"Hundreds of Google Employees Unionize, Culminating Years of Activism"

[NY Times article link](https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/04/technology/google-employees-union.html?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage)

I assume Google is just going to find creative ways to fire these people, but this was a surprising article to read in the Times this morning.

It gives me hope that tech employment might be reaching a stage where we can at least look into something like a professional organization. I doubt a traditional union would work or be workable for technology workers (prima donna egos, rugged individualism, I'm too smart and good to associate with others, etc.) But the interesting thing at that this is happening at one of the FAANGs, which are supposed to be magical chocolate factories of employment happiness. Maybe this signals that enough people don't like 90 hour weeks and being guilted into not taking time off in exchange for living at an all-inclusive workplace like Google. I think it's a good thing because it shows people are realizing that there will come a point where the standard "just quit and walk across the street for a 20% raise" won't be possible anymore.

I'm sure this will get crushed into dust by the tech companies...look at how hard Uber fought the California independent contractor status change. But I personally think that some form of professional org/guild is a very important step to turning the tech landscape closer to a traditional branch of engineering or a licensed profession and away from the Wild West we see today. The key in my opinion would be to find a way to establish a (very low) bar to ensure people have a tiny bit of basic knowledge, then find a way to allow innovation through while cementing some more useful concepts as standards when building out systems. Not easy, but it sure beats nothing or a traditional union.