TFI FRIDAY!

Hello everyone and welcome to this week’s Futurizm newsletter, we hope you’ve had a great week, let’s get stuck in!

COMING UP:

• The Poddy

• Tech News Shots ICYMI

• Grady’s Gripe: Company “Perks”

• Big Tech Dad Joke

But before we get down to brass tacks, let’s kick off with our customary bit of fun with AI-generated art. We weren’t going to do it this week because OpenArt.ai came up with a pretty standard first image for a “stereotypical anti-virus software engineer”:

Nothing wrong with it at all. The guy has the right number of fingers, one watch, but maybe a few too many computer screens. The second image, however, and we must warn you, is truly the stuff of nightmares!

I mean what was OpenArt thinking when it generated this monstrosity?! That he’s at risk of catching a virus from the computer?! It looks like a cross between The Gimp in Pulp Fiction and Psycho Mantis from Metal Gear (niche reference!). Apologies for that and to any anti-virus software engineers among our subscribers!

As always, we’d love to hear from you and see some of your Ai-art creations, which may feature in a future newsletter! If you have any feedback, suggestions for the newsy, or just fancy a chat, shoot an email over to [email protected]. 

Right, down to business!

THE PODDY

We know there has been a bit of a gap, but our podcast hosted by your favourite tech career gurus Will and Pete is back this Monday!

We’ll be discussing The Great Return To Work Debate after Dell irked many of its employees by trying to force them to go back to the office. Tut tut. 

We’ll also cover the inspirational story of how one young lady landed a job at Google, despite being rejected SEVEN times, and the lessons we can learn from it.

You can get it on all the main podcast providers: Apple, Amazon and Spotify.

If you have anything you’d like us to discuss, if you want to come on the podcast to discuss your career in tech, you know the address, it’s [email protected].

TECH NEWS SHOTS ICYMI

It’s been a pretty eventful couple of weeks in the world of tech. Here are some of the highlights in case you missed it:

META takes on ChatGPT

Zuck’s Meta released Llama 3.1, the largest-ever open-source AI model. The company claims that the 405-billion parameter model will overtake ChatGPT as the go-to AI assistant by the end of the year, the latter currently has over 100 million users. Over 16,000 of Nvidea’s top H100 GPUs were used to train Meta’s latest Llama.

Talking about Nvidea

Shares in Big Tech plummeted following the possible introduction of stricter export controls to China under the Biden admin and Trump’s comments on Taiwan. 

Biden is considering further clamping down on companies exporting chip-making equipment to China, making it even more difficult for the country to import high-end chips from U.S. companies including Nvidea.

Meanwhile, Trump caused a stir by suggesting that Taiwan should pay for its own protection against China.

Taiwan is the number one manufacturer of cutting-edge semiconductors, so Big Tech is worried!

Kaspersky quits the U.S.

Russian antivirus giant Kaspersky has decided to wind down its U.S. ops after Joe Biden banned the distribution and sale of its software.

GRADY’S GRIPE

Forget the Nap Pods and Free Kombucha, Here's Why Tech's Obsession with Perks is a Bunch of BS

Let's talk about the tech industry's obsession with perks. You know, the nap pods, the in-office slides, the kombucha on tap, the gourmet meals prepared by a Michelin-star chef... the whole shebang. On the surface, it sounds like a dream come true, right? Work hard, play hard, all while sipping on a lavender-infused latte.

But here's the cold, hard truth: Most of these perks are a load of crap.

First of all, they're a distraction. How can you focus on writing code when there's a ping-pong tournament happening in the next room? Or when you're tempted by the siren song of the free ice cream sundae bar? These perks are designed to keep you at the office longer, blurring the lines between work and life.

Secondly, they're often a substitute for real benefits. Sure, a nap pod might be nice after a long day, but it won't make up for a lack of paid parental leave or a decent healthcare plan. And let's be real, who needs an in-office masseuse when you're being paid a below-market salary?

Finally, these perks can create a culture of entitlement and inequality.  Not all employees get to enjoy the same perks. The engineers might get the fancy coffee machine, while the customer service reps are stuck with instant. This can breed resentment and division among teams.

So, what's the solution?

Instead of wasting money on flashy perks, tech companies should focus on what really matters:

• Fair compensation: Pay your employees what they're worth, and give them raises that keep up with inflation at the very least.

• Comprehensive benefits: Offer health insurance, paid time off, parental leave, and other benefits that support employees' well-being.

• Work-life balance: Encourage employees to take breaks, disconnect after work hours, and prioritize their personal lives.

• Meaningful work: Give employees challenging projects they can be proud of, and create a culture that values their contributions.

At the end of the day, people don't want to work for a company that's trying to woo them with gimmicks. They want a job that respects their time, values their skills, and compensates them fairly. So let's ditch the nap pods and focus on creating workplaces that people actually want to be a part of.

What's your take on tech perks? Are they a valuable benefit or just a distraction? Let us know at [email protected].

BIG TECH DAD JOKE

And, of course, it wouldn’t be the Futurizm newsletter if we didn’t finish with the Big Tech Dad Joke of the week. Sorry, you don’t get off that easily!

So….

Why did the developer become so poor?? BECAUSE HE CLEARED HIS CACHE!!

Ouch.

So on that note, thanks so much for sticking with us until the end! We’ll let you get back to your day, and see you next time!

If you know someone who you think would like the newsy, don’t forget about our referral program, 10 GPB in your Paypal account for every 10 referrals, what a deal!

Will Grady (Futurizm Founder)