Stephen Kaledecker was psyched when he was promoted in December to regional manager at the hotel chain where he works – but his enthusiasm cratered when gas prices started to skyrocket after the US-Israeli conflict with Iran began earlier this year.
The very small group of people with “important” positions in corporations will still be allowed participate in the wealth and drive demand. Everyone else will be forced to buy basic products like food and water at crazy prices basically giving away all income back to the corporation. Some tariffs, couple of wars and annexations will make sure they are not losing money.
You’re right about the office space property values. They will most likely not convert it into apartments. Better solution is to just allow workers to sleep under their desks. You get to keep your office space and workers don’t have to drive. You wold obviously have to charge them some rent to cover the energy use during night but it wouldn’t be that high. At first.
I think we’re both basically seeing the same kind of likely future, just from slightly different angles, or via slightly different extrapolated examples.
For me this was always the future presented in many American SF movies and shows. Couple of nice office building in the center, elites living the American dream and slums full of wage slaves everywhere else. Running Man, Bladerunner, Robocop, In Time, Corporate, Altered Carbon … They all nailed it.
Basically same, I guess I was just a fool to think that people would interperet those as pointed warnings and criticisms, not fucking instruction manuals.
First, they are already solving the demand problem:
https://www.marketplace.org/story/2025/09/17/top-10-of-earners-make-up-half-of-us-retail-spending
The very small group of people with “important” positions in corporations will still be allowed participate in the wealth and drive demand. Everyone else will be forced to buy basic products like food and water at crazy prices basically giving away all income back to the corporation. Some tariffs, couple of wars and annexations will make sure they are not losing money.
You’re right about the office space property values. They will most likely not convert it into apartments. Better solution is to just allow workers to sleep under their desks. You get to keep your office space and workers don’t have to drive. You wold obviously have to charge them some rent to cover the energy use during night but it wouldn’t be that high. At first.
Yes you bring up good points!
I think we’re both basically seeing the same kind of likely future, just from slightly different angles, or via slightly different extrapolated examples.
Yeah.
Yeah shit’s lookin pretty bleak right now.
For me this was always the future presented in many American SF movies and shows. Couple of nice office building in the center, elites living the American dream and slums full of wage slaves everywhere else. Running Man, Bladerunner, Robocop, In Time, Corporate, Altered Carbon … They all nailed it.
Basically same, I guess I was just a fool to think that people would interperet those as pointed warnings and criticisms, not fucking instruction manuals.