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I present to you Aust funniest man.

snoopy

Top Contributor
That is funny, love the part where he says he asks his own staff if he is behind the times "Of course not sir!".

What a buffoon.
 

zhenjie

Top Contributor
I actually agree with him on some points and always have. Rather not jump onto the bash gerry bandwagon that lots of people are.
 

GGroup

Regular Member
I actually agree with him on some points and always have. Rather not jump onto the bash gerry bandwagon that lots of people are.

I agree with some of his comments too.

He has a mediocre way of getting some points across and the media have done a great job of stitching him up over the last year or so.

Until this interview, I also thought he was the 'internet baffoon' (and he probably still is in some ways). However, what has been portrayed in popular media does not seem to match what he is trying to get across in this interview.
 

Chris.C

Top Contributor
LOL Gerry making people unemployed is part of capitalism and it is FUNDAMENTAL to increasing standards of living.

I can't believe someone who has thrived so well under a capitalistic system can't understand that the retail sector losing 100,000 jobs and distribution picking 2,000 is a MASSIVE net win for society, in that we all get the same retail good and services, but the total production cost of those retail goods and services are now 98,000 salaries cheaper and 98,000 people now have 24 hours a day to think about new problems they can solve for the world (hell one of them might just create the next Google or Apple). Sure it temporarily sucks to be one of the 98,000 but life doesn't end when you lose a "retail" job.

If making sure no one ever lost their job was the most important thing to economy then maybe we should give communism another go - oh wait we've tried that dozens of times already...

Plus there's a reason why innovation and entrepreneurship thrive during recessions.

I particularly HATE it when politicians talk about "jobs" like we need to protect them and that someone losing their job is a tradegy. If I hear a politician say "I'm going to create jobs" they have automatically lost my vote, because they have proved they are a retard and that they don't understand the economic system we live in.

Gerry, you still don't get it mate. Your stock price is the same as it was 13 years ago, and trending down, your earnings are what they were back in 2006... You definitely DON'T get it mate.

*rant over*
 

Bacon Farmer

Top Contributor
98,000 jobs going overseas. 98,000 tax payers who aren't going to be contributing tax to govt coffers. 98,000 tax payers going on the dole. 98,000 people who aren't going to spend their surplus cash in our economy.

Yeah jobs going overseas that's got to be massive net win for Australia.
 
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CyberClick

Top Contributor
I suggest it's Emma Alberici that doesn't get it. When a bloke like Gerry talks I like to listen.

I work daily with local manufacturers and when those businesses are gone they won't be easy to replace. What do you think will happen to the price of goods, when China has a monopoly?
 

snoopy

Top Contributor
98,000 jobs going overseas. 98,000 tax payers who aren't going to be contributing tax to govt coffers. 98,000 tax payers going on the dole. 98,000 people who aren't going to spend their surplus cash in our economy.

Yeah jobs going overseas that's got to be massive net win for Australia.

The unempoyment rate is 5.2%, that is close to full employment, the vast majority will find work in other sectors.

Agree with what Chris.c is saying, what is happening in the retail sector is good for the economy, people leaving low value areas (like ringing cash registers and doing stuff a machines could do) and migrating to other areas of the economy. The internet increases efficiency in the retail sector and lowers prices, that is good.

I think most of those jobs are not going overseas, they are jobs that no longer exist.
 

Shane

Top Contributor
LOL Gerry making people unemployed is part of capitalism and it is FUNDAMENTAL to increasing standards of living.

I can't believe someone who has thrived so well under a capitalistic system can't understand that the retail sector losing 100,000 jobs and distribution picking 2,000 is a MASSIVE net win for society, in that we all get the same retail good and services, but the total production cost of those retail goods and services are now 98,000 salaries cheaper and 98,000 people now have 24 hours a day to think about new problems they can solve for the world (hell one of them might just create the next Google or Apple). Sure it temporarily sucks to be one of the 98,000 but life doesn't end when you lose a "retail" job.

If making sure no one ever lost their job was the most important thing to economy then maybe we should give communism another go - oh wait we've tried that dozens of times already...

Plus there's a reason why innovation and entrepreneurship thrive during recessions.

I particularly HATE it when politicians talk about "jobs" like we need to protect them and that someone losing their job is a tradegy. If I hear a politician say "I'm going to create jobs" they have automatically lost my vote, because they have proved they are a retard and that they don't understand the economic system we live in.

Gerry, you still don't get it mate. Your stock price is the same as it was 13 years ago, and trending down, your earnings are what they were back in 2006... You definitely DON'T get it mate.

*rant over*

Did you know that an actual "real world" exists outside of text books?

There are hundreds of thousands of Australians out there struggling everyday to keep a roof over their head.

The difference between making the mortgage repayment and having their house repossessed (or being kicked out of their rented home) could be the second or third job that the mother or father is working at a local retailer.

