Some people might complain about all the data they need to analyze and forms to fill out and say "my job is bullshit", but it's all needed for compliance with some industry regulations (that HN seems to love so much).
Is that a bullshit job? I'd say no, even if the person doing the work thinks so.
The job can be still bullshit, even though it serves a purpose for a specific company in a specific environment.
Corporate lawyer is the archetypal graeberian bullshit job.
His definition of bullshit seems to have no resemblance to what people would think of bullshit jobs.
Any such profession is a category of bullshit job in the book, whether or not you personally think corporate lawyers produce value to the world.
That would apply to any profession which involves competing in a zero sum game.
Zero-sum games exist, therefore these professions exist to enable players to win them
I could never work in a zero-sum environment.
So the job isn't bullshit as long as those laws exist.
The whole idea of "bullshit jobs" seems to focus on the job, not the environment that produces them.
Moreover, I think most people have a better idea of how bullshit their job is than an outside observer. Theyre doing it.
Who is it then?
So I'd say if there is company X will to spend $Y on a job, then by definition it's not a bullshit job.