HolgateCorner
Well-known member
Tommy you’ve put some great posts on this thread, well done
It can be difficult on here to debate with posters who have both a very narrow view of the world and a money orientated value system.
Jeff Bezos resigns as Amazon CEO
- Thread starter Londons_Moggie
- Start date
It can be difficult on here to debate with posters who have both a very narrow view of the world and a money orientated value system.
Deleted
Active member
I appreciate that palTommy you’ve put some great posts on this thread, well done
It can be difficult on here to debate with posters who have both a very narrow view of the world and a money orientated value system.
Deleted
Active member
https://www.theguardian.com/technol...-the-world-amazon-made?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
I wholeheartedly encourage the posters defending Bezos and Amazon to read this.
The way that Amazon does business – it’s pressuring of suppliers, its systematic annihilation of retail competitors, its incessant harvesting of its customers’ data, its treatment of its own workers as little better than machines – is, of course, inseparable from the personal wealth of its founder, Jeff Bezos, who earlier this week stepped down as CEO of the company. But even if the means by which that wealth had been amassed were somehow unobjectionable, it would still stand, purely on its own terms, as a moral obscenity. It’s impossible to even conceive of the scale of this man’s wealth. It’s like trying to think about deep time: the mind’s eye glazes over. This is a man who makes about $149,000 with every passing minute. This is a man who, last July, in the midst of a global pandemic and a devastating economic crisis, increased his personal wealth by $13bn in the course of a single day. This is a man who, despite living on a planet where one third of human beings don’t have access to safe drinking water, told Business Insider magazine that “the only way I can see to deploy this much financial resource is by converting my Amazon winnings into space travel”.
I wholeheartedly encourage the posters defending Bezos and Amazon to read this.
The way that Amazon does business – it’s pressuring of suppliers, its systematic annihilation of retail competitors, its incessant harvesting of its customers’ data, its treatment of its own workers as little better than machines – is, of course, inseparable from the personal wealth of its founder, Jeff Bezos, who earlier this week stepped down as CEO of the company. But even if the means by which that wealth had been amassed were somehow unobjectionable, it would still stand, purely on its own terms, as a moral obscenity. It’s impossible to even conceive of the scale of this man’s wealth. It’s like trying to think about deep time: the mind’s eye glazes over. This is a man who makes about $149,000 with every passing minute. This is a man who, last July, in the midst of a global pandemic and a devastating economic crisis, increased his personal wealth by $13bn in the course of a single day. This is a man who, despite living on a planet where one third of human beings don’t have access to safe drinking water, told Business Insider magazine that “the only way I can see to deploy this much financial resource is by converting my Amazon winnings into space travel”.
HolgateCorner
Well-known member
Sorry to just get back to you but I’ve been on Teams meetings all afternoon, using one of the ‘products’ you have got yourself excited about above. Thankfully the broadband held up for once.
Deleted
Active member
Commit to providing fresh drinking water to the 3 billion people who currently don’t have access. That would be a fantastic start.
Deleted
Active member
Here’s a question for you Randy. What exactly has Bezos done to deserve such wealth?
Bezos has not been personally responsible for the introduction of any new technology into the world. He was not the inventor of online shopping. The year before Amazon.com was founded, the first consumer purchase was made on the world wide web: a copy of Sting’s album Ten Summoner’s Tales, purchased for $12.48 plus shipping, from an online store called NetMarket. Neither did he, or any of his employees, invent the e-reader: a company called Rocket was selling e-readers through Barnes and Noble in the late 90s, back when Bezos was still packing boxes with his own hands.
HolgateCorner
Well-known member
Apologies if I made a few different points, they were all good ones though.
I don’t feel like I’ve received any decent responses, nobody has even remotely tempted me to change my mind.
The_Lizards_Jumpers
Well-known member
That's because you've demonstrated you've a narrow minded outdated view of the world, and refuse to accept any counter points to your views that "primary and secondary industries" are the only ones that matter, or that Bezos isn't just a "middle man".
You're a ignorant luddite, and seemingly proud of it - not a problem.
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Randy
Well-known member
Why is that up to him and not the countries those 3 billion people live in?
Are you contributing anything to the various different water schemes throughout the world?
HolgateCorner
Well-known member
Yeah, yeah, nothing new to say then?
Sheriff_John_Bunnell_ret
Well-known member
Just to be clear I hate everyone with more money than me. 
Redwurzel
Well-known member
Some interesting points in some of these posts.
1. Amazon are not responsible for most of the IT in the world, just as Ford are not reponsible for most motor vehicles. I remember reading that in Africa many people called the Internet, Facebook, we shows the power of Facebook and Amazon.
2. The Cloud is incredibly important now for processing such as using software and for storage. A simple example over 10 years ago I was using the cloud for Microsoft Outlook (email) and it stored all my emails, instead of loading software on my employers servers or my device. It served a fortune in charges. Before my employer bought Outlook software for multiuse and loaded it on site and had to store all the contents of email accounts of its employers on site.
