[jacobn]

Isn’t it more of an “all of the above”?

A lot of employees at successful startups & FAANG make most of their money from the stock, no? And they need to buy houses and send their kids to fancy schools too, no? So sure, we can reduce it to stock holders, but I’d bet dollars to donuts the 90% of employees who aren’t posting on hn are at least passively ok with “improving metrics”, and some ambitious ones are driving the enshittification initiatives hard.

[jamwil]

IMO the reason devs started being paid in stock in the first place is VC-style grow at all costs mentality. The fundraising economy didn’t work without fabricating compensation and only paying out on hits.

No other industry operates with such a blurred distinction between employees and owners. Well, save for the gig economy, itself a tumor on American-style big tech.

[wkat4242]

It's the American mentality. More, more, more.

Personally I'd be much happier with a stable income with not much upward mobility but also not much risk of falling downwards. Which is what Europe is geared more towards. I don't constantly want to be in a race. Just to live my life.

If they employees want it, fine but don't be surprised if we customers start finding alternatives. And/or pirating their content (e.g. when it comes to streaming services).

But yeah American companies aren't there to support the employees. The only one they answer to are the owners or large shareholders (whichevery applies), and their only goal is to make those richer. Customers and employees alike are nothing but consumables, a raw resource you only treat right if you can't avoid it.