here and we're part of a community is just a cherry on top for me, but that part seems to annoy people so I'll never mention it again and keep it as my private enjoyment.

That's why I said "not because if the code itself". But I have a typo there, shit. of, not if.

What community? The one where you have to be rich to be a part of?

> What community? The one where you have to be rich to be a part of?

Looks like HN hides the reply if we go back and forth too quickly so I'll just reply here to say quickly that these companies have friction with local communities so they try to be nice. I've been to Facebook event like Siesta day. They try to be nice but it doesn't always help with the locals.

The only nice thing to do is: pay their taxes, don't build surveillance systems just to show fascist ads to your users.

Actually, I don't expect companies to do these two things. I expect governments to prevent companies from doing those crappy things. And I expect voters to vote for politicians that do these things.

They haven’t “moved” anything, they set up a corporation in Ireland and arrange for profit to be booked there.

On the other hand, Steve Jobs rejected conventional medicine when he became sick, which may have contributed to his premature death.

It’s almost as if experts in one area (business) are often novices in other areas (medicine)

I wouldn't call someone who doesn't listen to doctors "a novice" in medicine, I'd call them a moron.

It's almost as if experts in one area (business) often listen to experts in other areas (medicine). Except, Steve Jobs.

I guess in the sum of all things, the motions of Steve Jobs could only amount to what it did. One might consider him a genius, if not for the difficulty of determining the true distribution of efforts and talents at Apple.

There is a great article about Steve Jobs and Genentech waiting to be written, but so far nobody has done it.

He had a liver transplant. Which treatment did he reject?

He delayed it for months, instead trying to treat it with diet.

Thanks.

Or it may have lengthened it. Oncologists are still in la la land about the genetic (as opposed to metabolic) theory of cancer, it's not clear when they will wake up.

Can you elaborate on this?

Cancer as a metabolic disease by Prof. Seyfried. Available on Amazon. Good starting point.

As someone who grew up in Normandy, it does little to me obviously. Except the part on what we lack and should do which is still so damn hard to convince people is the solution.

People in France care so much more on raising their kids, having good friends, living somewhere fun or interesting, having time away from work than they forget us the little busy bees who have to pay for all that.

I gave up after 3 years of work and taxes and being called "rich" by everyone around me for earning 40k usd/year. Moved to Hong Kong, tripled my salary and fuck these hedonists.

Life is a purgatory where you must suffer away from your family to build great consumer objects, like California taught us. You can be proud.

Sorry, but I'm having a hard time sympathising with you rather than the people spending time with their friends and family and enjoying life. Life is not a purgatory unless you believe there is an afterlife, which many people do not. You are free to derive joy from hard work or whatever, but do not think yourself better than those who do not share your priorities.

the point he's probably trying to convey is that lifestyle is subsidized by the rest who aren't and wouldn't be possible otherwise.

> you must suffer away from your family to build great consumer objects, like California taught us.

I assumed it was sarcasm.

Which is countered by the fact he did not subsidize, but moved away, rather than sharing.

I think it's either sarcasm or bullsh#t

I'd rather give up the Californian consumer objects actually.

> People in France care so much more on raising their kids, having good friends, living somewhere fun or interesting, having time away from work

Ironically, working for a North American company in Europe lets me do all this better than if I worked for a local company.

> Life is a purgatory where you must suffer away from your family...

I would amend your statement to "Young life is a purgatory..." Mark Zuckerberg famously said he wouldn't hire anyone over 30. Silicon Valley is built on young people trying to strike it rich, which befits a state that started because of a gold rush. It's also built on companies exploiting young people who want to make it big. The same is true of the film industry in Los Angeles. It's a bargain young people are eager to take. China seems to have become successful by copying everything about Silicon Valley, including IP, but they still have stifling control at the top. Let's hope Democrats in D.C. don't do something similar and kill the goose who laid the golden egg.

I wish this to be sarcasm. Absolutely grade A if it is.

Of course it is. ;-)