Business, Economics, and Taxes: Capitalism. Yay? >=(

[TalonsUpPuckDown]

You wouldn’t hire someone based solely on where they went to school? For real?

When I was hiring for entry level programming positions I wouldn't consider a candidate from Miami as their program was business focused not technical focused. We all knew that going in so any resume from a Miami kid applying for an entry level technical role was rejected outright. However, we hired a ton of business analysts from Miami. But beyond entry level positions I rarely, if ever, considered where they went to school.

I had one personal exception to rules like that. An Eagle Scout always got a look.

 

[dxmnkd316]

I think you know what he meant. He wouldn't consider it particularly a positive.

For example, if I have an applicant for a STEM position who went to MIT or Cal Tech, hell yes that is a positive.

Yes. Correct. For the vast vast majority of schools I'd give them an interview. Some of the better engineers I know went to Nebraska, Iowa state, and (ugh) north *mumble mumble*

There are just schools that get a much higher preference, like Kepler said

edit: I'm talking for entry level. Beyond five years, school doesn't matter.

 

[Kepler]

edit: I'm talking for entry level. Beyond five years, school doesn't matter.

Five may even be generous.

 

[dxmnkd316]

Five may even be generous.

Situational, but you're probably right.

 

[Kepler]

Situational, but you're probably right.

Degree is like a new car. Depreciates as you drive it off the lot.

 

[psych]

I think you know what he meant. He wouldn't consider it particularly a positive.

For example, if I have an applicant for a STEM position who went to MIT or Cal Tech, hell yes that is a positive.

I didn't know what he meant. "I don't know that I'd hire an undergrad from Duke" didn't readily translate into "I would hire an undergrad from Duke, but attending Duke doesn't mean s/he's automatically hired" for me. Now that it's been fleshed out more, I understand. That said, there are certain professions where what school you attended doesn't matter whatsoever.

 

[Handyman]

Bob Iger is going to make up for the money lost in the strike by raising prices on Hulu and Di$ney+ for various tiers.

But hey the stockholders are cleaning up on the failing streaming model...

 

[aparch]

Bob Iger is going to make up for the money lost in the strike by raising prices on Hulu and Di$ney+ for various tiers.

But hey the stockholders are cleaning up on the failing streaming model...

CNBC reported that Iger said the ad-revenue for streaming is starting to outgrow the revenue from traditional TV advertising. So, despite losing subscribers, they're raking in more from those who subscribe to the cheaper ad-supported model.

They basically did in a couple years what took cable TV decades to do: get people to pay a premium and still show them ads. So he needs the strikes to end soon so he can pump out mid level media.


He can't step on rakes fast enough when pivoting.

 

[Drew S.]

Bob Iger is going to make up for the money lost in the strike by raising prices on Hulu and Di$ney+ for various tiers.

But hey the stockholders are cleaning up on the failing streaming model...

Streaming sucks. It was nice at one point as a supplement to cable but the direction everything is going is not good. Sports fans are going to get completely screwed.

 

[Kepler]

That said, there are certain professions where what school you attended doesn't matter whatsoever.

I doubt that is true. I think what is true is that there are professions where the ranking of preparatory education isn't anything like what you would think it is if you just looked at schools' usual prestige.

My favorite example is Medieval Philosophy. If you want the best Medieval Philosophy PhD for your faculty, and you know nothing else, you don't go to Harvard or Yale. You go to Rutgers. #2 is Arizona. There is absolutely no way you would ever know that unless you were intimate with the discipline.

When I was there and dinosaurs roamed the earth you wouldn't go to any of the Ivies for science except Cornell, and you wouldn't even go to Cornell for science unless it was applied. When I was a grad student the finest Sociology programs in the country included Wisconsin and Indiana before you dropped down to HYP. (I went to Stanford and it turned out to be a terrible mistake and an awful department of just warmed over Harvard people still living off Talcott Parsons). Every decent school has at least one discipline they blow the doors off the Tier One schools. Want to study art, music, or theater? Don't go to Cornell; go over to south hill and Ithaca College.

 

[Handyman]

CNBC reported that Iger said the ad-revenue for streaming is starting to outgrow the revenue from traditional TV advertising. So, despite losing subscribers, they're raking in more from those who subscribe to the cheaper ad-supported model.

They basically did in a couple years what took cable TV decades to do: get people to pay a premium and still show them ads. So he needs the strikes to end soon so he can pump out mid level media.


He can't step on rakes fast enough when pivoting.

Problem is Hulu raised their prices already this year and their bundles blow. (one of the reasons we chose Sling over them when we cut the cord) Plus the tiers he is raising the price on won't help all that much in the long run.

