#Toronto catering / catering toronto

[muirneach]

complaining again about the thing i complain about literally every day but its sooo stupid that recreational sports are exclusively for children… what if im an adult who wants to have fun. n then theres beer leagues in the sport of your choosing but you cant play those unless you already know the sport but they dont offer adult sport classes. when i am king i will say fuck them kids and force recreational sports leagues to exclusively deal with adults

[timeisacephalopod]

Remember back in the day where a lot of Tumblr youths said they wanted alcohol free LGBT+ spaces like coffee shops or something to meet with other people but not be barred from entry based on age or alcohol being present? Then ace people said the same thing but with ace coffee shops and now if you say you want an alcohol free LGBT+ space on Tumblr your fuckin clowned to Christian hell and back because people are so aphobic they deadass threw out ideas THEY came up with because asexual people also liked that idea lmao. Now every time I see someone mention alcohol free LGBT+ spaces or stuff other than gay bars I ALWAYS know somewhere on that post the idea queer people may want to hang out without alcohol around or hang out not in a fucking club is some sort of Extremely Cringe Horrible Sexless (oh, a callback to the aphobia that started it all because obviously the worst thing you can be is celibate the church called they want their number back) Behavior that's Mocked and Ridiculed so we all know how Hilarious and Stupid it is to want spaces that aren't bars to hang out in. Like really, the idea that even adults might not ONLY want bars to hang out in is actually ridiculous to you? Really?

[gautamadine]

We are an Indian buffet restaurant with bar and we serve authentic Indian food in an upscale environment for fine dining by using traditional recipes.

[transselkie]

First of all, the Newfoundland accent is not the stereotypical Canadian accent. We don’t say aboot or eh here. You’re far more likely to get that in rural BC, from what I hear. I have never heard someone on TV sound like anyone I know.

Secondly, Newfoundland is an Atlantic province but not a Maritime province.

Third, referring to us as “Newfies” when you are not from Newfoundland is extremely offensive.

Fourth, there is no Hegemonic Newfoundland accent. If you go to the French coast they have the thickest French sounding accents whether they speak a lick of French or not. Some communities sound indistinguishably Irish. I’m from a town made up of eight villages. My Dad grew up on one end and my mom grew up in the middle and their families have distinctly different accents.

Fifth, the “Newfie accent” is actually dying because classism and national prejudice are leading people to “self correct” or raise their kids to “speak proper”. I can not tell you how many times growing up I heard my classmates and siblings told that if we didn’t lose our accent we’d never get “real jobs”. I had family members and classmates who moved to the mainland and came back within a year because the children were bullied so much in school for their accents they came home crying every day. My mom moved to Toronto out of high school and “fixed” her accent to blend in then raised me correcting every single word I said that sounded anything like my father or her family.

It astounds me how even still people from the mainland will talk about my province and its people like we’re a joke. Talk about respecting other cultures and then belittle your own countrymen. The amount of shame, self hatred, and cultural decay these attitudes have caused… if you had grown up amongst the ruins created by these attitudes I wonder if you’d still speak so callously.

rb this and tell me what ur accent is. this has no purpose except the fact i just realized i could have like... mutuals with cockney accents or newfoundland accents or something and thats just wild

[naankabob]

Delight in Nutritious Healthy Catering Toronto with Naan Kabob

At Naan Kabob, we believe that food must not only taste good but also nourish your body and soul. 

 Here in the heart of Toronto, we specialize in authentic Afghan cuisine. We prepare a unique blend of flavors and ingredients that cater to health-conscious diners. Whether you plan it for a corporate lunch, family gathering, or something special, catering in Toronto promises your guests to enjoy great tastes and wholesome dishes that create lasting impressions.

Naan Kabob, where flavor meets wellness

Naan Kabob is not a restaurant but an experience of food based on quality, flavor, and health. In crafting our menu, we’ve combined delightful dishes that not only please the palate but also nurture the body. We realize that every guest has different dietary preferences, so we have tried to accommodate these while delivering meals that all can enjoy.

Why Choose Naan Kabob for Your Catering Needs? 

