High-paid Tech Workers Out TikTok in a Strange Strategy
TikTok is said to be dangerous by many out the tech field. Whether it’s due to its addictive nature or the fact it’s Chinese, it has become a target of hate.
So the Canadian government just got out their Make It Look Like You’re Doing Something™ handbook and have decided to shut down ByteDance (TikTok’s owner) offices, but weirdly leave the app live in kid’s hands.
So why are they intent on trashing high-paid tech jobs, while leaving the national security danger fully intact?
National Security Theater
TikTok is apparently so dangerous that the Canadian government has banished their corporate offices, and gutted their workforce. Clearly their workforce (with their taxes) are too dangeous to have on Canadian shores but the app itself? That’s on users.
Are we seriously to believe that national security threats magically disappear once a company’s local offices are closed? Or is this simply an easy move by the Canadian government to show it’s doing something.
High-Paying Tech Jobs Are the Real Casualties
TikTok have made the point that destroying well-paid jobs doesn’t make sense. It seems to be that the Canadian government thinks it’s fine to kill local innovation as long as you don’t upset the user base.
The hypocrisy is staggering. Politicians frequently bemoan the lack of domestic opportunities for skilled workers. They cheerlead for local tech growth. And then? They pull the rug out, replacing the high-paying jobs that sustain innovation with platitudes about how “Canadians are free to make their own choices.”
Whether ByteDance are actually spying on users or not, getting rid of employees isn’t going to help. It seems that governments like the taxes tech workers get paid, but don’t care about their wellbeing.
Lessons for Tech Workers (and Everyone Else)
I’m getting used to the idea that as a tech worker I’m disposable. I didn’t expect that there was ever a chance I’d be politically inconvenient.
If you work in a company but you’re seen as a cost center your job might be trashed at any point. Politicians might see your product as bad, and you’re gone.
The reality doesn’t seem to matter. Companies think it’s easier to lay off staff than tackle underlying issues with their business model. Now Governments are willing to cull innovation rather than tackle policy issues.
Conclusion
It’s time tech workers were seen as the path to value by both companies and governments rather than “trouble” or cost.
Never going to happen, is it?