He can pretend all he wants to (and I am sure CNBC nodded along willingly as he BSed) that they are raking in the money but it is all corporate accounting lies and misdirection. They basically just take all their losses and shove them into things they hate or want to defund like ESPN. Truth is streaming is making them way less overall than they thought because (like some of us said when Priceless was here bragging about how genius this all was) growth can't go on forever...and when it plateaus you are going to run into some serious funding issues. Problem is no one will pay attention, and then wonder why a year from now there is more ABC/ESPN layoffs...the answer is to cover up for the losses the studio itself and its streaming platform are truly incurring.

This strike is going to last a looooooooooong time and no matter how much Iger and Zazlov and Netflix pretend it is ok the worse it will turn out for them. They have all already had to basically scrap a quarter of a season of television (shows that premiere in the Fall that havent filmed prior to the strike should be at episode 4 right now in writing and filming) and if this goes until October, which it will because of how badly the AMPTP is trying to negotiate it in the press it is likely new seasons of most shows will miss an entire season. Not to mention, those big budget blockbusters...yeah have fun with another year of stacked up months where everything just cannibalizes itself.

Billions are being lost from the long term bottom line, and they could have solved all of this by just giving the WGA what they wanted. Instead now only the DGA fell for their terrible deal. So now they are openly courting AI (so is Zoom BTW...read the new end user agreement and then never use Zoom again) engineers because they don't have to hide that all of the fears everyone had were legit.

 

[Jimjamesak]

I saw an article about how this why Apple is going after exclusive rights for sports leagues. Basically that $250 million for a few hundred MLS games is better and more profitable than $250 million on shows with a few episodes that wow critics but don’t really bring in subscribers.

 

[Kepler]

Multipass!

 

[dxmnkd316]

Battery powered airplane is something that's impossible with today's battery tech. They're just to fuckin heavy and you have to sacrifice somewhere to make that up.

hard pass until the current battery tech is but a memory.

 

[dxmnkd316]

Magary with a great article about ESPN and its deal with Penn

https://www.sfgate.com/sports/article/espn-penn-gambling-barstool-18290222.php

 

[FadeToBlack&Gold]

Battery powered airplane is something that's impossible with today's battery tech. They're just to ****in heavy and you have to sacrifice somewhere to make that up.

hard pass until the current battery tech is but a memory.

Similar to what we were saying about EVs a decade ago, I think they'll get there...in about 10 years. The push to develop viable and marketable EAP has already begun. Forget the hype about hydrogen, all you need to do is remind everyone of the Hindenburg.

 

[Handyman]

I saw an article about how this why Apple is going after exclusive rights for sports leagues. Basically that $250 million for a few hundred MLS games is better and more profitable than $250 million on shows with a few episodes that wow critics but don’t really bring in subscribers.

MLS makes sense...small leagues can be highly profitable if done right. (though I think MLS is hindering themselves in some ways but for now it is a great idea) I would not trust Apple to be able to produce high end content on major sports though unless they bought out maybe an RSN and incorporated their tech. In the short term they will be fine but I think in the long term it will turn out to be way less profitable than they thought. Not to mention I am not sure it will be super great for the teams involved either. (ask the PAC-12 what they thought of a streaming deal for conference games...oh wait)

As much as it pains me to ever give Lex Luther compliments, Amazon has it right. To me it is all about balance and making yourself the guy selling shovels during the gold rush as opposed to panning for gold. A lot of "experts" believe Amazon wants to buy a major studio with WBD being the biggest option available. Bezos doesn't need that though. Amazon Prime is a one stop shop already, an alternative to cable that allows you to add and drop stations on a whim. They have TV shows, films and just enough sports to wet the appetite and keep people coming back for more. When things start getting pinched in a couple months as the strike goes on (or if a deal is struck and it pimpslaps the studios as it should) Prime is going to be just humming along not worried about a thing.

The problem Apple has is, outside of the couple shows everyone loves Apple TV+ doesn't really serve any purpose. (it is why MLS is smart for now...they lucked out on desperation) It is just another moneygrab by a large tech company looking to funnel money to their shareholders. Much like Disney+ at first it was ok that it was acting as a loss leader because people almost never cancel anything so hook them now and milk them until Kingdom Come and raise prices as needed. The problem is there was no real buy in from the jump and that really hurt them. AT&T completely botched the HBO Max launch (and Zazlov botched the name change...maybe tell people the context moron) but because of the library they have they ran laps around Apple TV+. I doubt Di$ney even knew there was an Apple they were so far ahead. AppleTV on its own is not exactly some super buy in even amongst Apple fans and yet they decided to expand the bubble by making a streaming service too? This is the type of facepalm that got Jobs fired the first time he ran Apple...

