I actually think that spending over $75 billion to fund a secret police force for a corrupt autocrat might not be the best use of taxpayer dollars
Corrupt Autocrat Lives Matter movement, anyone?
Readit Newsquestionableans commented on US EPA cutting workforce by 23%, closing research division reuters.com/legal/governm... · Posted by u/pseudolus
Dead Comment
questionableans commented on Ask HN: Life-changing purchases since 2020? (Under $100 and under $1000) · Posted by u/systemkwiat
Under $100: lightweight battery operated LED headlamp
See and be seen in the dark, while keeping your hands free. Great for taking out the garbage or checking the mail at night, especially because we don’t have much lighting outside (unless it’s a full moon) due to light pollution regulations.
questionableans commented on Ask HN: Life-changing purchases since 2020? (Under $100 and under $1000) · Posted by u/systemkwiat
Under $100:
Reusable respirator masks + P100 replacement filters.
They were harder to get earlier in the pandemic, so I bought a less popular brand in addition to the popular brand one I already had from a repair project.
Reasonably comfortable, and I haven’t had a single respiratory illness since I started wearing them when going out. Also good for allergies, smoke, keeping my face from freezing in the winter, and looking like I’m in a SciFi movie.
Far out!
Salaries in the rest of the world really can't compete can they!
I’d honestly rather be paid less and have more equal pay across society, while not having to worry about age discrimination or medical debt or something wiping out my savings and throwing me out on the streets, however unlikely that may seem.
In the US, basically all of my spending outside of the basics is on things you could classify as avoiding ever being poor/homeless. No vacations or eating out or streaming subscriptions or “toys” or whatnot. Maybe these kids feel that same pressure but took it too far, into fraudulent territory.
When they say "making $400k/yr" I assume they're talking cash compensation which puts them well above E5.
I’m sure they mean total compensation, as reflected in employee W-2 forms. Modulo a few details, public company stock-based compensation is as good as cash the moment it vests (and in fact is cash if you make an automatic sell-all election, which is not subject to trading windows).
I suspect this is a result of acquisitions.
They buy some startup, bring them all under Meta's HR umbrella with all the rules and perks that comes with. Since these recently acquired guys are running out of random offices in random places they just give them a stipend rather than force them to all relocate to a campus with dining.
The $400k employee was probably a higher up (or key SME Meta felt they needed to put in golden handcuffs) at one of these acquired companies and was probably already on his or her way out.
At Meta, $400k would be high E4 or low E5. That’s someone earlier in their career who probably feels fairly anonymous and is used to taking all the deals they can get to live cheaply, even if they don’t need to anymore.
I suspect this is a result of acquisitions.
They buy some startup, bring them all under Meta's HR umbrella with all the rules and perks that comes with. Since these recently acquired guys are running out of random offices in random places they just give them a stipend rather than force them to all relocate to a campus with dining. Some people are happy, some are unhappy, some don't like their new overlords and don't feel bad abusing the system. That's just how it goes with these sorts of things.
The $400k employee was probably a higher up (or key SME Meta felt they needed to put in golden handcuffs) at one of these acquired companies and was probably already on his or her way out or they were in a position of authority and encouraging/condoning abusing the system.
You don't fire someone like that over ~$100/day unless there's more to the story.
At Meta, $400k would be high E4 or low E5. That’s someone earlier in their career who probably feels fairly anonymous and is used to taking all the deals they can get to live cheaply, even if they don’t need to anymore.
questionableans commented on Why we should end the data economy thereboot.com/why-we-shou... · Posted by u/oppodeldoc
Does anybody know if targeted ads based on tracking even work? Are they worth all the extra cost and complexity compared to traditional ads? It doesn’t seem like it. Half the time I see a super-targeted ad, it’s for a product I already purchased.
Also, what ever happened to showing ads to people who aren’t already interested in your product to expand your brand and maybe bring in new customers? The current ad model feels overfitted to me.
It helps with being able to measure whether you're advertising to the right people. Traditional mass media advertising made a lot of money off of showing ads to completely irrelevant people. Targeted advertising makes even more money off of showing ads to mostly irrelevant people.
questionableans commented on Why we should end the data economy thereboot.com/why-we-shou... · Posted by u/oppodeldoc
"Marketing is manipulation and deceit. It tries to turn people into something they aren’t — individuals focused solely on themselves, maximising their consumption of goods that they don’t need"
It doesn't have to be that way, but that's typically the most profitable strategy, because most products actually suck.