But hey, if they lose their jobs they will have "24 hours a day to think about new problems they can solve for the world". Right... I think they'll probably be slightly more worried about keeping a roof over their head and feeding their family! Seriously, that was the stupidest comment I've ever read on DNT.

These people are fighting their way through life. They're never going to "create the next Google or Apple" and they don't need people like you belittling their retail jobs or cheering on their demise.

Maybe when they all lose their jobs they could spend the rest of their money on hand regging domains, then post questions on DNT asking for appraisals and whether or not they should renew them...

Of course online will continue to have massive implications for Australian businesses and the people they employ, and I certainly don't have the answers on how to manage it, but to carry on about job destruction being a good thing is pretty stupid.

As for Gerry, sure he's a bit of a funny character when it comes to online, but I bet he has forgotten more about business success than most of us will ever know in our lifetimes.
 

snoopy

Top Contributor
Did you know that an actual "real world" exists outside of text books?

There are hundreds of thousands of Australians out there struggling everyday to keep a roof over their head.

The difference between making the mortgage repayment and having their house repossessed (or being kicked out of their rented home) could be the second or third job that the mother or father is working at a local retailer.

But hey, if they lose their jobs they will have "24 hours a day to think about new problems they can solve for the world". Right... I think they'll probably be slightly more worried about keeping a roof over their head and feeding their family! Seriously, that was the stupidest comment I've ever read on DNT.

These people are fighting their way through life. They're never going to "create the next Google or Apple" and they don't need people like you belittling their retail jobs or cheering on their demise.

Maybe when they all lose their jobs they could spend the rest of their money on hand regging domains, then post questions on DNT asking for appraisals and whether or not they should renew them...

Of course online will continue to have massive implications for Australian businesses and the people they employ, and I certainly don't have the answers on how to manage it, but to carry on about job destruction being a good thing is pretty stupid.

As for Gerry, sure he's a bit of a funny character when it comes to online, but I bet he has forgotten more about business success than most of us will ever know in our lifetimes.

Shall we also cry about the night cart men and chimney sweepers? The world moves on, mostly for the better.
 

Billy01

Top Contributor
I wasn't going to wade back into this one

But for a man so out of touch with the rest of the world such as Gerry Harvey the only reason he hasn't been smashed to bits by private equity is he holds a certain percentage over what they need to go in and sell down his price deflating property portfolio.

Does anyone honestly think the internet is NEW, the UK got through this OK
THE USA got through this OK need i go on.

We didn't get unemployment levels lke what they are in the USA or UK because of the internet.

Economics 101 is out there for some of you to read

Don't worry Chris, you're not making silly comments. How about we stand up for the Mum and Dads who have the Bafoon's stock in their super portfolio and bought them at say $4. The champion of people is riping off his franchisees and investors.

He's the crook and out of touch is putting it kindly.

I personally hold no Bafoon shares for the record
 

Chris.C

Top Contributor
Since I have opened the can of worms I guess I owe an explanation, but his will be my final post on this topic. I'm too old (just turned 27) to be ranting, each to their own I say, the markets and capitalism will determine who was right over time.

:rolleyes:

Yeah jobs going overseas that's got to be massive net win for Australia.
Please stop listening to politicians or some winging union leader who only cares about his own job not social welfare.

If jobs are being destroyed as a result of productivity gains it doesn't really matter if a few go overseas if the living standards of society are raised as a result.

Yes in the short run it might be unpleasant as people expectations are undermined by reality, but in the long run the WORLD (of which Australia is a part of) is better off.

50 years ago people were crying about how car manufacturing jobs were being lost to robotics and Japan. And guess what lots of people were fired. Those people moved into other sectors of the economy, yet Australia 50 years later managed to find new jobs for everyone PLUS we all have cheaper, safer, more environmentally friendly cars as a result. It all worked out well in the end didn't it.

Newpapers are crying poor as a result of the internet - and that quality is being undermined by bloggers - but it will work itself out over time.

Hell we are all SEOs, PPC managers, web designers, domainers, etc NONE of these jobs existed 20 years ago - so don't worry about people losing jobs, they will reskill and move into new industries or create new ones for themselves by starting new businesses, and some of these businesses will create more jobs for the other people that will undoubtedly be unemployed in the future by advancing productivity and technology.

It's just the way things work. No need to get all emotional, idealistic or sentimental about it. What "temporarily" sucks for the INDIVIDUAL offers "ongoing" benefits for SOCIETY. So ignore what those with an vested interest say and look at it from a TRUE altruistic perspective.


When a bloke like Gerry talks I like to listen.
If Gerry wants to talk about setting up a National wide storefronts, logistics or managing thousands of employees I'll drop everything to listen. If he wants to talk about the internet, I'll change channels.

An expert in one field doesn't make them an expert in all fields.

