Bullshit Jobs
A Theory
by David Graeber · first published 2018
33% recommend59% neutral8% critical
Why HN recommends it
Accessible, provocative argument that much modern work, especially paper-pushing and administrative roles, serves little purpose. Suits readers questioning work, bureaucracy, and the economy, including UBI debates.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
Bullshit Jobs: A Theory is a 2018 book by anthropologist David Graeber that argues the existence and societal harm of meaningless jobs. He contends that over half of societal work is pointless, which becomes psychologically destructive when paired with a work ethic that associates work with self-worth. Graeber describes five types of bullshit jobs, in which workers pretend their role isn't as pointless or harmful as they know it to be: flunkies, goons, duct tapers, box tickers, and taskmasters. He argues that the association of labor with virtuous suffering is recent in human history, and pr
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The author should change Walden for David Graeber's "Bullshit Jobs" and he would probably get a better explanation of the phenomenon. "After being in the industry for 15 years, I still do not have a good short answer for what environmental consultants do." That quote…
on “Why are so many knowledge workers quitting?” ↗…pointless jobs. 37% of people say their job is pretty much useless which is remarkable. Graeber's book is worth a read, my review is here for anyone interested ( https://reviewsien.wordpress.com/2018/06/14/bullshit-jobs-a-... )
on “Bullshit jobs and the yoke of managerial feudalism” ↗…developer being paid $100k doesn't mean they're providing the world with $100k of value. it just means they convinced management/HR to pay them $100k for turning up 250/365 days. I suggest checking out "bullshit jobs" by David Graeber :)
on “Alternative Career Paths That Software Developers Can Grow Into” ↗…scale but rather a relative one; if you make 1 million in revenue and you only have 3 employees, you might feel like you should hire more. What happens if you start making one billion in revenue? Read Bullshit Jobs by David Graeber if you haven't already.
on “Why is modern web development so complicated?” ↗…use. -- I'm heavily influenced by process and methodology ideas. Deming, Drucker, TPS, etc. As well as their critics. Postman, Norman, etc, and most recently David Graeber. Graeber's notions about bullshit jobs and bureaucracy have articulated many of my misgivings as well as made me feel stupid for my hubris. -- Both database and paper mediated systems have pros and cons. In defense of younger self, we were…
on “A two-person startup already uses twenty-eight other tools” ↗…don't believe this, go get a job at a lumber yard or a warehouse or something. Related reading: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/558867.Disciplined_Minds https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34466958-bullshit-jobs
on “Ad Boycott of Facebook Keeps Growing” ↗…and companies alike are now out to exploit as much as they can and get out, and capitalism does not handle that well, as we are seeing. I'm also very strongly persuaded by David Graeber's classic on bullshit jobs[1]. See also "UBI is Capitalism 2.0"[2]. I think people who see it this way are a growing group. [1] https://www.strike.coop/bullshit-jobs [2] https://timjrobinson.com/universal-basic-income-is-capitalis...
on “Time has come for four-day week, say European politicians” ↗…existence in every dimension, and yet provide more value to society than a well-paid high-frequency trader in finance. Another good book to read about the negative value produced by well-paid jobs is Bullshit Jobs by David Graeber. The danger of the myth of meritocracy is that these lower-caste workers don't receive the appropriate level of esteem that they are due in our society. This leads to a politics of resentment.
on “Meritocracies Are Unfair – and That's the Point” ↗I used to think this as well until I read Bullshit Jobs. The point Graeber makes very well is that as jobs have gotten automated a way they have been replaced by a huge number of meaningless office jobs. And this isn’t based on him judging particular jobs…
on “David Graeber’s Possible Worlds” ↗Bullshit jobs by David Graeber. It fundamentally makes you question how senseless human existence is due to our 9 to 5, bullshit-driven, Western corporate jobs (although work life in China and Japan is probably even…
on “Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2021?” ↗Performative work is just another term for one of the main topics exposed in the book "Bullshit jobs" by David Graeber. I finished the book last month and it was a very compelling read. It tries to explain the psychology behind trying to understand why almost everyone knows that it is unrealistic to…
on “The Rise of Performative Work” ↗I think the two key texts here are Graeber’s Bullshit Jobs and Mark Fisher’s Capitalist Realism, specifically his riff on “market Stalinism”: > The idealized market was supposed to deliver ‘friction free’ exchanges, in which the desires of consumers would be…
on “The Rise of Performative Work” ↗David Graeber's "Bullshit Jobs" comes to mind as a well written critique of the kinds of jobs you seem to be describing. https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/david-graeber-bullsh...
on “TikTok and the Fall of the Social-Media Giants” ↗…would see a lot of decentralized alternatives to "essential" services. It's hard for me to entirely put into words how flawed your statement is. If you have time, you may want to check out a book called "Bullshit Jobs: A Theory" by David Graeber (https://libgen.gs/edition.php?id=5852679). It might give you a new perspective on the software industry.
on “Time Till Open Source Alternative” ↗>I'd love to see virtually all crappy jobs today disappear, On that note, Graeber is fun to read on this topic http://www.strikemag.org/bullshit-jobs/ >I cannot imagine retarding technology just to preserve existing jobs being a winning strategy which makes the world better. Well… that depends on the distribution of income, doesn't it? If my choice…
on “Dear Marc Andreessen” ↗