this post was submitted on 29 Oct 2025
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Apparently a page from an internal IBM training manual. Some further attempts at source it

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[–] ruuster13@lemmy.zip 153 points 1 day ago (1 children)

And when computers make all management decisions, let us not forget that managers told them to do so, lest we forget whom to hold accountable.

[–] Lodespawn@aussie.zone 26 points 1 day ago (1 children)

You know shit only flows downhill right?

[–] MelodiousFunk@slrpnk.net 94 points 1 day ago (1 children)
[–] sukhmel@programming.dev 13 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I think what they meant is nobody in management cares if someone wants to hold them accountable

Bit it's a nice picture, yeah

[–] scathliath@lemmy.dbzer0.com 5 points 16 hours ago* (last edited 16 hours ago) (1 children)

I don't know, they all sure hate Luigi for some reason.

[–] sukhmel@programming.dev 4 points 14 hours ago

Probably not fans of Nintendo or something

[–] Salvo@aussie.zone 97 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Managers aren’t being held accountable for their management decisions either.

“Oh, I sacked our entire workforce and sold all the company assets, so the figures will look amazing this month.”

“Oh, the figures are down this month, a golden handshake!? Thank you very much.”

[–] SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca 4 points 18 hours ago* (last edited 15 hours ago)

Most industries management fails upward. Definitely true in Pharma.

There are CEOs with a 20 year string of development failures, but they bring "vast experience".

[–] HobbitFoot@thelemmy.club 4 points 20 hours ago

It depends, though.

There are cases where parts of a struggling company is worth less than the sum of its parts. At that point, the fiscally prudent option is to sell it off, either in one piece or multiple pieces. There are plenty of cases in American corporate history where the best option is to cut losses and leave a market.

That being said, I'm surprised that private equity is still allowed to be a thing given the massive disparity shown in how a lot of financial disparity in how a lot of private equity companies run their companies against their fiduciary responsibilities to their companies' stockholders and bondholders.

[–] xxce2AAb@feddit.dk 77 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Ah, from back when people still had critical thinking faculties in good working order.

[–] raman_klogius@ani.social 48 points 1 day ago (4 children)

Back when tech is still dominated by hippies and not fascists.

[–] GrabtharsHammer@lemmy.world 51 points 1 day ago (1 children)
[–] CompactFlax@discuss.tchncs.de 13 points 1 day ago

At the time the computers were kinda newfangled and they tolerated some hippies over there in research.

The business part, well, yeah.

[–] frezik@lemmy.blahaj.zone 26 points 1 day ago

That's not how you would describe IBM at any point in its existence.

[–] thinkercharmercoderfarmer@slrpnk.net 24 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

This is as good an excuse as any to break out the ol' IBM corporate songbook

Tech has always been suits at the top, hippies at best an annoying necessity because they know how to actually operate the machine.

[–] frezik@lemmy.blahaj.zone 6 points 22 hours ago (1 children)

"Back in the day", IBM was all suits the entire way up and down the ladder. They were considered the company for 1960/70s button down dress code.

The hippie types were at MIT hacking on DEC machines.

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[–] shalafi@lemmy.world 11 points 1 day ago (1 children)

IBM in 1979 was the polar opposite of hippie or liberal. You're thinking of later, younger outfits, Pirates of Silicon Valley types. IBM was white shirt, black tie, solidly stuck in their ways.

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[–] Semi_Hemi_Demigod@lemmy.world 56 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Reminds me of Woz’s old saying “Never trust a computer you can’t throw out a window.”

[–] someguy3@lemmy.world 26 points 1 day ago (1 children)

That became easier with phones huh.

[–] lauha@lemmy.world 14 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Yes, really easy to throw cloud out the window

[–] msage@programming.dev 3 points 1 day ago

With clouds it's easy, they are already outside the windows.

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[–] ZILtoid1991@lemmy.world 40 points 20 hours ago

Executives today:

This means if we put AI somewhere in our decision making, we can no longer be held accountable.

[–] prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone 34 points 21 hours ago (1 children)

Isn't that exactly why they do use them for management decisions?