When it comes to healthy catering Toronto, there are numerous reasons to choose Naan Kabob: 

 1. Fresh Ingredients: We prioritize sourcing our ingredients from local suppliers to ensure maximum freshness and flavor. Our commitment to quality means that every dish is made with care, using only the best ingredients available. 

 2. Flavorful Options: We have a wide variety of dishes, all of which showcase some of Afghanistan's flavors, from its vibrant best kabob recipes to fresh salads made with the most healthy ingredients. Meals are worth celebrating, and it will be a perfect fit for any function. 

 3. Customizable Menus: Every occasion is special, and we understand that dietary needs vary for each individual. We ensure that whatever your guests' preferences are—whether they are vegetarians, vegans, or have specific allergy concerns—we will tailor a menu to suit them. 

 4. Portion Control: Through our catering services, we can thoughtfully combine accurately fitting portions with an awareness of health so you can enjoy our scores without compromising your diet.

To Visit us-https://naankabob.ca/ 

 691 Yonge Street Toronto, 

ONM42B2 

Phone number-4169726623 

 Email us -Info@naankabob.ca

[konopizza]

Kono Canada is a food catering truck offers on-the-go food service. We provide food truck catering for outdoor events, festivals, weddings, and corporate parties. Our menu is focuses on a specific type of cone pizzas such as pepperoni kone, Cheese kone, canadian kone and veggie kone. We firstly communicate with the vendor about the menu and requirements to ensure a smooth setup and operation during the function. They offer customizable menus with a focus on various types of cone pizzas and using different ingredients and seasonings. Call us now to book Food Catering Truck for your event.

[greekandco]

Elevate Your Office Experience with Greek & Co: Premier Office Catering in Toronto

Welcome to Greek & Co, your premier destination for exquisite office catering services in the bustling city of Toronto. With a passion for culinary excellence and a commitment to customer satisfaction, we specialize in providing delicious and nutritious meals that delight the senses and nourish the body. 

Whether you're hosting a corporate event, a team meeting, or a special celebration, Greek & Co is here to elevate your office experience with our delectable catering offerings. If you are looking for more information about office catering services in Toronto, you can explore this site.

Why Choose Greek & Co?

Authentic Greek Cuisine: Our roots in Greek cuisine run deep, and it's reflected in everything we do. From traditional recipes passed down through generations to innovative twists on classic dishes, our menu showcases the rich flavors and vibrant ingredients of Greek cooking. When you choose Greek & Co, you're choosing authenticity and quality you can taste.

Fresh and Local Ingredients: We believe that the key to great food is great ingredients. That's why we source only the freshest, highest-quality ingredients from local suppliers and farmers' markets. From crisp vegetables and tender meats to artisanal cheeses and fragrant herbs, every dish we create is made with care and attention to detail.

Customized Menus: At Greek & Co, we understand that every office event is unique. That's why we offer customizable menus tailored to your specific needs and preferences. Whether you're planning a casual lunch meeting, a formal corporate event, or anything in between, we'll work with you to create a menu that exceeds your expectations and impresses your guests.

What We Offer:

Breakfast and Brunch Options: Start your day off right with our selection of breakfast and brunch options, including pastries, yogurt parfaits, and egg dishes.

Lunch and Dinner Selections: From hearty sandwiches and wraps to flavorful grilled meats and seafood, our lunch and dinner options are sure to satisfy even the hungriest appetites.

Salads and Sides: Add a fresh and healthy touch to your meal with our assortment of crisp salads and flavorful sides, perfect for pairing with any main dish.

Mezze Platters: Impress your guests with our mezze platters, featuring an assortment of dips, spreads, and finger foods that are perfect for sharing.

Desserts and Beverages: Finish your meal on a sweet note with our delectable desserts, including baklava, Greek yogurt parfaits, and more. Don't forget to wash it all down with our selection of refreshing beverages.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Greek & Co is your trusted partner for all your office catering needs in Toronto. With our authentic Greek cuisine, fresh and local ingredients, customizable menus, convenient ordering process, and exceptional service, we are committed to helping you create memorable experiences that delight your guests and elevate your office events. Contact us today to learn more about our catering options and start planning your next office gathering with Greek & Co.

