←back to thread

Has the decline of knowledge work begun?

(www.nytimes.com)
388 points pseudolus | 1 comments | 25 Mar 25 17:02 UTC | HN request time: 0s | source
Show context
ferguess_k ◴[27 Mar 25 14:16 UTC] No.43493912[source]▶
What I worry a lot more instead is how knowledge of manufacturing and engineering could be lost due to our greed.

Typical scenario: Industry I is not doing fine in country C (i.e. the fund managers are not happy about lack of growth of the public companies in this sector) due to reasons R1, R2, ..., Rn. Then management decided to outsource and eventually dismantle the factories to "globalize" it. Knowledge retained by the older generation of engineers, technicians and workers were completely lost when they passed away.

replies(6): >>43494035 #>>43494068 #>>43494107 #>>43494172 #>>43494174 #>>43494671 #
mschuster91 ◴[27 Mar 25 14:31 UTC] No.43494068[source]▶
> Knowledge retained by the older generation of engineers, technicians and workers were completely lost when they passed away.

That has happened quite often in the past [1].

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_lost_inventions

replies(2): >>43494229 #>>43495472 #
1. kevinsync ◴[27 Mar 25 16:50 UTC] No.43495472[source]▶
I had never heard the story of Sloot Digital Coding System [0] linked from that Wikipedia entry. Truly not trying to be judgmental or negative but I was exhausted just reading the article, let alone the idea of chasing that particular albatross as my life's pursuit lol.

Really fascinating bit of trivia though!

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sloot_Digital_Coding_System