Hacker News with Generative AI: Knowledge Work

Has the decline of knowledge work begun? (nytimes.com)
When Starbucks announced last month that it was laying off more than 1,000 corporate employees, it highlighted a disturbing trend for white-collar workers: Over the past few years, they have seen a steeper rise in unemployment than other groups, and slower wage growth.

Employment Trends, White-Collar Workers, Knowledge Work, Economics

388 points by pseudolus 31 days ago | 793 comments

The Cybernetic Teammate (oneusefulthing.org)
Over the past couple years, we have learned that AI can boost the productivity of individual knowledge workers ranging from consultants to lawyers to coders. But most knowledge work isn’t purely an individual activity; it happens in groups and teams. And teams aren't just collections of individuals – they provide critical benefits that individuals alone typically can't, including better performance, sharing of expertise, and social connections.

Artificial Intelligence, Productivity, Teamwork, Knowledge Work

44 points by tobr 35 days ago | 14 comments

Think like a Plumber, not a CEO (thelsweekly.substack.com)
The other day I caught myself saying, “I’m just not in the zone today”. I also stumbled on a book that promised to help me “think like a CEO”. Both these ideas sound intuitive but they mask a fundamental misunderstanding about the nature of knowledge work.

Productivity, Mindset, Knowledge Work, Leadership

9 points by sherilm 155 days ago | 0 comments

What layoffs teach us about technical leadership (chelseatroy.com)
In March I published a piece called How do we evaluate people for their technical leadership? It demonstrates (I hope) why production line metrics shouldn’t be copied and pasted onto knowledge work. Then, in a cunning move I ripped from email marketers, I reach the titular question at the very end of the piece and promise to come back to it.1 For several months, I don’t.