HN has recommended it for a decade as the standard explainer on automation and unemployment, though skeptics later cite it as an example of overconfident predictions.
Topics › Business, Startups & Economics
The best labor, work & inequality videos, according to Hacker News
92 videos about labor, work & inequality that Hacker News commenters keep pointing each other to, ranked by how many separate months they were recommended. Part of Business, Startups & Economics.
HN commenters recommend it as a pointed critique of philanthropy and win-win thinking, delivered inside Google itself, and cite it across threads on wealth, tax and tech power.
HN cites it often in debates on inequality, cost disease and stagnant middle-class income, praising its data-driven approach.
HN commenters drop it whenever wealth inequality comes up, as a quick visual of the gap between perceived and actual distribution.
Cited heavily in Roblox threads as a damning investigation into child labor, exploitation, and weak moderation, and suggested viewing for parents.
HN commenters recommend it as a quick visualization of the scale of global poverty versus immigration capacity, though it is advocacy with a specific viewpoint.
HN commenters share it as an accessible case for worker cooperatives and workplace democracy as a model for a modern left.
HN cites it constantly in US manufacturing debates as a vivid demonstration of how much domestic industrial capability has been lost.
HN uses it as a counterintuitive data point in debates on welfare states, social mobility and entrepreneurship.
The go-to primary source in basic income threads for Friedman's negative income tax idea.
Linked in threads on corporate tax incentives and subsidies as a detailed example of how they can trap a state.
It is HN's go-to concrete example of how local regulation and NIMBYism block new housing in San Francisco and California.
HN commenters cite it as the go-to evidence that Roblox exploits child developers, and parents are pointed to it before letting kids build games there.
Recommended in tipping threads as a fast, entertaining, sourced case against tipping culture.
HN recommends it as a concise, chart-backed explanation of the economics behind anti-establishment politics.
HN commenters recommend it as a quick animated introduction to Harvey's and Marx's critique of capitalism.
HN commenters share it in union threads as a concise statement of the free-market economist's case against unions.
HN recommends it to explain why comparing billionaire net worth by share price is misleading.
HN commenters point to it as a clear account of how minor infractions punish the poor.
HN points to it in housing-cost threads as the standard example of government-built housing keeping rents down.
It comes up in threads on career choice, trades, handiness and the 'follow your passion' advice.
HN commenters link it in threads on greedflation and corporate pricing power as an accessible exchange of opposing views.
HN recommends the lecture series as a foundational, wide-ranging grounding in modern global politics.
HN recommends it as a good overview of predatory lending and the problems with payday loans.
HN commenters point to it as a clear exposition of intergenerational unfairness in housing and wages, especially from a UK angle.
HN users share it as a short, accessible explainer for land value tax whenever housing, rents or inequality come up.
HN uses it in work-hours and four-day-week threads as the source for the claim that people worked fewer hours before the industrial era.
It is the standard citation in HN housing debates for showing that dense cities can still have affordable single-family homes.
HN commenters cite it as a sharp, accessible primer on the NCAA's amateurism model and athlete compensation, including for readers outside the US.
Recommended as a prescient interview on free trade and its social consequences, worth watching with hindsight.
HN recommends it for an up-close look at the shipbreaking industry.
HN points to it whenever discussion turns to billionaire wealth or the human difficulty of grasping very large numbers.
HN commenters share it as a counterargument to the YIMBY build-more-housing view, linking wealth concentration to asset prices.
Suggested as a starting point for understanding Yang's capitalist case for UBI, though some note it is long and dated.
HN points to it as proof that government-provided housing can be attractive, in housing and homelessness threads.
Recommended in housing threads as a decent dive into the problem and possible long-term solutions.
HN points to it for an accessible explanation of why wealth and creative output are so unevenly distributed.
HN commenters cite it for hard data on millennials versus boomers and the economic reality facing young workers.
Recommended as a great primer on how neoliberalism developed and why the postwar order broke down.
HN points to it in discussions of salary transparency as a short, well-sourced overview of how public tax records work in Nordic countries.
Recommended as a broad, practical view of AI's near-term impact from a leading practitioner, with his argument that worrying about evil AI is premature.
Recommended as a look at how Japan's monopolies were dismantled and how that shaped later industry.
Cited to explain why poor people's seemingly irrational financial decisions can rationally protect their social safety net.
HN cites it in threads on gender gaps in tech and law, though some commenters point to a longer Peterson video for the full argument.
