> If we were to eliminate waste, less people would have jobs.
... or more people would be available to take on work that's more needed and not currently being done. Otherwise, why have machines and technology, if they all primarily automate tasks your fellow laborers could be doing?
I think that work which exist only to provide jobs is a waste at societal level. But it's also a waste at company level - why would you make your product labor-intensive to maintain, where you could make it robust instead? In reality, the trick is to ensure you're not the one paying for maintenance - and then you save money by making more fragile products.
... or more people would be available to take on work that's more needed and not currently being done. Otherwise, why have machines and technology, if they all primarily automate tasks your fellow laborers could be doing?
I think that work which exist only to provide jobs is a waste at societal level. But it's also a waste at company level - why would you make your product labor-intensive to maintain, where you could make it robust instead? In reality, the trick is to ensure you're not the one paying for maintenance - and then you save money by making more fragile products.