Singapore is a controlled economy, and has a large workforce for Taxi Drivers and part-time drivers through Grab. I am not sure how the entrenchment of robotaxis like Waymo (and future tesla) is going to play with the general population. My guess, they will co-exist as the government wont jeopardize the living of the taxi-driver-complaining uncles.
Also, I notice a lot new SF based AI companies have started establishing their offices in Singapore too. Sierra, and Fireworks coming to my mind. As government plays a huge part in Singapore, I guess, government noticing these as necessary investments for the future of Singapore.
Singapore is also soon becoming a failed society. Millions of citizens cant afford to rent and travel by the thousands to nearby Malaysia to buy basic food essentials.
You know that Singapore has one of the highest home ownership rates in the world? Most people don't rent, because their family owns the place.
> and travel by the thousands to nearby Malaysia to buy basic food essentials.
You say that like it's a bad thing? People traveling to Malaysia to buy stuff that's cheaper is perfectly compatible with Singaporeans being well-off. You'd need to bring some other evidence to argue that Singapore is a 'failed society'.
I think many large cities, to keep this simple are failed because they dont serve the people but rather require the residents to be enslaved to keep it functioning.
We all live significantly longer, but at the same time we all are forced to give our precious time to the city and its ills, with commuting and traffic a simple example.
I hope I am fair in saying you probably consider Tokyo to be a success, and yet if you actually look how Tokyo residents live its actually a depressing place. Everybody rushes to school, work, unis and so on every day and come home tired. Rinse and repeat for the vast majority of days in a year.
Thats sad, goto YT and watch a few vids of youtubers catching trains or riding a bike or even just plain walking.
You will find videos filled with people rushing to their duties not out of choice but because the system forces them too. Very few scenes will have someone walking their dog, or riding a bike. I think its sad how few Japanese are able to have a day off, even the elderly work into their 80s and longer.
Thats a failure, too few people able to have a day off, thousands crossing roads, catching trains but nobody actually enjoying their hard earned time.
> I think many large cities, to keep this simple are failed because they dont serve the people but rather require the residents to be enslaved to keep it functioning.
People are usually not exactly forced at gunpoint to move to a big city. In fact, big cities usually get a lot of net-immigration.
> Thats sad, goto YT and watch a few vids of youtubers catching trains or riding a bike or even just plain walking.
I've been to Tokyo. It's ok. But then, I'm one of those weirdos who likes city living, and lived in London, Ankara, Sydney, Singapore etc.
> [...] but nobody actually enjoying their hard earned time.
Singapore isn't a city, it's a state. That happens to be the size of a city. You wouldn't say that New York is a failed state, because it doesn't make sense, and because the rest of the united states is able to feed it.
> You know that Singapore has one of the highest home ownership rates in the world? Most people don't rent, because their family owns the place.
Exactly and one day the new generation will want their home and space. Given the size of their apartments how many generations can you fit in ONE place ?
> > and travel by the thousands to nearby Malaysia to buy basic food essentials.
> You say that like it's a bad thing? People traveling to Malaysia to buy stuff that's cheaper is perfectly compatible with Singaporeans being well-off. You'd need to bring some other evidence to argue that Singapore is a 'failed society'.
There are only so many hours in a week, and after the long hours that only leaves the weekend. Maybe its me, but i would rather enjoy my weekend at the beach or something than hours commuting, lines, crowds just to buy my groceries.
> Exactly and one day the new generation will want their home and space. Given the size of their apartments how many generations can you fit in ONE place ?
We keep building more residential space. And while the population is growing, thanks to immigration, it's not exactly booming.
I'd say, people could use more space, sure. But it's not a crisis, and if anything, it's getting better.
> There are only so many hours in a week, and after the long hours that only leaves the weekend. Maybe its me, but i would rather enjoy my weekend at the beach or something than hours commuting, lines, crowds just to buy my groceries.
And you can do that just fine, too. Some people like shopping.
Singapore will do what they always do, which is take a measured approach and control every aspect of the roll out. If they're allowing this, it's because they've already modeled a shortfall in taxi drivers in the future, and they'll keep the number of licenses for each type in balance to meet their goals.
Judging by the depressing number of elderly selling tissues in food courts to get by I dont think the government ever really cared about eliminating service jobs.
It's enough for them that those people have somewhere basic to live and basic medical care so their stats dont look too bad.
Singapore wants to _look_ modern, and Waymos with the spinning lidars are such icons of futurism that Singapore cannot afford to lose out (as compared to Pony.ai's AV fleet, which is already deployed but not very eye catching).
But the best part of that control is the free market is only free to the extent the government allows it. There is plenty of time for the taxi drivers to retire. In fact, I believe the average age of taxi drivers are close to 70, so this is forward looking to address an incoming cab driver shortage.
Singapore really wants to look like Season 3 of Westworld. A shame the Marina Bay flying drone taxi service looks completely dead.
> Also, I notice a lot new SF based AI companies have started establishing their offices in Singapore too. Sierra, and Fireworks coming to my mind. As government plays a huge part in Singapore, I guess, government noticing these as necessary investments for the future of Singapore.
Mostly sales offices (and of course, "forward deployed engineers").
We don't usually see exciting tech projects being assigned to Singapore teams, especially with our huge timezone difference with the Bay Area.
When I was getting recruiter inbound for this role at Palantir >15 years ago (I think!), it was basically a implementation role where you're airdropped into somewhere secret squirrelly to write software that does secret squirrel things. Basically the same thing as what defense contractors or many consulting companies were already doing (this was basically my life at ThoughtWorks, but private sector) but with more tech-company marketing.