[foodservicesdanad]

Spice Up Your Events: Authentic Indian Catering Services in Toronto

When it comes to hosting memorable events, the key lies not just in the ambiance but also in the flavours that leave a lasting impression on your guests. Elevate your gatherings with the vibrant and authentic touch of Indian cuisine through our exceptional catering services in Toronto.

Embark on a Culinary Journey

Our catering services bring the essence of India to your events, whether it's a corporate affair, a wedding celebration, or a special occasion. Our expert chefs meticulously curate a menu that reflects the diversity and richness of Indian culinary traditions. From the fiery notes of classic curries to the aromatic tandoori delights and fragrant biryanis, our offerings promise a gastronomic journey like no other.

Unparalleled Quality and Expertise

We take pride in using only the finest ingredients and time-honoured recipes to craft each dish. Our commitment to authenticity ensures that every bite transports you to the heart of India. The expertise of our culinary team guarantees a seamless blend of flavours, creating a dining experience that resonates with the true spirit of Indian cuisine.

Customised Culinary Experiences

No two events are alike, and neither should be the catering. Our services are tailored to meet your specific requirements, allowing you to customise the menu to suit the preferences of your guests. Whether you prefer a selection of vegetarian delights, succulent meat dishes, or a fusion of both, our diverse offerings cater to every palate.

Professional and Punctual

We understand the importance of timing in events, and our dedicated team ensures that your catering experience is seamless and stress-free. From the initial consultation to the final delivery, we prioritise professionalism and punctuality, allowing you to focus on enjoying your event while we take care of the culinary delights.

Make Your Event Unforgettable

Spice up your events in Toronto with our authentic Indian catering services. Immerse your guests in a sensory journey of flavours, aromas, and textures that celebrate the culinary heritage of India. Whether you're aiming for a grand celebration or an intimate gathering, our catering services add the perfect touch of spice to make your event truly unforgettable. Contact us today to bring the magic of authentic Indian cuisine to your next gathering!

[dickeysbarbecue]

The Most Popular Dishes Canadians Order from the Best Barbecue Restaurant in Toronto

In the Ontarian capital, where culinary wonders abound, one can find numerous barbecue restaurants that offer a tantalizing array of dishes. Canadians, renowned for their love for barbecue, have developed a deep-rooted affection for them. Join us as we embark on a flavorful exploration of the most popular dishes that people love to order from the best barbecue restaurant in Toronto—Dickey’s Barbecue Pit!

Mouthwatering Pulled Pork Sandwiches

When it comes to Canadian barbecue, the pulled pork sandwich reigns supreme. A true staple in urban barbecue joints, the said dish boasts slow-cooked, succulent pork, tenderly prepared for hours until it easily melts in your mouth. Typically served in a soft bun and accompanied by tangy slaw and pickles, this scrumptious delight never fails to captivate the taste buds of locals and tourists alike.

Yummiest Beef Ribs

Canadian barbecue ribs happen to be finger-licking good and most people if not all take them very seriously! However, only the best barbecue restaurant in Toronto knows exactly how to satisfy this craving. Slow-smoked to perfection, these tender ribs are often slathered in a tangy, sweet, or spicy barbecue sauce that adds the perfect finishing touch. Do not forget to pair your barbecue beef ribs with a side of coleslaw and fries for a complete indulgence.

Flavorful Smoked Brisket

No discussion about popular barbecue dishes is ever going to be complete without mentioning the legendary smoked brisket. This meaty masterpiece is prepared with meticulous care, requiring hours of slow cooking and a precise blend of seasonings and hardwood smoke. The result is an incredible feast for your taste buds, with slices of tender beef that practically melt in your mouth. Usually enjoyed alongside a slice of cornbread and tangy barbecue sauce, smoked brisket is a top choice for domestic barbecue enthusiasts.

Tantalizing Barbecue Chicken

For those craving poultry goodness, takeaway barbecue eateries present an irresistible offering—the barbecue chicken. Prepared using various cooking methods, including rotisserie, grilling, or smoking, this dish showcases a harmonious combination of smoky flavors and tender, juicy meat. Glazed with delectable barbecue sauce, the chicken is often served with a side of crunchy coleslaw or corn on the cob for a well-rounded and satisfying meal.