I work daily with local manufacturers and when those businesses are gone they won't be easy to replace. What do you think will happen to the price of goods, when China has a monopoly?
Um the same thing that happened when US undercut the UK/Europe in the 1800s and grew to 35% of world GDP (will probably go down in history as the all time record), ie someone else under cuts them.

:D

I think you need to take a longer view of things - I can't recommend enough the value of reading about financial/economic history.

China's competitive advantage was cheap labour, but Chinese factory workers are now in short supply and wages are going up 11% pa, on the other hand US factory workers haven't got a pay rise in 10 years.

As a result, US is becoming more competitive and businesses are already repatriating their manufacturing back to the US to better serve local markets because the trend is obvious, the USD is weakening the Yuan will eventually have to be taken off the USD peg and then the Yuan will rise in value relative to the USD over the coming years making manufacturing less attractive over time, just as the Yen with the Japanese industrialisation after WW2.

Once again this is just the natural course of things, don't get caught up on short hype and fears, these thing will work out in the long run.

Did you know that an actual "real world" exists outside of text books?
75% of what I know about economics I have learned SINCE LEAVING uni (yes I have a degree in it) and working in the real world, running real world businesses, making real world money with my real world investments, but if you feel you have some superior economic insights feel free to share them with me.

There are hundreds of thousands of Australians out there struggling everyday to keep a roof over their head.
I sympathise, I really do. I have a single mother who busted her ass, worked multiple jobs to care and provide for my brother, sister and I. We lived poor and she racked up massive debts to make that happen and I'm indebted to her for the rest of my life, which will mean supporting her in her retirement because she is massively under funded, and it'll be my privileged when the time comes.

So I get it, I really do, but people use the word "struggling" to loosely. Society thinks living without a 4 bedroom McMansion and a 50" plasma means you are living on the poverty line.

I mean WTF - I've been lucky enough to have travelled a lot of the world, including many third world countries, and AUSTRALIANS DON'T KNOW POVERTY. 100 years ago there was NO welfare in any country. 100 years later a new born baby could be left in the gutter of the hospital and that child will still get a home, a free education, free health, and a welfare check for the rest of its life if it can't be bothered to work.

No other animal on this planet can do so little and never have its survival put into jeopardy. The is no POVERTY in Australia, there is just different levels of affluence.

The only reason this is possible is BECAUSE of productivity and technological gains (that require people losing their jobs) over the last 100 years to the point that people in society can afford to sacrifice a big chunk of their income for taxes and wealth redistribution and STILL live better than kings a few generations prior.

So let's cut the "little Aussie battler" crap, no one in Australia unwillingly goes without. There are those who have a bad personality trait of being both "lazy" coupled with a deluded sense of "entitlement", but just because they cry about how tough it is, doesn't mean it is tough, it just means they lack perspective.

The difference between making the mortgage repayment and having their house repossessed (or being kicked out of their rented home) could be the second or third job that the mother or father is working at a local retailer.
If you knew anything about ECONOMICS, you'd know that taking on debt increases risk. If they lose their house because they are living on a knifes edge and they lose their job they only need a mirror to find who is primarily at fault.

Desires, don't trump reality. There are a lot of people that want to eat whatever they want and as much as they want but they also want to be slim without doing exercise. Unfortunately for them reality prevails and they get fat and have heart failure.

The financial reality equivalent is that all debts must be paid, and if you borrowed money and invested it badly and then can't afford to pay them you go bankrupt. No need to get upset about it. All parties should of been aware of their obligations.

The ONLY thing I really sympathise about is sheer number of parties whose vested interests centre on conning average Joe Public who unfortunately has never taken the time to know any better, and looks at these "experts" in their shiny suits and defaults his choice to their "expert" opinion. People they should be able to trust bankers, real estate agents, stock brokers, financial planners, fund managers, insurance salesman, even the bloody government at times. It's a disgrace.

The little guy doesn't have a chance with sheer number of sharks out there willing to sell hopes and dreams to the gullible. Worst thing is so many of these sharks don't even realise they are the SHARKS! They are delude either through training/education or corporate culture to believe they are offering real value to clients when at best they are non-value adding and at worst value-destroying.

Eg, Storm Financial executive: "no one could have predicted the GFC" I mean WTF, loads of people predicted it and people were paying you AMAZING amouints of money to do EXACTLY that, because they weren't financial literate enough. Yet with through delusion ignorance they lined their pockets believing they were actually HELPING. 90% of people in these industries are so ignorant of their professional they don't even know they are HURTING their clients, and that's the best case scenario, the worst case scenarios is they are like investment bankers who KNOW they are hurting their clients...

:eek:

Worst thing is the clients thinking they are on a good thing tell all their friends and family, then next thing you know some dumb ass, deluded, get rich quick, strategy is popularly accepted by the mainstream, and you have an entire society buying into a delusion, ignorant of the inevitable collapse...

