Guys like Edison and the other industrialists of the late 19th century probably talked like this to their workers (that’s what they called employees back then). More like commodities than people. Given the opportunity to work hard and make the kind of money they made, this made sense to them. Back then this benefitted only the owners in this category, much like the titans (Bezos, Zuckerburg et al) of the business world today. But now the top tier of professional athletes, movie stars, and, most recently, AI stars are leveraging their star power and prowess to carve out their share of the wealth. To a much lesser degree, that’s what union leaders hope to get for their members, leaving regular workers to cut up what’s left. If companies want employees to work hard to help them compete today, they must do a better job explaining what that hard work will get you – like gain sharing and real profit sharing. A friend in the gaming business put his money where his mouth is and created an employee stock ownership plan and he’s seeing jaw-dropping productivity, performance, and engagement gains. It’s not about paying a living wage; it’s about giving your best and hardest working employees a real chance at wealth. Where everyone makes money, relatively speaking; like what they see in the news and on social media. That’s not socialism – it’s the new capitalism. I’m not sure where robotics and AI are going, but you’ll always need your best and brightest. They may not be dressed in overalls, but they’ll proudly be doing the hard work needed. Start to get your head around that today.
Thomas Alva Edison (1847 – 1931): American inventor and businessman.[1]
[1] Edison developed many devices in fields such as electric power generation, mass communication, sound recording, and motion pictures.[4] These inventions, which include the phonograph, the motion picture camera, and early versions of the electric light bulb, have had a widespread impact on the modern industrialized world.[5] He was one of the first inventors to apply the principles of organized science and teamwork to the process of invention, working with many researchers and employees. He established the first industrial research laboratory.
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