Finger-Licking Good Vegetables

Catering to the evolving tastes of the contemporary food landscape in the country, barbecue restaurant chains also offer mouthwatering vegetarian options. From grilled vegetable skewers to tofu-based barbecue delicacies, vegetarians and vegans can enjoy the rich and smoky flavors that this particular genre of cooking is famous for and synonymous with. These flavorsome choices are often complemented by fresh salads or roasted corn to provide a fulfilling dining experience for all.

As we conclude this culinary journey, it becomes more than evident why Canadians have developed such a fondness for the best barbecue restaurant in Toronto—Dickey’s Barbecue Pit. From the classic, slow-smoked ribs and tender pulled pork sandwiches to the hearty vegetarian delights that strive to accommodate diverse dietary preferences; these dishes embody the very essence of the quintessential barbecue scene in the country. Whether you are a native or not, a visit to the same promises a truly memorable dining experience that will satisfy your soul and leave you longing for more.

[office-catering-toronto]

Our dedicated team of professionals is dedicated to delivering exceptional service that reflects your corporate values. From timely deliveries to attentive staff, we ensure a seamless and memorable experience that sets the stage for business success. Trust us to exceed your expectations. Big City Catering 707 Dundas St W, Toronto, ON M5T 2W6 orders@bigcitycatering.ca (416) 939-0715

[naanandkabob]

Naan Kabob offers the best catering services in Toronto, Scarborough, Mississauga, and Woodbridge. From corporate events to weddings and parties, our catering menu features delicious Afghan cuisine made with the freshest ingredients. Contact us today to make your event a success!

[embraceweddings]

You are recently engaged and starting to think about your wedding if you came onto this article. Here are the top nine wedding planning mistakes, along with advice on how to avoid them, so let's take a step back and talk about that. Read more.

[labriut12]

Kosher Catering | Kosher Food & Kosher Meal In Toronto

Looking for kosher catering services? Look no further than the experts at Kosher Catering. We provide delicious and affordable catering services for all occasions. Whether you're hosting a small gathering or a large event, we can help make your event a success. 

Please visit- https://briut.ca/

[mostlysignssomeportents]

The moral injury of having your work enshittified

This Monday (November 27), I'm appearing at the Toronto Metro Reference Library with Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen.

On November 29, I'm at NYC's Strand Books with my novel The Lost Cause, a solarpunk tale of hope and danger that Rebecca Solnit called "completely delightful."

This week, I wrote about how the Great Enshittening – in which all the digital services we rely on become unusable, extractive piles of shit – did not result from the decay of the morals of tech company leadership, but rather, from the collapse of the forces that discipline corporate wrongdoing:

https://locusmag.com/2023/11/commentary-by-cory-doctorow-dont-be-evil/

The failure to enforce competition law allowed a few companies to buy out their rivals, or sell goods below cost until their rivals collapsed, or bribe key parts of their supply chain not to allow rivals to participate:

https://www.engadget.com/google-reportedly-pays-apple-36-percent-of-ad-search-revenues-from-safari-191730783.html

The resulting concentration of the tech sector meant that the surviving firms were stupendously wealthy, and cozy enough that they could agree on a common legislative agenda. That regulatory capture has allowed tech companies to violate labor, privacy and consumer protection laws by arguing that the law doesn't apply when you use an app to violate it:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/04/12/algorithmic-wage-discrimination/#fishers-of-men

But the regulatory capture isn't just about preventing regulation: it's also about creating regulation – laws that make it illegal to reverse-engineer, scrape, and otherwise mod, hack or reconfigure existing services to claw back value that has been taken away from users and business customers. This gives rise to Jay Freeman's perfectly named doctrine of "felony contempt of business-model," in which it is illegal to use your own property in ways that anger the shareholders of the company that sold it to you:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/11/09/lead-me-not-into-temptation/#chamberlain

Undisciplined by the threat of competition, regulation, or unilateral modification by users, companies are free to enshittify their products. But what does that actually look like? I say that enshittification is always precipitated by a lost argument.

