clioteorica

I’ve spent the past few days researching the circumstances in different countries, including financial situations. I understand that for many people, pirate sites are the only way they can read manga. I also understand that prices can be higher overseas. I’ve even seen people saying, “Don’t bring this issue up.” But if we do not speak up now, the value of Japanese manga and creative works, built through the sacrifices and relentless efforts of those who came before us, will be wasted. I’ve also seen people say, “Reading for free doesn’t hurt sales.” That is not true. “Free” lowers the value of things. Once people grow used to getting something for free, they stop looking toward legitimate versions. (I also understand that people who truly love a work will support it properly.) We pour ourselves into creating so readers can enjoy our work. Compensation matters, of course, but more than anything, I do not want to see its value diminished. To help people who cannot afford to buy it, or who do not have access to it, enjoy these works, Ando and I have been discussing this for a long time and exploring many ideas. I cannot share details yet, but we are working on it. Publishers are making efforts as well. I’m sorry it is taking time. But please stop hurling accusations like, “You are racists,” or saying misguided things like, “Piracy is free promotion for you.” We will continue doing everything we can so everyone can enjoy manga. And I ask one thing in return: please try to understand our perspective and our culture as well. ※I’m using a translation app.

🦔A startup called Artisan is running billboards across San Francisco that read "Stop Hiring Humans. The era of AI employees is here." The company sells AI-powered sales workflow automation. The CEO has clarified they don't actually want people to stop hiring humans, while simultaneously running a product that automates sales roles. The ads are appearing across a city where tech layoffs have displaced tens of thousands of workers this year. My Take The CEO's clarification that they don't actually want people to stop hiring humans while selling a product that automates sales roles is the kind of thing that would be funny if the underlying situation weren't so serious. Running this campaign in San Francisco, a city that has absorbed wave after wave of tech layoffs, suggests a level of cultural disconnection from the people living through those consequences that is genuinely hard to explain. The anti-AI sentiment building across the country, the data center community opposition, the delivery robot vandalism, isn't coming from nowhere. It's being fed by exactly this kind of messaging. Treating mass displacement as a brand identity and posting an AMA in a cyberpunk subreddit to explain the joke doesn't defuse the frustration. It confirms what people already suspect about who these companies think their audience is. Hedgie🤗