I admit, I fell for the "Pandemic Bubble" on this stuff...thought the industry was really making this shift. Being in complete control of all the means of production, skipping the middle men of networks and theaters/distributers should have been a major boon for the studios as supplemental to what was already happening. By the time lockdowns ended though it was becoming clear what they actually were doing though and it was not sustainable. They were throwing money around at any and all projects like banks buying mortgages in the early to mid "00s". They cared more about filling their apps with content to justify the monthly cost. Once the number of subs started to grow at a slower pace the bills started coming due and the studios realized they spent too much and then decided they needed to find ways to not pay people to keep their books from looking like disasters. Di$ney laid off half of ESPN, WB merged with Discovery and has to find a way to cover a $3 billion dollar hole...etc. Its ridiculous...

 

[Jimjamesak]

MLS makes sense...small leagues can be highly profitable if done right. (though I think MLS is hindering themselves in some ways but for now it is a great idea) I would not trust Apple to be able to produce high end content on major sports though unless they bought out maybe an RSN and incorporated their tech. In the short term they will be fine but I think in the long term it will turn out to be way less profitable than they thought. Not to mention I am not sure it will be super great for the teams involved either. (ask the PAC-12 what they thought of a streaming deal for conference games...oh wait)

As much as it pains me to ever give Lex Luther compliments, Amazon has it right. To me it is all about balance and making yourself the guy selling shovels during the gold rush as opposed to panning for gold. A lot of "experts" believe Amazon wants to buy a major studio with WBD being the biggest option available. Bezos doesn't need that though. Amazon Prime is a one stop shop already, an alternative to cable that allows you to add and drop stations on a whim. They have TV shows, films and just enough sports to wet the appetite and keep people coming back for more. When things start getting pinched in a couple months as the strike goes on (or if a deal is struck and it pimpslaps the studios as it should) Prime is going to be just humming along not worried about a thing.

The problem Apple has is, outside of the couple shows everyone loves Apple TV+ doesn't really serve any purpose. (it is why MLS is smart for now...they lucked out on desperation) It is just another moneygrab by a large tech company looking to funnel money to their shareholders. Much like Disney+ at first it was ok that it was acting as a loss leader because people almost never cancel anything so hook them now and milk them until Kingdom Come and raise prices as needed. The problem is there was no real buy in from the jump and that really hurt them. AT&T completely botched the HBO Max launch (and Zazlov botched the name change...maybe tell people the context moron) but because of the library they have they ran laps around Apple TV+. I doubt Di$ney even knew there was an Apple they were so far ahead. AppleTV on its own is not exactly some super buy in even amongst Apple fans and yet they decided to expand the bubble by making a streaming service too? This is the type of facepalm that got Jobs fired the first time he ran Apple...

I admit, I fell for the "Pandemic Bubble" on this stuff...thought the industry was really making this shift. Being in complete control of all the means of production, skipping the middle men of networks and theaters/distributers should have been a major boon for the studios as supplemental to what was already happening. By the time lockdowns ended though it was becoming clear what they actually were doing though and it was not sustainable. They were throwing money around at any and all projects like banks buying mortgages in the early to mid "00s". They cared more about filling their apps with content to justify the monthly cost. Once the number of subs started to grow at a slower pace the bills started coming due and the studios realized they spent too much and then decided they needed to find ways to not pay people to keep their books from looking like disasters. Di$ney laid off half of ESPN, WB merged with Discovery and has to find a way to cover a $3 billion dollar hole...etc. Its ridiculous...

Apple doesn’t need to buy an RSN or anything like that, most of the production and the tech is handled by the teams themselves (MLS handles the production themselves, something they wanted to do anyway). If they really need anything they can contract out with one of the independent production companies that all the networks use anyway. Using the PAC-12 as an example of why Apple’s plan won’t work is a bad idea, the PAC-12 was/is run by absolute morons. Experts and industry folks were saying the PAC-12 Network was going to destroy the conference 10+ years ago.

I think we’ll get an idea of the future of sports streaming when the NBA rights come up. The NFL isn’t going off OTA anytime soon, MLB is absolutely married to the RSN model (way too many teams with ownership in RSNs), the NHL is run by morons (who also have interests in RSNs). That just leaves the NBA and its younger demographics. It’ll be interesting to see if the NBA is willing to take the risk of Apple or Disney or whoever having the exclusive rights to sell the full package, or if Disney and WBD are willing to pay up to keep the status quo.

