Hacker News Reader

Comment by arif_sohaib | Hacker News Reader

I am still in academics so I have a question about this. If your company owns this is, what shouldn't they be rewarding you generously for making it? They are making money out of your extra effort/work. I get that employees who want their own ip should have the right but if the company is paying you extra and giving other rewards and removing the headache of managing your own company, is that not good?

View on HN

shouldn't they be rewarding you generously for making it?

Yes, in theory. In practice, an employee's power to negotiate wages is limited. At some point, the employee just needs to work to eat/pay rent/etc.

Now, in most areas (of the US), software developers already are paid generously. Even in lower paying secondary markets, software dev are usually paid significantly above local averages.

And, anecdotally, that pay is often for a much "easier" job, where "easier" means less stress and fewer hours than professions that generate similar salaries (engineering, accounting come to mind).

"If your company owns this is, what shouldn't they be rewarding you generously for making it?"

Cause they have more power than you. That's about it.

This is why people should be in unions.

They're entitled to the code without any extras though. That is what employment is.

Only if your employment agreement says so. Most people hired as programmers, yes, that's true. People who are hired as other things, and end up automating things, well, that's not so clear.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com