This makes me think of my current job, which I think is somewhat typical:
Compensation tracks an industry percentile
Big payout from future exit is a lottery largely disconnected from performance and even level
Level is more about ability to multitask and choose a different type of role rather than excellence in current role, and there are perhaps 85% fewer available seats in the next rank
It’s very unclear how much better one employee is than another past a certain point
My effort on a month to month basis has effectively zero impact on my earnings
So the only thing left is whether I’m employed or fired
I can get employed again rapidly, and my employers know this
So they occasionally signal in subtle ways to indicate that you might be in some slight danger of being fired
So employees tend towards jobs that are more interesting, because at least they are intrinsically energizing even if the job in the abstract is morale-draining
But then per market efficiency, the most broadly interesting jobs pay worse and treat employees worse (similar to the music or gaming industries)
I think most people fully understand this over time and find it deeply draining in a meta sense
Almost every company is playing the meta and it’s so tedious and unsatisfying
There is no escape, it’s just a suboptimal Nash equilibrium
Overall it’s fine, more of a penumbra of Moloch than anything else
This makes me think of my current job, which I think is somewhat typical:
Compensation tracks an industry percentile
Big payout from future exit is a lottery largely disconnected from performance and even level
Level is more about ability to multitask and choose a different type of role rather than excellence in current role, and there are perhaps 85% fewer available seats in the next rank
It’s very unclear how much better one employee is than another past a certain point
My effort on a month to month basis has effectively zero impact on my earnings
So the only thing left is whether I’m employed or fired
I can get employed again rapidly, and my employers know this
So they occasionally signal in subtle ways to indicate that you might be in some slight danger of being fired
So employees tend towards jobs that are more interesting, because at least they are intrinsically energizing even if the job in the abstract is morale-draining
But then per market efficiency, the most broadly interesting jobs pay worse and treat employees worse (similar to the music or gaming industries)
I think most people fully understand this over time and find it deeply draining in a meta sense
Almost every company is playing the meta and it’s so tedious and unsatisfying
There is no escape, it’s just a suboptimal Nash equilibrium
Overall it’s fine, more of a penumbra of Moloch than anything else
But at times I find it oh so tiresome