I get it now: tech companies had to go along with DEI expectations and advocates years ago because some nontrivial portion of the software dev workforce demanded it. But then the cheap money went away and now the promise of cutting headcount via AI seems realistic, so they can actually follow their heart and safely toss the concerns of non-white, non-male devs overboard without consequence
when these factors change in some years (early seed money gets cheap again, AI's oversold promises finally fizzle, or the tech labor market tightens), then all the tech companies that are now blathering on about "merit-only" practices will rediscover progressive values in order to become palatable to the women, POCs, and queer and trans folks they're currently shoving out the back door
@cemerick And when that happens we need to remember what they did and only form coöps.
@cemerick Yes, but. I think it was less rational, more emotional. "Fuck you, I won't do what you tell me,” directed toward employees who'd been asserting their right to interfere with decisions Meritocracy assigned to the top of the hierarchy. And a lack of "remember, leader, thou art mortal" nuisances.
Paul Ryan being a fan of Rage Against the Machine revealed a lot about motivations, I think: it's the aggression/attitude that matters, not the ideas.
