Is it really a mass exodus? And is it really a mass exodus to lemmy?

AnarchoPlayworker@lemmy.world to No Stupid Questions@lemmy.world – 383 points –

I guess it’s self explanatory but I keep seeing all this stuff about how everyone is moving from Reddit to lemmy and I’m wondering if anyone knows if that’s really what’s happening. If you have numbers that’s even better.

Thanks!

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From Reddit's PoV I don't think that there is a mass emigration; it's just that the most engaged sectors of the community left, so the 99% left don't give a damn about it. Over time I predict that it'll be a slow drain, not a mass exodus.

However from Lemmy/Kbin's PoV there is a mass immigration. And the users are disproportionally active; for example a comm with 3k subscribers getting 1k upvotes in a post, stuff like this.

It's a strategy straight out of MBA textbooks: Once you're above a certain size and have a large "common consumer" base, you kick out everyone who would complain about shitty practices and exploitative behaviour. Then you squeeze out all the money you can over a year or three before the rest realize and leave.

It's fast ROI at the cost of customer retention and long term profits. And investors literally don't care if the company goes bankrupt as long as they get that money. Because they'll just move on to the next company and do the same thing all over.

I am seeing precisely this in my workplace. A global company, bought by an investment fund for billions.

The fund cuts away anything that does not directly generate revenue, like product development, maintenance, support. So many people have been let go, the few remaining are unable to keep the ship afloat.

Fund doesn't care because the numbers are amazing (income vs expenses) and they just want to sell before it sinks.

No care for the livelihood of thousands of employees, or the many very large customers. They will practically die, and that's okay to the ones in charge.

Interesting, didn't know that was MBA textbook strategy. Makes much sense, however.

It's called "locust capitalism" in some languages.

Since they literally just consume everything and move on to new things with zero regard for anything they affect after the fact.

Brazen but unsurprising to have that in a business text book. Does that strategy have a name?