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The Price of Intelligence Is Falling Rapidly

81 points · 85 comments · gotmedium

  1. silverFork · · focus · HN ↗
    Price of human intelligence is also falling rapidly. I suspect looking pretty is going to go up in value more rapidly.
    1. jordanb · · focus · HN ↗
      In my career I've worked with people with PHDs in Physics. People with advanced degrees in fluid dynamics and turbine engineering, people with chemistry and ChemE degrees, postdocs in Geology.

      All were working alongside me, a self-taught programmer making websites.

      I've long thought that there's an oversupply of smart people in the world but for the field of software development, which was hiding that fact by soaking all of them up.

      If SDE is collapsing as a field, a whole bunch of people who thought their intelligence and credentials guaranteed them a comfortable life are in for a shock.

      1. mrdependable · · focus · HN ↗
        This is really looking at the problem from the wrong angle. It’s not that we don’t need all those degrees. The problem is that tech companies are making so much money that it makes other industries practically irrelevant when it comes to return on investment. It has thrown the economy completely off balance.
        1. deepfriedchokes · · focus · HN ↗
          Strongly agree. Perhaps an economy shouldn’t be organized around money.
          1. ambicapter · · focus · HN ↗
            Perhaps you meant "financialization" instead of "money", b/c money is literally what makes up an economy.
            1. zero_shift · · focus · HN ↗
              No, labour and resources are what makes up an economy. The money is "only" the primary mediator

              You can have billions in nominal units but it is inflated to worthlessness when resources or labour disappear

              1. ambicapter · · focus · HN ↗
                > The money is "only" the primary mediator

                I have nothing to say to this sort of disingenuous characterization.

            2. bradishungry · · focus · HN ↗
              economy != money, economies have existed before markets have existed
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