Mastodawn

Paul Cantrell 2d ago

RE: https://discuss.systems/@dev/116807460725864716

The whole presentation is worth the click-through:

1. Honestly, the metaphorically mangled goose slides in the post make more sense than a lot of the rest of the presentation — which is •really• saying something.

2. That deck is a magnificent example of why I don't like sharing slides as a means of sharing the content of a talk.

3. If we •do• attempt to infer the content from the presentation's sloptastic slides alone, it’s a remarkable window into the investor thinking that’s driving the AI bubble: “Exponential money is hiding just around the corner! Get in on the ground floor! Buy now! Buy now and rocket to infinity and beyond!!”

Paul Cantrell 2d ago

Investors with AI FOMO about other investors with AI FOMO about CEOs with AI FOMO about other AI CEOs with AI FOMO they contracted from their investors

Re this post:

Back in 2012, the Minnesota Orchestra musicians went on strike over a semi-secretive plan from the board to remake the orchestra (one of the best in the world) by slashing player salaries, gutting creative direction, and turning them into a sort of pop-lite-classical easy listening machine of some kind — details very fuzzy, rationale even fuzzier.

During the dispute, a slide deck of their shadowy plan leaked. It was somewhat garbled and confusing, and missing all the key details and analysis that everyone was dying for. “What are you hiding??” the public cried, “Show us the full plan!!” “What are you talking about? We did!” “No, not just the presentation! The actual plan!”

A confused period followed during which it became clear that the slide deck •was• the full plan.

This little gaggle of the Brightest Minds of Business moonlighting on a nonprofit board thought that gutting a local institution required so little thought that when people saw the full analysis, they assumed the board must be hiding something.

https://chaosfem.tw/@theogrin/116808542563847455

Jennifer Kayla | Theogrin 🦊 (@[email protected])

@[email protected] I have no clue who put this slideshow on a public-facing folder, but I really hope Softbank try to bury this. Please, please let them try. This needs so much more of the public eye. I want the public to see just what complete assholes are in charge of these big companies. (also softbank some philosophers would claim that the purpose of an egg is to eventually lay another egg but that's me being a pedant)

Chaosfem

Paul Cantrell 2d ago

(I am pleased to report, for those who don't know the story, that the MN Orch musician's union absolutely steamrolled that terrible board. Management locked them out for 15 months, during which time they staged multiple self-produced concerts without any help from the management they supposedly needed to function. The conductor who'd rocketed them to international fame resigned, and began conducting the locked-out orchestra's sold-out concerts. Eventually the board caved, tails between their legs. Many of them left, the tool of an orch president resigned, what remained of the board instated the musicians' preferred candidate as the new president, and the board got absolutely none of their precious Powerpoint plan except for a glammy new lobby. It was a rout. The orchestra is now doing better than ever — and the supposed imminent budget implosion that the old board had been raising hell about suddenly vanished along with them.)

@inthehands It always comes down to this: a bunch of fucking morons that just because they are in a board of directors think that the company works by itself. The moment the workforce disappears, OH, FUCKING SURPRISE, NOTHING GETS DONE. https://mstdn.social/@Illuminatus/116809615337079410

Ben Rosengart 1d ago

@inthehands Cool, let's do this again. Rinse and repeat until "allocating capital" is no more prestigious and remunerative than "teaching social studies".

@inthehands Same thing happened with the DNC Autopsy report.

Paul Cantrell 2d ago

Not dissimilar! Although in the DNC case I suspect that was the result of the powers that be •prohibiting• substantive analysis, whereas with the MN Orch it was the result of those powers not even knowing what a proper analysis would look like.

Donald Ball 2d ago

@inthehands @Poljack With the DNC, I strongly suspect both tbh.

Nantucket Lit 2d ago

It's like Apocalypse Now:

"Do you find my methods unsound?"

"I don't see any method at all, sir..."

sarcoptus scabium 2d ago

@inthehands sometimes the plan really is step one, step two, ????, profit.

Paul Cantrell 2d ago

@thegarbagebird

All this time, the ??? was a goose but only Softbank knew

Arthur van der Harg 2d ago

@thegarbagebird @inthehands Goose steps, this time around.

chocobo13ζ 2d ago

@inthehands
Business executives planning like they're underpants gnomes

Hovav Shacham 2d ago

@inthehands Wow, you're not exaggerating!

https://songofthelarkblog.com/2013/09/05/unveiling-the-minnesota-orchestras-full-strategic-plan/

PS. It bears repeating that Emily Hogstad is a national treasure.

Unveiling The Minnesota Orchestra’s Full Strategic Plan

I’ve just had the most fabulous conversation with the MOA on Facebook! True, in order to get it started, the MOA needed a little nudging from David Assemany, from Save Our Symphony Detroit, b…

Song of the Lark

Paul Cantrell 2d ago

Correct and correct!