It starts when someone around a board-room table proposes doing something that's bad for users but good for the company. If the company faces the discipline of competition, regulation or self-help measures, then the workers who are disgusted by this course of action can say, "I think doing this would be gross, and what's more, it's going to make the company poorer," and so they win the argument.

But when you take away that discipline, the argument gets reduced to, "Don't do this because it would make me ashamed to work here, even though it will make the company richer." Money talks, bullshit walks. Let the enshittification begin!

https://pluralistic.net/2023/11/22/who-wins-the-argument/#corporations-are-people-my-friend

But why do workers care at all? That's where phrases like "don't be evil" come into the picture. Until very recently, tech workers participated in one of history's tightest labor markets, in which multiple companies with gigantic war-chests bid on their labor. Even low-level employees routinely fielded calls from recruiters who dangled offers of higher salaries and larger stock grants if they would jump ship for a company's rival.

Employers built "campuses" filled with lavish perks: massages, sports facilities, daycare, gourmet cafeterias. They offered workers generous benefit packages, including exotic health benefits like having your eggs frozen so you could delay fertility while offsetting the risks normally associated with conceiving at a later age.

But all of this was a transparent ruse: the business-case for free meals, gyms, dry-cleaning, catering and massages was to keep workers at their laptops for 10, 12, or even 16 hours per day. That egg-freezing perk wasn't about helping workers plan their families: it was about thumbing the scales in favor of working through your entire twenties and thirties without taking any parental leave.

In other words, tech employers valued their employees as a means to an end: they wanted to get the best geeks on the payroll and then work them like government mules. The perks and pay weren't the result of comradeship between management and labor: they were the result of the discipline of competition for labor.

This wasn't really a secret, of course. Big Tech workers are split into two camps: blue badges (salaried employees) and green badges (contractors). Whenever there is a slack labor market for a specific job or skill, it is converted from a blue badge job to a green badge job. Green badges don't get the food or the massages or the kombucha. They don't get stock or daycare. They don't get to freeze their eggs. They also work long hours, but they are incentivized by the fear of poverty.

Tech giants went to great lengths to shield blue badges from green badges – at some Google campuses, these workforces actually used different entrances and worked in different facilities or on different floors. Sometimes, green badge working hours would be staggered so that the armies of ragged clickworkers would not be lined up to badge in when their social betters swanned off the luxury bus and into their airy adult kindergartens.

But Big Tech worked hard to convince those blue badges that they were truly valued. Companies hosted regular town halls where employees could ask impertinent questions of their CEOs. They maintained freewheeling internal social media sites where techies could rail against corporate foolishness and make Dilbert references.

And they came up with mottoes.

Apple told its employees it was a sound environmental steward that cared about privacy. Apple also deliberately turned old devices into e-waste by shredding them to ensure that they wouldn't be repaired and compete with new devices:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/09/22/vin-locking/#thought-differently

And even as they were blocking Facebook's surveillance tools, they quietly built their own nonconsensual mass surveillance program and lied to customers about it:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/11/14/luxury-surveillance/#liar-liar

Facebook told employees they were on a "mission to connect every person in the world," but instead deliberately sowed discontent among its users and trapped them in silos that meant that anyone who left Facebook lost all their friends:

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2021/08/facebooks-secret-war-switching-costs

And Google promised its employees that they would not "be evil" if they worked at Google. For many googlers, that mattered. They wanted to do something good with their lives, and they had a choice about who they would work for. What's more, they did make things that were good. At their high points, Google Maps, Google Mail, and of course, Google Search were incredible.

My own life was totally transformed by Maps: I have very poor spatial sense, need to actually stop and think to tell my right from my left, and I spent more of my life at least a little lost and often very lost. Google Maps is the cognitive prosthesis I needed to become someone who can go anywhere. I'm profoundly grateful to the people who built that service.