Now that the term is back en-vogue, FDEs can either be this or a pre-sales solutions engineer who will also implement the thing with the customer before handing it off to professional services who will take it to production. AFAIK it's still very software engineering heavy.
orsenthil · · focus · HN ↗
Also, I notice a lot new SF based AI companies have started establishing their offices in Singapore too. Sierra, and Fireworks coming to my mind. As government plays a huge part in Singapore, I guess, government noticing these as necessary investments for the future of Singapore.
yellow_lead · · focus · HN ↗
Singapore is a mixed economy [1].
[1] <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_Singapore" rel="nofollow">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_Singapore
eru · · focus · HN ↗
MiroslavPokorny · · focus · HN ↗
hdgvhicv · · focus · HN ↗
eru · · focus · HN ↗
You know that Singapore has one of the highest home ownership rates in the world? Most people don't rent, because their family owns the place.
> and travel by the thousands to nearby Malaysia to buy basic food essentials.
You say that like it's a bad thing? People traveling to Malaysia to buy stuff that's cheaper is perfectly compatible with Singaporeans being well-off. You'd need to bring some other evidence to argue that Singapore is a 'failed society'.
well_ackshually · · focus · HN ↗
eru · · focus · HN ↗
Does that mean all cities are failed societies? Or do you think national borders are special?
MiroslavPokorny · · focus · HN ↗
We all live significantly longer, but at the same time we all are forced to give our precious time to the city and its ills, with commuting and traffic a simple example.
I hope I am fair in saying you probably consider Tokyo to be a success, and yet if you actually look how Tokyo residents live its actually a depressing place. Everybody rushes to school, work, unis and so on every day and come home tired. Rinse and repeat for the vast majority of days in a year.
Thats sad, goto YT and watch a few vids of youtubers catching trains or riding a bike or even just plain walking.
You will find videos filled with people rushing to their duties not out of choice but because the system forces them too. Very few scenes will have someone walking their dog, or riding a bike. I think its sad how few Japanese are able to have a day off, even the elderly work into their 80s and longer.
Thats a failure, too few people able to have a day off, thousands crossing roads, catching trains but nobody actually enjoying their hard earned time.
eru · · focus · HN ↗
People are usually not exactly forced at gunpoint to move to a big city. In fact, big cities usually get a lot of net-immigration.
> Thats sad, goto YT and watch a few vids of youtubers catching trains or riding a bike or even just plain walking.
I've been to Tokyo. It's ok. But then, I'm one of those weirdos who likes city living, and lived in London, Ankara, Sydney, Singapore etc.
> [...] but nobody actually enjoying their hard earned time.
How do you know that?
well_ackshually · · focus · HN ↗
MiroslavPokorny · · focus · HN ↗
Exactly and one day the new generation will want their home and space. Given the size of their apartments how many generations can you fit in ONE place ?
> > and travel by the thousands to nearby Malaysia to buy basic food essentials.
> You say that like it's a bad thing? People traveling to Malaysia to buy stuff that's cheaper is perfectly compatible with Singaporeans being well-off. You'd need to bring some other evidence to argue that Singapore is a 'failed society'.
There are only so many hours in a week, and after the long hours that only leaves the weekend. Maybe its me, but i would rather enjoy my weekend at the beach or something than hours commuting, lines, crowds just to buy my groceries.
eru · · focus · HN ↗
We keep building more residential space. And while the population is growing, thanks to immigration, it's not exactly booming.
I'd say, people could use more space, sure. But it's not a crisis, and if anything, it's getting better.
> There are only so many hours in a week, and after the long hours that only leaves the weekend. Maybe its me, but i would rather enjoy my weekend at the beach or something than hours commuting, lines, crowds just to buy my groceries.
And you can do that just fine, too. Some people like shopping.
I guess you've never been to Singapore?
dyllon · · focus · HN ↗
It’s been mentioned: <a href="https://www.mot.gov.sg/news-resources/newsroom/-more-options-for-taxi-and-private-hire-car-drivers-as-singapore-prepares-for-the-future-of-mobility/" rel="nofollow">https://www.mot.gov.sg/news-resources/newsroom/-more-options...
zhivota · · focus · HN ↗
pydry · · focus · HN ↗
It's enough for them that those people have somewhere basic to live and basic medical care so their stats dont look too bad.
cdf · · focus · HN ↗
But the best part of that control is the free market is only free to the extent the government allows it. There is plenty of time for the taxi drivers to retire. In fact, I believe the average age of taxi drivers are close to 70, so this is forward looking to address an incoming cab driver shortage.
Singapore really wants to look like Season 3 of Westworld. A shame the Marina Bay flying drone taxi service looks completely dead.
ValentineC · · focus · HN ↗
Some scenes in Westworld season 3 were filmed in Singapore:
<a href="https://www.timeout.com/singapore/film/11-places-in-singapore-featured-in-westworld-season-3" rel="nofollow">https://www.timeout.com/singapore/film/11-places-in-singapor...
ValentineC · · focus · HN ↗
Mostly sales offices (and of course, "forward deployed engineers").
We don't usually see exciting tech projects being assigned to Singapore teams, especially with our huge timezone difference with the Bay Area.
orsenthil · · focus · HN ↗
What is a forward deployed engineer? Isn't it engineering still? Genuine question.
nunez · · focus · HN ↗
Now that the term is back en-vogue, FDEs can either be this or a pre-sales solutions engineer who will also implement the thing with the customer before handing it off to professional services who will take it to production. AFAIK it's still very software engineering heavy.