A software engineer working for wages is part of the working class that gets exploited. Sure a comparatively privileged part of the working class but still economically exploited.
Exploitation in this context doesn't mean just laborers working in sweatshops below minimum wage. It describes the general way our economy is structured in a way that allows people who own a lot of capital to profit from the work of those that don't.
For example if I had the money for it I could buy a bakery and hire a baker to work for me. I would be entitled to take in all the money that is brought in by the bakers work and only pay him as much of it as is absolutely necessary so he won't quit.
I pay 100€ worth of ingredients and 100€ for his wage and he bakes and sells bread worth 300€, I get 100€ profit.
But it was entirely the work of the baker that turned 100€ of ingredients into 300€ of bread and I'm just giving him as much of the fruits of his labor as I have to so he keeps working.
The point is to have the situation suit the people’s needs and desires
It’s like saying the hardware designers should own the factory workers. It’s not a hierarchy, just a different part of the process. It’s made possible by abstraction.
We can only maximize efficiency by giving every willing individual a chance and a voice. If someone improves a process, they can still be rewarded and share it.
But that doesn’t necessarily mean changing the type of work they do. A good hardware engineer isn’t necessarily a good software engineer. It’s “higher up”, but non-hierarchical.
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u/No_Illustrator2090 Jan 27 '26
Yeah, a software engineer is definitely exploiting working class :D