Nobody Cares
15th January 2025
Why does nobody care about anything? The world is full of stuff that could be excellent with just 1% more effort. But people don’t care.
Have you been to the DMV? It sucked? There is a human being whose job it is to be in charge of the DMV. They do not care that it sucks.
Ever used a piece of software that’s buggy as hell, looks bad, but still costs money, presumably because the company behind it has found some regulatory capture to justify their existence? The programmer who wrote it probably doesn’t care. Their manager definitely doesn’t care. The regulators don’t care.
You might think “something something incentive systems”. No. At my big tech job I had the pleasure of interviewing a few programmers who worked for a large healthcare company that engages in regulatory capture. Let me assure you: They. Do. Not Care.
I’ve met a few people that work for municipal governments. Not politicians, just career bureaucrats deep in the system. I ask them what their favorite part of the job is. They all say “stability” or “job security” as their #1. It takes 18 months to get the city to permit your shed? They. Do. Not. Care.