There's a name for phenomenon in which you care so much about your job that you endure poor conditions and abuse: it's called "vocational awe," as coined by Fobazi Ettarh:

https://www.inthelibrarywiththeleadpipe.org/2018/vocational-awe/

Ettarh uses the term to apply to traditionally low-waged workers like librarians, teachers and nurses. In our book Chokepoint Capitalism, Rebecca Giblin and I talked about how it applies to artists and other creative workers, too:

https://chokepointcapitalism.com/

But vocational awe is also omnipresent in tech. The grandiose claims to be on a mission to make the world a better place are not just puffery – they're a vital means of motivating workers who can easily quit their jobs and find a new one to put in 16-hour days. The massages and kombucha and egg-freezing are not framed as perks, but as logistical supports, provided so that techies on an important mission can pursue a shared social goal without being distracted by their balky, inconvenient meatsuits.

Steve Jobs was a master of instilling vocational awe. He was full of aphorisms like "we're here to make a dent in the universe, otherwise why even be here?" Or his infamous line to John Sculley, whom he lured away from Pepsi: "Do you want to sell sugar water for the rest of your life or come with me and change the world?"

Vocational awe cuts both ways. If your workforce actually believes in all that high-minded stuff, if they actually sacrifice their health, family lives and self-care to further the mission, they will defend it. That brings me back to enshittification, and the argument: "If we do this bad thing to the product I work on, it will make me hate myself."

The decline in market discipline for large tech companies has been accompanied by a decline in labor discipline, as the market for technical work grew less and less competitive. Since the dotcom collapse, the ability of tech giants to starve new entrants of market oxygen has shrunk techies' dreams.

Tech workers once dreamed of working for a big, unwieldy firm for a few years before setting out on their own to topple it with a startup. Then, the dream shrank: work for that big, clumsy firm for a few years, then do a fake startup that makes a fake product that is acquihired by your old employer, as an incredibly inefficient and roundabout way to get a raise and a bonus.

Then the dream shrank again: work for a big, ugly firm for life, but get those perks, the massages and the kombucha and the stock options and the gourmet cafeteria and the egg-freezing. Then it shrank again: work for Google for a while, but then get laid off along with 12,000 co-workers, just months after the company does a stock buyback that would cover all those salaries for the next 27 years:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/09/10/the-proletarianization-of-tech-workers/

Tech workers' power was fundamentally individual. In a tight labor market, tech workers could personally stand up to their bosses. They got "workplace democracy" by mouthing off at town hall meetings. They didn't have a union, and they thought they didn't need one. Of course, they did need one, because there were limits to individual power, even for the most in-demand workers, especially when it came to ghastly, long-running sexual abuse from high-ranking executives:

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/25/technology/google-sexual-harassment-andy-rubin.html

Today, atomized tech workers who are ordered to enshittify the products they take pride in are losing the argument. Workers who put in long hours, missed funerals and school plays and little league games and anniversaries and family vacations are being ordered to flush that sacrifice down the toilet to grind out a few basis points towards a KPI.

It's a form of moral injury, and it's palpable in the first-person accounts of former workers who've exited these large firms or the entire field. The viral "Reflecting on 18 years at Google," written by Ian Hixie, vibrates with it:

https://ln.hixie.ch/?start=1700627373

Hixie describes the sense of mission he brought to his job, the workplace democracy he experienced as employees' views were both solicited and heeded. He describes the positive contributions he was able to make to a commons of technical standards that rippled out beyond Google – and then, he says, "Google's culture eroded":

Decisions went from being made for the benefit of users, to the benefit of Google, to the benefit of whoever was making the decision.

In other words, techies started losing the argument. Layoffs weakened worker power – not just to defend their own interest, but to defend the users interests. Worker power is always about more than workers – think of how the 2019 LA teachers' strike won greenspace for every school, a ban on immigration sweeps of students' parents at the school gates and other community benefits:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/04/23/a-collective-bargain/

Hixie attributes the changes to a change in leadership, but I respectfully disagree. Hixie points to the original shareholder letter from the Google founders, in which they informed investors contemplating their IPO that they were retaining a controlling interest in the company's governance so that they could ignore their shareholders' priorities in favor of a vision of Google as a positive force in the world:

https://abc.xyz/investor/founders-letters/ipo-letter/

Hixie says that the leadership that succeeded the founders lost sight of this vision – but the whole point of that letter is that the founders never fully ceded control to subsequent executive teams. Yes, those executive teams were accountable to the shareholders, but the largest block of voting shares were retained by the founders.

