Operation 2030 (Published)

content/english/operation2030/directives/tech-worker-rights.md

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+title="Mainstream Tech Worker Rights"
+mediatype="key"
+conference="seattle-2022"
+date="2022-11-16T12:00:00-08:00"
+description="Big Tech sees you as an overpaid plumber"
+thumbnail=""
+
+[[videos]]
+title="Memory Strategies"
+embed="https://player.vimeo.com/video/774890907"
+service="vimeo"
+download_link="https://player.vimeo.com/progressive_redirect/playback/774890907/rendition/720p/file.mp4?loc=external&oauth2_token_id=1777364455&signature=3c443137144bf46966f5607ab00f818dfa5f98e1ac7643e62160f55e0bb27792"
+
+[[speakers]]
+name="Abner Coimbre"
+bio=""
+image=""
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+
+[Prev](/operation2030/business) (Revenue) | [Contents](/operation2030) | [Next](/operation2030/directives/small-software-shops)
+
+### Make it a Normal Discussion
+
+Handmade Cities isn’t the place to stage political revolution. However, by 2030, we will have become the best place in the tech industry for open discussions on labor rights and the balance between labor and capital. (Don't underestimate the power of public forums.)
+
+Let's recall programmers ARE part of the labor class and that fighting for worker rights is as American as apple pie: remember how we pulled off 40-hour work weeks or outlawed child labor? The tech industry needs to reckon with this reality. 
+
+The more skilled a programmer you are the more you might care about this topic—it directly impacts your economic future. That said, we welcome thoughtful disagreements as much as support. These debates must occur without resorting to thought-stopping clichés like calling one side “robber barons” and the other “communists.”
+
+If we can agree the status quo needs to change, you’re in good company.
+
+#### Progress So Far
+
+At the end of 2024, Handmade Cities took a risky step by shifting the Overton window of acceptable discourse. We platformed Andrew Kelley (creator of the Zig programming language) and his divisive keynote—a condemnation of the software industry’s financial incentives. 
+
+**Secretary's Note:** The Twitch stream is not available as a recording yet, but we have a backup on YouTube (timestamped): 
+
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+Andrew's sharp tongue is *partially* responsible for the civil war within the Handmade community (see [here](https://handmade.network/blog/p/8989-separating_from_handmade_cities#30378) and [here](/news/splitting-from-handmade-network/)) and we’re still recovering from the fallout. However, we stand by the decision.
+
+Abner believes Andrew’s diagnosis of the industry’s problems was largely accurate. However, unlike Andrew, Handmade Cities disagrees open-source software or non-profits will rescue us; read our other Key Objective: [Protect Small Software Shops](/operation2030/directives/small-software-shops). In addition, we're betting on a culture where social status is conferred to long-term business owners. Companies like [Sublime HQ](https://www.sublimehq.com) and the mighty [Valve](https://store.steampowered.com/) (no longer small!) are great examples of this approach. We require the presence of nimble competitors keeping Big Tech [on their toes](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DrmqC2A3QK8).
+
+That said, Abner and Andrew are aligned on a crucial point: tech workers need collective bargaining power. Not everyone can start a business or join some benevolent employer. So whether it's through guilds, unions, or another form, workers (not management) need a seat at the table *pronto*: being well-paid will no longer cut it. Without negotiating power we bear witness to the continued rise of mediocre software. Workers are forced to endure hostile AI/LLM takeovers without a say. Mass layoffs march on.
+
+#### Handling Future Controversy
+This is our most controversial Key Objective and it will turn some people off. That’s okay. This is part of the 20% of our [80-20](/operation2030/structure/80-20) content split, so it’s trivial for community members to skip if they’re not interested. Advisory board members, meetup hosts and paid staff are also not strictly required to promote this subject themselves if it conflicts with their own views.
+
+This is in accordance with our philosophy [Zero Favoritism](/operation2030/philosophy/zero-favorites).
+
+**References** 
+- Blood in the Machine: The Origins of the Rebellion Against Big Tech