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A comment on Microsoft Workers Won't Get Annual Pay Bump Despite $18.3B in Profit. Parent comment

Re:Microsoft Workers Won't Get Annual Pay Bump Despite $18.3... by somenameforme on Thursday May 11, 2023 @01:56AM (#35898206)
Many small businesses seek to treat their employees well. It's not out of some ulterior 5D chess profit seeking scheme, nor is it out of naivete of the fact that they could earn more. But simply out of having some degree of social values and ethics. Wanting to make a profit or to become rich, isn't the same as being willing to screw everybody (or anybody) over in pursuit of such.

In America today only 57% [1] of people have a positive view of capitalism. And that percent is only that "high" thanks to much older individuals who are probably envisioning our capitalism as it was in the past, before MBAology became the default corporate worldview. Take only 18-29 year olds, and 40% have a positive view. What do you think's going to happen as the older generation dies off?

Capitalism is not sustainable without more of society pushing back against sociopathy. Normalizing it because 'this is how big companies act' isn't going to normalize it, but simply turn people against capitalism - and ultimately bring us closer to swapping over to ["this time it'll be different"]ism iteration #73 or whatever.

[1] - https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2022/09/19/modest-decli...

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Microsoft Workers Won't Get Annual Pay Bump Despite $18.3... by throw123123123 on Thursday May 11, 2023 @03:29AM (#35898956)
It's not related to capitalism or labor organization. It's that the relationship between profits and wages is misunderstood. If you want your income to be completely tied to the business results, you want to be a business owner.

There is no sociopathy, it is a simple enterprise where someone absorbs the risk and others don't - it is collaboration.

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Microsoft Workers Won't Get Annual Pay Bump Despite $18.3... by pnt12 on Thursday May 11, 2023 @08:30AM (#35901146)
That's the status quo - a distinction between owner and employee. And it's good for the owners, who get to maximize profits - but is it good for employees? I'd say there's less risk, but they get impacted when business is down, and may not reap the profits when business is good.

Some companies are experimenting with other models - there's no law or force of nature saying an employee can't be a partial owner of a business.

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Microsoft Workers Won't Get Annual Pay Bump Despite $18.3... by throw123123123 on Saturday May 13, 2023 @04:46AM (#35926719)
You can start your own company, service or product and own 100%. In tech there's pretty much no excuse, anyone can make money online.
[ Parent | on HN ]