I don't think the enshittification of Google was due to a change in leadership – I think it was due to a change in discipline, the discipline imposed by competition, regulation and the threat of self-help measures. Take ads: when Google had to contend with one-click adblocker installation, it had to constantly balance the risk of making users so fed up that they googled "how do I block ads?" and then never saw another ad ever again.

But once Google seized the majority of the mobile market, it was able to funnel users into apps, and reverse-engineering an app is a felony (felony contempt of business-model) under Section 1201 of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. An app is just a web-page wrapped in enough IP to make it a crime to install an ad-blocker.

And as Google acquired control over the browser market, it was likewise able to reduce the self-help measures available to browser users who found ads sufficiently obnoxious to trigger googling "how do I block ads?" The apotheosis of this is the yearslong campaign to block adblockers in Chrome, which the company has sworn it will finally do this coming June:

https://www.tumblr.com/tevruden/734352367416410112/you-have-until-june-to-dump-chrome

My contention here is not that Google's enshittification was precipitated by a change in personnel via the promotion of managers who have shitty ideas. Google's enshittification was precipitated by a change in discipline, as the negative consequences of heeding those shitty ideas were abolished thanks to monopoly.

This is bad news for people like me, who rely on services like Google Maps as cognitive prostheses. Elizabeth Laraki, one of the original Google Maps designers, has published a scorching critique of the latest GMaps design:

https://twitter.com/elizlaraki/status/1727351922254852182

Laraki calls out numerous enshittificatory design-choices that have left Maps screens covered in "crud" – multiple revenue-maximizing elements that come at the expense of usability, shifting value from users to Google.

What Laraki doesn't say is that these UI elements are auctioned off to merchants, which means that the business that gives Google the most money gets the greatest prominence in Maps, even if it's not the best merchant. That's a recurring motif in enshittified tech platforms, most notoriously Amazon, which makes $31b/year auctioning off top search placement to companies whose products aren't relevant enough to your query to command that position on their own:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/04/25/greedflation/#commissar-bezos

Enshittification begets enshittification. To succeed on Amazon, you must divert funds from product quality to auction placement, which means that the top results are the worst products:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/11/06/attention-rents/#consumer-welfare-queens

The exception is searches for Apple products: Apple and Amazon have a cozy arrangement that means that searches for Apple products are a timewarp back to the pre-enshittification Amazon, when the company worried enough about losing your business to heed the employees who objected to sacrificing search quality as part of a merchant extortion racket:

https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-gives-apple-special-treatment-while-others-suffer-junk-ads-2023-11

Not every tech worker is a tech bro, in other words. Many workers care deeply about making your life better. But the microeconomics of the boardroom in a monopolized tech sector rewards the worst people and continuously promotes them. Forget the Peter Principle: tech is ruled by the Sam Principle.

As OpenAI went through four CEOs in a single week, lots of commentators remarked on Sam Altman's rise and fall and rise, but I only found one commentator who really had Altman's number. Writing in Today in Tabs, Rusty Foster nailed Altman to the wall:

https://www.todayintabs.com/p/defective-accelerationism

Altman's history goes like this: first, he founded a useless startup that raised $30m, only to be acquired and shuttered. Then Altman got a job running Y Combinator, where he somehow failed at taking huge tranches of equity from "every Stanford dropout with an idea for software to replace something Mommy used to do." After that, he founded OpenAI, a company that he claims to believe presents an existential risk to the entire human risk – which he structured so incompetently that he was then forced out of it.

His reward for this string of farcical, mounting failures? He was put back in charge of the company he mis-structured despite his claimed belief that it will destroy the human race if not properly managed.

Altman's been around for a long time. He founded his startup in 2005. There've always been Sams – of both the Bankman-Fried varietal and the Altman genus – in tech. But they didn't get to run amok. They were disciplined by their competitors, regulators, users and workers. The collapse of competition led to an across-the-board collapse in all of those forms of discipline, revealing the executives for the mediocre sociopaths they always were, and exposing tech workers' vocational awe for the shabby trick it was from the start.

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/11/25/moral-injury/#enshittification