this post was submitted on 09 Jan 2026
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It makes much more sense if you read the last third or so of the post.
They convert their examples of algorithms optimizing for different or wrong things into direct social commentary on how social media algos optimize for rage, as this is more profitable than something that would optimize for... you know, improving society... many elements of modern tech driven society are optimizing for the wrong thing.
The entire set up of the post is 'i am a computer scientist and my job is i sweep floors in a grocery store'.
That entire setup is a society nonsensically 'optimizing' what it does with workers of various skill sets.
This person did this because they are immensely bored and underutilized, they are underemployed.
IE, the labor market / education system is very badly optimized.
A better optimized society would have them writing a post with them describing a more consequential, practically useful code adventure.
More to the point:
Yes, many elements of modern tech driven society are the way they are optimized for rage, buts that is only because rage drives engagement and engagement makes a select few people very rich.
As long as we allow individuals to become insanely rich and or powerful, this. will. never. change.
It's not that hard, simple rules, ban billionaires. Set a hard cap on personal wealth and anything you earn over that goes 100% to taxes.