 

[Swansong]

Similar to what we were saying about EVs a decade ago, I think they'll get there...in about 10 years. The push to develop viable and marketable EAP has already begun. Forget the hype about hydrogen, all you need to do is remind everyone of the Hindenburg.

As the rest of the ICE world moves away from fossil fuels, the cost of jet fuel is going to go up and up and will be an extreme impetus for plane and engine manufacturers to develop alternative means of power.



Regarding hydrogen (in any method proposed or available), I still think it's a non-starter. First, consider the main proponents of it: oil companies and right wing grifters. I mean, that should stop us right there. Second, the source of it can vary rather substantially and, in many cases is simply produced from other gasses like methane or natural gas when they're drilled out of the ground. So we're still drilling, still mangling the environment.

Yes, they're cleaner than gasoline across the entire lifecycle. But battery EVs are already here, now, with growing infrastructure.


Most of my friends/family that are positive to hydrogen as a fuel source are only positive towards it because they think EVs are bad (because Fox News told them so), and are just looking for some nebulous other thing so they aren't dismissed as some idiot neanderthal crank.

 

[Handyman]

Apple doesn’t need to buy an RSN or anything like that, most of the production and the tech is handled by the teams themselves (MLS handles the production themselves, something they wanted to do anyway). If they really need anything they can contract out with one of the independent production companies that all the networks use anyway. Using the PAC-12 as an example of why Apple’s plan won’t work is a bad idea, the PAC-12 was/is run by absolute morons. Experts and industry folks were saying the PAC-12 Network was going to destroy the conference 10+ years ago.

I think we’ll get an idea of the future of sports streaming when the NBA rights come up. The NFL isn’t going off OTA anytime soon, MLB is absolutely married to the RSN model (way too many teams with ownership in RSNs), the NHL is run by morons (who also have interests in RSNs). That just leaves the NBA and its younger demographics. It’ll be interesting to see if the NBA is willing to take the risk of Apple or Disney or whoever having the exclusive rights to sell the full package, or if Disney and WBD are willing to pay up to keep the status quo.

If Apple wants to do anything but MLS they will need to either invest a ton of money or buy out companies that do it already. Unless they plan to stick with low level sports and leagues then yeah you have them pay for it. The quality is going to be hit or miss though and it almost certainly will not stand up to the major sports that pump billions into their productions.

The PAC-12 was brought up only in the sense that the final nail in the coffin was the only deal they could put together is streaming...which promised ok payments (low end Power 5 stuff) but was going to be a financial disaster for most of the schools. That is playing minor league ball in major league sports it just wont fly. That is why I said it is good for MLS they don't need to compete with any of the other leagues and their fans will find AppleTV+. (hell T-mobile gives it to you for free!) My issue is I don't think it will help grow the sport long term but right now just keep strengthening your product and let it grow naturally. Don't do what NASCAR did like 15 years ago and get too big for your britches...

If you want to convince me a streamer might make a play for exclusive major league sports rights I might buy it...but I would bet heavily against AppleTV+ being that company.

As for the NBA I dont think they will ever pick an exclusive partner or go heavy streaming. Even if say Di$ney threw a ton of money to make it Hulu/ESPNABC/Di$ney exclusive sooner or later the cuts will come. The money just isn't there even if they find a way to force advertising into everything. I dont see Silver playing that game especially since ESPN was just gutted and likely will be again to prepare for the next deal.

All the major leagues are sort of stuck in limbo because they didn't innovate years ago. The RSN model was dumb, although it did have perks like when you could buy them all back in the day. The leagues could have created their own networks...I mean christ the Big Ten did it and literally blew up college football. (not in a good way) When researching as we (for the second time) cut the cord I was trying to find a way to watch say The Wild without getting Sling or Hulu LiveTV or any of the other "we have less channels than Comcast at almost the same price!!" options. Best option was either ESPN+ or NHL.TV both of which would require a VPN to make work. (which I have mind you) That is ridiculous in this day and age. Same with the Twins. Blackouts are bush league and 30 years out of date. In 2023 these leagues should have the infrastructure and forward thinking to allow people who want to watch their local team be able to purchase a plan to do that. I should not have to pretend I live out of market to watch a team that plays 20 minutes from me. Only the NFL can get away with that stuff and honestly it is pathetic they do it too. These leagues could have been 2 steps ahead...

We will see...the only thing dumber than Tech Bros and Studio Heads are sports owners. Whatever the wrong decision is, they will make it!