Recommended in threads on Feeney as a decent, thorough account of his anonymous giving.
HN uses it to explain the difference between income and wealth inequality, though some pair it with a rebuttal.
HN cites it in threads on jobs, automation and hiring when arguing about IQ and employability.
HN commenters point to it as good, accessible coverage of mobile-home park exploitation by private equity.
It is cited in inequality and capitalism threads as a billionaire's critique of neoliberal market assumptions.
Offered as a good explanation of the business of dollar stores and how they affect local grocers.
HN cites the film as a source on fast fashion exploitation and pollution.
HN uses it in threads about wealth and charity, either as support for the view that no billionaire is benevolent or as a contested counterpoint.
Commenters point to it when discussing the lax regulation of cruise ships and flags of convenience.
HN uses it as a reference for Friedman's argument that generous welfare and open immigration are in tension.
HN commenters link it as a quick, memorable illustration of unequal starting positions and generational wealth in threads on personal finance and economic precarity.
Shared as a clearer explanation of the tax loophole than the accompanying article.
Cited as a solid overview of the railroad safety problem, including the push toward longer trains and single-person crews.
Brought up in four-day-week and work-schedule threads as the 'Weekend Wednesday' idea.
HN cites it in debates on wealth taxes, inheritance and inequality as Friedman's argument against redistribution.
HN mostly references it in passing when student loans and predatory colleges come up, with one commenter recommending the veterans benefits section.
HN refers to it mainly for context on coal executive Robert Murray and the lawsuit that followed the segment.
HN finds it a striking historical look at early text editors and remote work that feels very modern.
Cited in debates about taxes, job creation and wealth redistribution, and for the controversy around its release.
HN commenters cite it in inequality debates as a compact summary of studies linking inequality to worse social outcomes.
Cited in housing and real estate threads as a vivid illustration of extreme scarcity and Hong Kong's land-price dynamics.
Brought up in housing and zoning threads as a mainstream outlet making the case that progressive NIMBYism contradicts stated values.
Cited in debates over pay equity law as Friedman's free-market argument on discrimination.
The standard link whenever someone asks creatives to work unpaid or for publicity.
HN brings it up in inequality, UBI and backlash threads as an early warning from a rich insider.
Used as a reference for the r/antiwork interview blowup, mostly cited critically.
Cited for subprime auto loan statistics and as a reference for predatory car financing, rather than as a recommendation.
Mostly cited as an example of criticism of Musk, not recommended as a neutral source.
Linked in threads on pay and compensation as a quick explanation of why talking about salary helps employees.
Used as an example in debates on rideshare economics and Prop 22 of how platforms can exploit drivers.
Cited as a real-world experiment showing that banning investors did not lower purchase prices and may have raised rents.
Referenced when discussing how much time household technology saved families and how heavy housework used to be.
HN commenters repeatedly cite it for Fromm's line about selling one's personality at work, especially in threads on careers, mental health and labor.
Cited in unionization threads at Tesla, Amazon, Google and Wikimedia as a humorous overview of union-busting methods.
Cited in immigration and STEM-talent debates as an authority's argument that H-1B is America's secret weapon.
Cited as an example of calling out billionaire philanthropy and tax avoidance in threads on wealth inequality.
HN commenters in H-1B debates post it as evidence that the labor-market test is gamed with fake job ads.
Referenced in threads about layoffs and career choices for its depiction of firing and giving up on dreams.
HN commenters mostly drop it as a reference on money creation and public banking, in threads about banks, rentier economics and monetary reform.
Quoted whenever commenters want to express that wealth and power are rigged against ordinary people, as in Robinhood or big-tech threads.
HN mostly cites it as a joke or as a prior example of inflating a company's valuation through a small share sale.
Used as a reference when discussing meaningless work and bureaucracy growth in tech and management.
Mostly cited as a source for Sowell's views on welfare, neighborhoods and his personal anecdotes.
Commenters link it as a shorthand for an argument about inequality, absolute versus relative prosperity, quoting her line in threads about taxes and wealth.
HN commenters cite it in immigration debates as evidence of Sanders' 2015 position that open borders and high immigration hurt wages.
Cited critically as an example of US advertising that glorifies overwork and lack of holiday time.
HN uses it as a joking reference when threads discuss Amazon warehouse working conditions and surveillance.
Referenced as the canonical depiction of mass layoffs and canned HR scripts whenever layoffs come up.
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