Well, I mean, there's the whole "Metaverse" thing, and it's been more than a decade since I read Snow Crash but I recall it being, pretty clearly, a cautionary tale...

[–] dbilitated@aussie.zone 22 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I don't think the metaverse was the part they were warning about.. I think it was the hypercapitalism and corporations taking over control from the government's

[–] ImpossibleRubiksCube@programming.dev 12 points 1 year ago (1 children)

What bugs me is that this is literally a corporation's most basic function.

[–] dbilitated@aussie.zone 5 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

can literally be sued if they don't put profits above all else. it's insane.

edit: fact check says, misleading, see source below

[–] jonsnothere@beehaw.org 4 points 1 year ago (2 children)

That's not quite true: https://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2015/04/16/what-are-corporations-obligations-to-shareholders/corporations-dont-have-to-maximize-profits

[–] JaxNakamura@programming.dev 5 points 1 year ago

Thanks for the clarification.

The last sentence of the article however, shows why that's not much of a consolation:

In other words, it is activist hedge funds and modern executive compensation practices — not corporate law — that drive so many of today’s public companies to myopically focus on short-term earnings; cut back on investment and innovation; mistreat their employees, customers and communities; and indulge in reckless, irresponsible and environmentally destructive behaviors.

[–] dbilitated@aussie.zone 3 points 1 year ago

cheerfully withdrawn, thank you for the information