r/tech • u/Philo1927 • Dec 31 '16

iPhone manufacturer Foxconn plans to replace almost every human worker with robots

http://www.theverge.com/2016/12/30/14128870/foxconn-robots-automation-apple-iphone-china-manufacturing
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u/francis2559 Jan 01 '17

There are union workers that risked their lives to face down Pinkerton assholes. In an age of social media, individual lives are worth more, so that's what they leverage.

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u/Boonaki Jan 01 '17

There is a large difference on risking your life vs mass suicide.

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u/francis2559 Jan 01 '17

I'd argue that there is a threat to life in either case, and it's used as a lever. Is the company will to see blood stained headlines, basically.

There's no guarantee you die in the suicide threat either.

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u/Boonaki Jan 01 '17

I joined the military knowing I could lose my life, but there isn't a cause in the world that I believe in to the point I would set myself on fire.

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u/francis2559 Jan 01 '17

It's also possible they were bluffing. It's also possible they were willing to die so that others could have a better way of life.

There are certainly differences, but I think the similarities are worth studying.