Re:It Takes 6 Days to Change 1 Line of Code
by starcraft2wol on Sunday July 16, 2023 @10:40AM
(#36747521)
> These workers are replaceable and can be rehired during busy season
That's exactly the difference. The factory is a system of processes designed to remove decision making and variation from each person. Making people replaceable is part of that.
You have to evaluate the degree to which that could be done with your skillset.
> in a period of major capitalization of software. It won't last forever.
I think I agree with the basic sentiment - not every company needs engineers developing software all the time. It's a boom and a bust creative venture, like producing a movie, etc. If you pick development over IT you should accept those risks. But I don't think I agree that development will wind down in the future.
This company leader is willing to lay off factory worker because of 10% under utilization, he can tweak some variables to increase productivity but ultimately the choice is either full utilization or unemployment. He can do this largely because, I assume, these workers are replaceable and can be rehired during busy season and because the profit generated per employee doesn't allow for any inefficiency.
I work as a software developer. Our under utilization has to get well over 90% before anyone is even considering getting rid of us. Many of us are putting in four hour work weeks. No one manages our minutes, our bathroom breaks, etc.
We are in a period of major capitalization of software. It won't last forever. Eventually the major infrastructure of the IT world will be built and the industry will shift to a maintenance mode. Most of us won't be needed, we will become replaceable and the profit we generate in maintenance mode will be insignificant to what we see today.
Factory workers are usually fired within minutes or hours of detections in low productivity of an individual worker. In our life time, I believe this will start happening with software developers.