"If the last and worst act of the whole regime had come immediately after the first and smallest, thousands, yes, millions would have been sufficiently shocked—if, let us say, the gassing of the Jews in ’43 had come immediately after the ‘German Firm’ stickers on the windows of non-Jewish shops in ’33. But of course this isn’t the way it happens. In between come all the hundreds of little steps, some of them imperceptible, each of them preparing you not to be shocked by the next. Step C is not so much worse than Step B, and, if you did not make a stand at Step B, why should you at Step C? And so on to Step D."
-They Thought They Were Free: The Germans, 1933-45, Milton Mayer
He has a shareholder duty to try for all the best-friend-forever preferential treatment he can get. We've recently learned that he's decent at diplomacy, but he's been honing it for years in China.
He isn't responsible for this oddly-personal political system as it is, but he has to take advantage of those weaknesses.
there's always the used option, along with minimizing your reliance on paid digital services provided by apple. i'm trying to move in that direction as much as possible.
Just as a reminder, the person these CEOs are cheerfully meeting with is either a brutal pedophile, or at the very least, the documented best friend of one of the most prolific and notorious pedophiles in America -- someone the administration is trying to wipe from the news cycle through any means necessary, including pampering his co-conspirator/co-rapist and claiming the whole thing is some sort of Democratic hoax. Lies upon lies to conceal the rape of countless children in service of the glorious Party. But these tech magnates don’t give an iota of a shit as long as the money keeps flowing in.
This is some real end-of-a-republic degeneracy. Decades down the line, people will point to these events in history books to show that we weren’t remotely as civilized as we thought. In a just world everyone at this table would spend their retirement years in a cell.
The current South Park season, episode 3 has a funny bit of this.
I stopped watching it a decade or more ago after becoming a bit repetitive and thought it went away like all the other things. Then the twitter spat with the WH made news and discovered it again.
This administration made it worth watching again for the funnies
It's hard for me not to believe every tech leader in this room is thinking, "This guy is a total idiot. I can't believe I have to sit here and kiss his ass. What a total waste of my time. But a CEO has to do what a CEO has to do...how can I take advantage of this mess."
That would be the case if CEO do not routinely waste innumerable hours on so many meetings, lunches, events etc with so many idiots filling the room. But may be "No punching down" theory demand to not call those people idiots.
I certainly don't laugh at you. I've been in a similar situation and I know it can feel agonizing.
But if you find their behavior unconscionable and yet continue to work for Apple, Alphabet/Google, OpenAI, Microsoft, Meta/Facebook, Oracle, etc then you're doing the same thing as your CEO, just at a smaller scale -- swallowing your pride to keep your job.
I can't speak to anyone else's situation, but until I built up the courage to quit such a situation myself I never realized how much these compromises weighed on my soul.
There are two types of employees: ones that work for a CEO that praises Trump and ones that work for a CEO too insignificant to be worth Trump's time. NEETs on parade.
At this point, it is really important for everyone in the industry to recognize that the industry leaders (in terms of "running the most successful companies") should not be considered ethical or moral leaders.
It's a categorical error. Like expecting a boat captain to be Descartes because they're good at leading people to operate a boat (or, for that matter, expecting Descartes to take first in a marathon because he was really good at applying logic to philosophical questions).
This is devastating enough on its own. But what makes it even more troubling is that the United States has a president who demands such transparently false praise. What's going on in this man's head? Does he not understand that these people are lying to him because they are afraid of what he will do to their companies? Or does he know, and that is the point?
let it be the curtain pulled back on how this class of people operates. just because we can see it now doesn't mean this kind of thing hasn't been happening behind the scenes for... ever.
not to excuse the brazenness of it - i'm as disgusted as you are.
The view from 'the other side' (from most of the HN readership that is) where the invited CEOs are seen as Some Of The Right’s Biggest Villains - i.e. nobody likes them. For many conservatives, it’s hard to wrap your brain around the visual of billionaire Bill Gates being seated next to a smiling Melania Trump at the recent event, especially given Gates’ villain-like status among Trump’s most loyal base.
poisonborz|5 months ago
I wish this would gain more publicity. But I guess people are already desensitized for such news.
Centigonal|5 months ago
-They Thought They Were Free: The Germans, 1933-45, Milton Mayer
AtlasBarfed|5 months ago
LOOK AT THE FEAR.
These people are terrified. They are the controlling oligarchs of the USA.
The United States is in serious danger.
bigyabai|5 months ago
> But I guess people are already desensitized for such news.
Apple can do no wrong in the eyes of consumers. Tim Cook could be caught on video clubbing seals and nobody would bat an eye.
tbeseda|5 months ago
I'm surprised Cook was there. I'm sad that I'm surprised Cook was there.
I can likely get away from macOS by EOY. But this phone has a stranglehold on my mobile, digital life.
init2null|5 months ago
He isn't responsible for this oddly-personal political system as it is, but he has to take advantage of those weaknesses.
GuinansEyebrows|5 months ago
aagha|5 months ago
bigyabai|5 months ago
You have had more than a decade to reconcile Tim Cook's friendship (or at least "business relationship") with Donald Trump.
If it disgusts you, then make a move. Cook isn't motivated by emotional pleas and the shareholders won't kick him out until he screws up as CEO.
tastyface|5 months ago
This is some real end-of-a-republic degeneracy. Decades down the line, people will point to these events in history books to show that we weren’t remotely as civilized as we thought. In a just world everyone at this table would spend their retirement years in a cell.
DazWilkin|5 months ago
None of these people will ever suffer any consequences for this.
cosmicgadget|5 months ago
1659447091|5 months ago
I stopped watching it a decade or more ago after becoming a bit repetitive and thought it went away like all the other things. Then the twitter spat with the WH made news and discovered it again.
This administration made it worth watching again for the funnies
RyanOD|5 months ago
geodel|5 months ago
aaron695|5 months ago
[deleted]
llllm|5 months ago
angiolillo|5 months ago
But if you find their behavior unconscionable and yet continue to work for Apple, Alphabet/Google, OpenAI, Microsoft, Meta/Facebook, Oracle, etc then you're doing the same thing as your CEO, just at a smaller scale -- swallowing your pride to keep your job.
I can't speak to anyone else's situation, but until I built up the courage to quit such a situation myself I never realized how much these compromises weighed on my soul.
geodel|5 months ago
unknown|5 months ago
[deleted]
cosmicgadget|5 months ago
bb88|5 months ago
apples_oranges|5 months ago
shadowgovt|5 months ago
It's a categorical error. Like expecting a boat captain to be Descartes because they're good at leading people to operate a boat (or, for that matter, expecting Descartes to take first in a marathon because he was really good at applying logic to philosophical questions).
InsideOutSanta|5 months ago
What in the world is wrong with this man?
GuinansEyebrows|5 months ago
not to excuse the brazenness of it - i'm as disgusted as you are.
mingus88|5 months ago
It just so happens when you have a fragile ego in power, people seeking power will naturally play to that ego for a leg up.
We knew before 2015 that he was easy to manipulate. Easy to push his buttons, easy to flatter.
Frankly if you are a CEO in 2015 and you aren’t flattering this idiot to profit then you are violating your duties to your shareholders
Copenjin|5 months ago
puppycodes|5 months ago
hagbard_c|5 months ago
The view from 'the other side' (from most of the HN readership that is) where the invited CEOs are seen as Some Of The Right’s Biggest Villains - i.e. nobody likes them. For many conservatives, it’s hard to wrap your brain around the visual of billionaire Bill Gates being seated next to a smiling Melania Trump at the recent event, especially given Gates’ villain-like status among Trump’s most loyal base.