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Wouter Groeneveld 2021-11-12 09:16:23 +01:00
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content/post/2021/11/where-does-it-stop.md
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@ -7,9 +7,9 @@ categories:
_Where does it stop?_ A rhetorical question my brother-in-law posed. I didn't really know what to say except where indeed.
We were lamenting the financial and commercial hunger companies we work for and used to work for showcase. Every single year, things have to be bigger, bolder, better, more, higher, more efficient. Numbers always need to go up, up, up. Profit prospects of `20$`---wow, an expression of conservatism this year? I used to work for a big software consultancy firm that started locally but grew into the European market by, you guessed it, buying into everything it could possibly think of. When I left, in 2012, we grew to a workforce of 1,200 employees. I quit because I detested the nearshoring and offshoring practices. In 2021, nine years later, that figure is approaching four thousand.
We were lamenting the financial and commercial hunger companies we work for and used to work for showcase. Every single year, things have to be bigger, bolder, better, more, higher, more efficient. Numbers always need to go up, up, up. Profit prospects of `20%`---wow, an expression of conservatism this year? I used to work for a big software consultancy firm that started locally but grew into the European market by, you guessed it, buying into everything it could possibly think of. When I left, in 2012, we grew to a workforce of 1,200 employees. I quit because I detested the nearshoring and offshoring practices. In 2021, nine years later, that figure is approaching four thousand, and many software development teams have forcefully been converted into external software configuration teams.
Another employer happily presented projected profits, exciting us: "look at how great we're doing!". These were _projected_ numbers---none of the goals turned out to be reached, year after year. And yet, the response wasn't reflection and humbleness, it was more aggressiveness towards prospects and existing clients and aiming even higher. The sky is the limit.
Another employer quarterly happily presented projected profits, exciting us: "look at how great we're doing!". These were _projected_ numbers---none of the goals turned out to be reached, year after year. And yet, the response wasn't reflection and humbleness, it was more aggressiveness towards prospects and existing clients and aiming even higher. The sky is the limit.
I never understood the dynamics of capitalism. I'm but a simple baker. Sometimes, I think to myself, _I should really go out and buy Piketty's epos_. The hardcover is 812 pages. Nah. Those hours are much better invested in 800 pages of Montaigne. Perhaps some day. Maybe I should read a trimmed-down version to better understand where it does stop: nowhere.
@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ I understand the mechanics of business buyouts---I just don't want to be a part
Nintendo's Switch is almost outselling its best selling console ever, the Wii. And yet, "big shareholders" (who knows) are starting to get restless, because Nintendo's projected sales are not in line with the actual sales of Q3-Q4 2021. They're doing _damn well_ considered they basically side-stepped the console war with their hybrid Switch, but that's not good enough. More more more.
Banks are losing money and panicking: interest rates on loans are becoming worthless, and money sitting on the account barely generate anything. The solution? In Belgium and The Netherlands, banks are partnering with big internet companies to promote and sell 5G subscriptions. That was an euphemism: they're stalking clients to get them to buy more crap which they can take a cut of. Hooray, more more more!
Banks are losing money and panicking: interest rates on loans are becoming worthless, and money sitting on the account barely generates anything. The solution? In Belgium and The Netherlands, banks are partnering with big internet companies to promote and sell 5G subscriptions. That was an euphemism: they're stalking clients to get them to buy more crap which they can take a cut of. Hooray, more more more!
The impact of COVID-19 on the economy was "devastating" according to numerous reports. How to recover? Guess what. Time to upscale. Did we actually learn anything here? In 2020, Indian people could for the first time in a _long time_ [see the Himalayan peaks](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-04-09/himalayas-visible-india-pollution/12136856). I _loved_ the heavily reduced traffic in our own neighborhood: finally freed from constant buzzing. This month, Belgian politicians are panicking again: we're suddenly in the midst of the fourth COVID wave. You'd think working from home is still recommended. Nope: traffic jams are back and as shitty as in 2019.