3. Amazon's financial model is to consistently push up its share price by growing the company at a tremendous pace. Profits are relatively low in comparison with sales. Amazon will undercut on price to increase turnover (hence one reason consumers love them) and get customers details so as with Facebook and Google the consumer becomes part of the product and has a value in their data profile say from Cookies history (hence we all get different ads when we log on). Pushing prices lower also has the advantage of destroying competition and ultimately increasing market power through high market share. At the same time profits are manipulated across national borders so profits are made in low tax countries, by a thing called transfer pricing hence little profit is made in the UK to reduce corporation tax to virtually zero, which pushs up the Amazon share price further. The MD is not surprisingly paid in shares.
My concern is when Amazon has say over 35% of the retail market what will stop it increasing prices? I am concerned when someone writes that Amazon has 40% of the Cloud market, that is a monopoly position and for a business that is solely profit driven, opposed to say a public sector company that is driven by public service. We know from history private monoplies are not good news for consumers in the long run. The lack of tax who might say is just all about money, but that tax is used for public services such as health and social care, education, state pensions, police and armed services. Less tax probably means less public services.
1. Amazon are not responsible for most of the IT in the world, just as Ford are not reponsible for most motor vehicles. I remember reading that in Africa many people called the Internet, Facebook, we shows the power of Facebook and Amazon.
2. The Cloud is incredibly important now for processing such as using software and for storage. A simple example over 10 years ago I was using the cloud for Microsoft Outlook (email) and it stored all my emails, instead of loading software on my employers servers or my device. It served a fortune in charges. Before my employer bought Outlook software for multiuse and loaded it on site and had to store all the contents of email accounts of its employers on site.
3. Amazon's financial model is to consistently push up its share price by growing the company at a tremendous pace. Profits are relatively low in comparison with sales. Amazon will undercut on price to increase turnover (hence one reason consumers love them) and get customers details so as with Facebook and Google the consumer becomes part of the product and has a value in their data profile say from Cookies history (hence we all get different ads when we log on). Pushing prices lower also has the advantage of destroying competition and ultimately increasing market power through high market share. At the same time profits are manipulated across national borders so profits are made in low tax countries, by a thing called transfer pricing hence little profit is made in the UK to reduce corporation tax to virtually zero, which pushs up the Amazon share price further. The MD is not surprisingly paid in shares.
My concern is when Amazon has say over 35% of the retail market what will stop it increasing prices? I am concerned when someone writes that Amazon has 40% of the Cloud market, that is a monopoly position and for a business that is solely profit driven, opposed to say a public sector company that is driven by public service. We know from history private monoplies are not good news for consumers in the long run. The lack of tax who might say is just all about money, but that tax is used for public services such as health and social care, education, state pensions, police and armed services. Less tax probably means less public services.
Heam44
Well-known member
Is that true?
No because his is “worth” not cash in the bank which is quite different isn’t it. He’s still not shy of cash mind, I am sure.
To that bloke raging at bezos in here: I find it funny you claim we are narrow minded while acting as if you are entirely aware of Jeff bezos’ motivations, which are apparently solely financial gain. And totally fail to comprehend a different world view from your own.
Just because you would put your feet up at 1 million doesn’t mean he should. And just because he hasn’t retired or moved to Africa to build wells doesn’t mean he’s in it just for riches. Maybe he enjoys building businesses! Maybe he wants to colonise Mars like Elon! Not everyone wants to sit down at 6pm and watch the telly. Or spend their days drinking on a beach. I mean, he’s stepping down to pursue some more of his passions isn’t he? I cannot claim to truly know his motivations either but I would doubt it is to step down from the biggest company on the planet and go find a way to make even more money elsewhere because he wants a pile of gold coins like scrooge mcduck or something. At this point the riches are a bi product of following his dreams and passions and a way to fuel his future ambitions. or maybe it is the diving board into a pool of moneY. don’t know! But Most truly driven people I’ve met look beyond immediate financial rewards.
So I must say that your blind hatred for people you do not know a jot about beyond their net worth makes you the narrow minded one here I’m afraid.
For what it’s worth, I think the very existence of billionaires is gross. No one should be able to accumulate that much wealth. But you can unfortunately, thanks to the systems in which we all operate. Are they fair? I don’t think so. Is that bezos’ fault? Not until he becomes president.
Randy
Well-known member
Somebody isn't setting their designated safe space correctly....
Deleted
Active member
I shall reiterate once again and let this go as diametrically opposed views will never align.
The earth can provide enough sustainable resources for everyone to live in comfort. However that does not happen because of the like of Bezos and his ilk who has a need to hoard these resources. Their continued accumulation of wealth tells us everything about their character
I strongly suggest you read the article I posted. Anything that Bezos (and others) do, is a way of ensuring capitalism doesn’t fail so he can continue accumulating wealth ($13b in a day!). The fact you are brainwashed enough to not only accept this as normal but even actually defend the system is the reason the world is so wrecked.
If it is narrow minded to want people to have enough food to eat and water to drink then so be it.
