Tony Hsieh, Zappos, and the Art of Great Company Culture (2013) | Hacker News Reader

Tony Hsieh, Zappos, and the Art of Great Company Culture (2013)

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6 pointsfjk2 comments

Culture is a perversion. It fetishizes objects, creates consumer mania, it preaches endless forms of false happiness, endless forms of false understanding in the form of squirrelly religions and silly cults. It invites people to diminish themselves and dehumanize themselves by behaving like machines.

Culture is not your friend. Culture is for other people's convenience and the convenience of various institutions, churches, companies, tax collection schemes, what have you. It is not your friend. It insults you. It disempowers you. It uses and abuses you. None of us are well treated by culture.

Que? I don't feel disempowered by the manifestation of human intellectual achievement. I would dial back your hyperbole. Culture (customs and norms) is an intrinsic aspect of a lot of institutions and organisations and works very well.

Without culture there would be no medical profession, legal profession, military, law enforcement or Silicon Valley.

culture ˈkʌltʃə/Submit noun

1. the arts and other manifestations of human intellectual achievement regarded collectively. "20th century popular culture" synonyms: the arts, the humanities; More a refined understanding or appreciation of culture. "men of culture" synonyms: intellectual/artistic awareness, education, cultivation, enlightenment, discernment, discrimination, good taste, taste, refinement, polish; More

2. the ideas, customs, and social behaviour of a particular people or society. "Afro-Caribbean culture" synonyms: civilization, society, way of life, lifestyle; More the attitudes and behaviour characteristic of a particular social group. "the emerging drug culture"

3. BIOLOGY the cultivation of bacteria, tissue cells, etc. in an artificial medium containing nutrients. "the cells proliferate readily in culture" a preparation of cells obtained by culture. "the bacterium was isolated in two blood cultures"

4. the cultivation of plants. "this variety of lettuce is popular for its ease of culture" synonyms: cultivation, growing, farming; More

verb BIOLOGY verb: culture; 3rd person present: cultures; past tense: cultured; past participle: cultured; gerund or present participle: culturing 1. maintain (tissue cells, bacteria, etc.) in conditions suitable for growth. "several investigators have attempted to culture biliary cells"

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