[–] InputZero@lemmy.world 12 points 18 hours ago

Yup!

"I'm sorry but your contact is terminated because our management software designated your position as redundant and unnecessary. It wasn't our decision to let you go, but it was our decision to begin using that software and it was our decision to program it to try to fire as many employees as possible, but it's not our decision and therefore we can't be held responsible. Goodbye."

[–] SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca 26 points 19 hours ago

Since when are managers held accountable? Is this new?

[–] sundray@lemmus.org 21 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I can only assume the very next slide said, "But having a computer make battlefield targeting decisions is A-OK!" /s

[–] someguy3@lemmy.world 17 points 1 day ago

It's just a little war crimes, it's ok it's ok.

[–] kingofras@lemmy.world 18 points 1 day ago

promptly

Very meta

[–] LifeInMultipleChoice@lemmy.dbzer0.com 17 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Let's be honest though, most managers, maybe ~60% could be replaced by AI. If you want evidence, think of anyone who goes to meetings, and those who go to meetings all day element 90% of meetings, at minimal. Those jobs shouldn't exist. They are what people like Bezos/Musk believe should not exist.

Now, how does one get from being nothing, and never being in meetings to being someone making money... You can't, unless you know someone. AI is an "American Dream" killer

Well that’s the exact reason these people are so horny for AI.

https://www.wheresyoured.at/the-era-of-the-business-idiot/

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[–] Croquette@sh.itjust.works 15 points 14 hours ago (1 children)

That's the neat thing, you can deny accountability by blaming the computer's decision

[–] InnerScientist@lemmy.world 6 points 13 hours ago* (last edited 13 hours ago)

A COMPUTER CAN NEVER BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE

THEREFORE A COMPUTER MUST ~~NEVER~~ MAKE ~~A~~ MANAGEMENT DECISIONs

[–] Heikki2@lemmy.world 13 points 21 hours ago (2 children)

As a US citizen, this logic need to be applied to corperations. The C_Os make all the decisions for the company, the Campany should not be held as responsible for the shitty actions of its Board. The Board should be held accountable for the companies actions be required to served by all the C_Os. I say served, I mean fines and prison time ,in all cases, as a fine is paid personally by the person and time is served aslo bu the person.

I know fine are just a temporary for "legal fo .a price" fine should be paid to hut them so Retirement accounts are taken, future earning are taken, income from salary+bonus at time of infraction are taken, and close loops of off shore accounts

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[–] Lushed_Lungfish@lemmy.ca 13 points 19 hours ago (1 children)

TBF Management can barely make any management decisions either...

[–] peaceful_world_view@lemmy.world 3 points 9 hours ago

are are rarely held accountable.

[–] saltnotsugar@lemmy.world 10 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Thou shall not make a machine in the likeness of a human mind.

[–] funkajunk@lemmy.world 3 points 1 day ago

Try to stop me.

[–] FishFace@piefed.social 9 points 1 day ago

This is sad, not humorous

[–] captain_aggravated@sh.itjust.works 7 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

The computer can't be held accountable, but the programmer and operator can.

I could go on a whole thing about mission rules and command decisions here, but I'm sick of typing for the day.

[–] Witchfire@lemmy.world 6 points 15 hours ago (2 children)

So when is Musk getting held accountable for making a literal US funded Nazi waifu bot

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[–] borth@sh.itjust.works 5 points 21 hours ago

But a computer works for "free" so "not being held accountable" is even better!!

[–] criss_cross@lemmy.world 5 points 1 day ago

Sorry can’t hear you as AI brrs over hiring applications and performance reviews

[–] MalReynolds@piefed.social 3 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Again, weapons without human in the loop needs to be against the Geneva convention, yesterday. Or articles of war , something. This is a tractable problem, that needs attention, now, It will not end well and can actually be (mostly, by honorable armies) fixed.

[–] ulterno@programming.dev 3 points 22 hours ago* (last edited 22 hours ago)

Geneva convention can only be applied on the nations who are coincidentally, not going around breaking them willy-nilly.

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