• the post of tom joad@sh.itjust.works
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    77
    arrow-down
    3
    ·
    4 months ago

    This is the second time they’ve pointed out the size of valve. First total size, now steam specific. Is it some kinna dogwhistle to other companies that the size is a weakness to exploit? Cuz what layman cares about how many people work at a given company?

    • fishos@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      65
      arrow-down
      2
      ·
      4 months ago

      A lot of companies have been trying to sue them and are trying to tarnish their name in any way possible because their case is already shaky at best. The whole “monopoly” thing despite competition existing and Valve only being on top because they’re the best feature wise stuff.

      • Zirconium@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        32
        ·
        4 months ago

        And a lot of publishers already have their own launchers that dont need steam or use steam. Theyre just dogshit

        • fishos@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          19
          ·
          4 months ago

          Exactly. It’s hard to argue that Steam has a monopoly when the other launchers exist and suck. Steam, despite its flaws, is still the best storefront we have. Gabe is the person who taught us that piracy is largely a service problem, not a price problem. People will pay when the paid option is quality.

    • Kecessa@sh.itjust.works
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      18
      arrow-down
      17
      ·
      edit-2
      4 months ago

      “Companies have too many employees!” cries the guy who will lose his job if all companies are run like Valve.

      Them having few employees doesn’t prevent them from taking a 30% cut on all sales and making billions in profit and having a billionaire at their head, so are people expecting that if other companies were “trimming down some fat” it wouldn’t simply result in them making more profit because prices wouldn’t come down or something?

      Also, a company can pretend to have 10 employees if it instead hires 1000 contractors to do the actual work.

      • Zahille7@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        25
        arrow-down
        2
        ·
        4 months ago

        Someone’s upset that they’re following their own successful business model.

        I get that people don’t like wealthy people regardless, but Gabe is probably one of the few that’s actually not bad.

        I don’t know where this contractor bullshit is coming from; if anything that should be aimed at Microsoft.

        • mnemonicmonkeys@sh.itjust.works
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          5
          ·
          4 months ago

          I don’t know where this contractor bullshit is coming from; if anything that should be aimed at Microsoft.

          TBF, Valve does hire contractors to help work on Proton and Steam OS. I have no idea what the terms and compensation are, I’m just pointing out that they do hire contractors

        • Kecessa@sh.itjust.works
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          13
          arrow-down
          13
          ·
          4 months ago

          There are no good billionaires, the reason they exist is because people like you and me are paying more for things than they’re truly worth, billionaires exist because of the surplus we pay.

          • EddoWagt@feddit.nl
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            12
            arrow-down
            5
            ·
            4 months ago

            the reason they exist is because people like you and me are paying more for things than they’re truly worth

            There is no true worth, worth is defined by how much people are willing to spend on something, doesn’t matter how much something costs to produce and distribute

              • EddoWagt@feddit.nl
                link
                fedilink
                English
                arrow-up
                6
                arrow-down
                1
                ·
                4 months ago

                How? That can go both ways, I can make some thing for €5000, but if nobody is willing to buy it, it’s still worthless

                • Kecessa@sh.itjust.works
                  link
                  fedilink
                  English
                  arrow-up
                  5
                  arrow-down
                  7
                  ·
                  edit-2
                  4 months ago

                  There’s a cost to producing things. All the overhead you’re being charged that ends up enriching investors and bosses that have so much money they wouldn’t be able to spend it if they tried? That’s money you could keep in your pocket.

                  Have you ever thought that maybe you evaluate that some things are worth a certain amount just because that’s what you’re used to seeing them sold for so in reality you just underestimate what your money is worth and how much you should be able to purchase with it? Because that’s exactly what’s happening, especially with digital goods, there’s no supply vs demand relationship here, there’s no rarity.

                  If bread sells for 5$ for long enough you’ll think you’re getting your money’s worth by getting it on sale for 4.50$ without realizing that it cost 2$ to make it, transport it and put it on the shelves and there’s still 2.50$ going to the grocery store owner. You were paying that bread 3$ a couple of years ago and at the time it cost 1.75$ to make, transport and store, but you’re ignoring all that because what’s important is that right now it’s 50¢ less than full price so you’re getting your money’s worth. Most of the surplus is going to a company that’s just making record profit year after year after year, but that record profit comes from somewhere. It went up 100% in a couple of years while the people who made, transported and put the bread on the shelves have seen their salary increase by 10% and you’ve seen what you spend on grocery increase by 66%, but hey, you’re getting your money’s worth and the price is fair because that’s what people accept to be paying, right?

      • uis@lemm.ee
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        1
        ·
        4 months ago

        “Companies have too many employees!” cries the guy who will lose his job if all companies are run like Valve.

        Less wasting resources, good. Ah, you mean under capitalism.