Makes you want to cry.

But hey, if they lose their jobs they will have "24 hours a day to think about new problems they can solve for the world". Right... I think they'll probably be slightly more worried about keeping a roof over their head and feeding their family! Seriously, that was the stupidest comment I've ever read on DNT.
You'll understand one day.

;)

99% of people don't need to know these "realities" of life if they can trust others to lead honestly. Most just want to go about their day, make a living and be happy in ignorance, which I'm 100% happy for people to do that, but just because others are happy in their ignorance doesn't mean I'm obliged to lie to them about reality when they ask my opinion, nor do they have any right to to get upset that that reality might not correlate with the anecdotal evidence of their lives that they have come to depend on.

These people are fighting their way through life. They're never going to "create the next Google or Apple" and they don't need people like you belittling their retail jobs or cheering on their demise.
That's exactly what they need otherwise they might start believing in "entitlement" then thing you know you got a country of self aggrandising, entitled, welfare recipients and then we'll all be bankrupt.

Go speak to a Greek about how that all worked out for them.

I know 99% of people only want to hear what they WANT to hear, and most people don't want to think past today, but they are crazy if they think living with this sort of mindset, whilst allowing them to be happy 95% of the time, doesn't come with some major unexpected, upsets for the other 5%.

People that dream too much, eventually they are forced to wake up. I'm the dickhead, who should be seen as the nice guy who is willing to help, but is inevitably seen as a bastard because I bring the bad news, like it was my fault they were deluded.

It's a bit like how Snoopy gives people domain valuations - he's INFORMED and HONEST and as a result, people don't like him when he tells them their dreams of their domain being worth millions is actually worth $0, but that should be reason for them to love and respect him, but they don't.

:(

And for the record, your a hypocrite, you are saying that I'm belittling retail workers because their jobs are now redunadant, I'm not, when it's you who is really belittling them because it is you that is saying these people "aren't capable" of greatness. And you are just deluded if you believe that you are "helping" these people by protecting them from your "perception" of their "uselessness" by making sure they never lose their job and as a result never get the chance to see if they really could be the next Steve Jobs.

And I'm not even saying they'd need to be the next Steve Job or anything - I have ZERO doubt that any of them would be unable to find work in other industries if they have already proved themselves competent enough to get work in retail - hell even if someone goes out there starts something unoriginal like bloody towing business, but does it 20% better anyone else currently in the market they've achieved something great for both themselves and society and will be well rewarded for it. So they don't even need to create something new, they just need to get out there and solve problems that haven't yet been solved well. So protecting them from the realities in life and capitalism doesn't help them or society in the long run.

And we should VERY careful about who we decide isn't an isn't capable of being more than what they currently are, because that becomes a VERY slippery slope to big government and/or communism. So I'm definitely not going to stop anyone from having a go - even if I think it's likely that they will fail - because the important thing is having go. People aren't stupid, they learn, and they learn REAL quick if they are having a go.
 

Chris.C

Top Contributor
Maybe when they all lose their jobs they could spend the rest of their money on hand regging domains, then post questions on DNT asking for appraisals and whether or not they should renew them...
They can if they want - but domainers add next to no social VALUE - I've spoken about this before on these forums - non of us should be deluded into thinking we offer any value to the real world - we don't (at least not as pure domainers). If you do design or development, etc that's value adding, but trading domains isn't. So in the end the game will eventually be up for most of us and we will also move onto greener pastures, I for one won't be crying poor when that day comes, I'll just be thankful for the good run I had.

Maybe those now unemployed people go on to create mobile apps, or informative websites, or something else that ads value to society. The point is freeing up human resource (via being unemployed) whilst giving them the support to all a basic subsistence (welfare) allows those individuals to redeploy that human capital however they feel will be valuing maximising for them (which generally correlates well to adding value to society) this is how capitalism works.

You make me out to be a callous tyrant when really all I am is "aware" that losing one's job isn't the end, rather it's just a new beginning.

If all my current businesses were to fail tomorrow, I have a million new business ideas, some of which I think are even BETTER than my current businesses but my current human capital is already fully deployed with what I'm currently doing. So I can't execute on those ideas, but if between now and when my time becomes more available these ideas haven't been developed by someone else you can bet your bottom dollar that I'm going to do it and who knows how much value I will create for myself and society in the process.

Like can you imagine how much worse off the world would be today if the guys that start Google didn't have the time to develop Google because they were busy working a job that was essentially redundant...

:eek:

Of those 100,000 people in the retail sector that will be fired, I'm certain, a few of them have some good ideas on great businesses they could start, I'd HATE for them to postpone starting on those ideas because they were busy with this non-value adding retail job.



Of course online will continue to have massive implications for Australian businesses and the people they employ, and I certainly don't have the answers on how to manage it, but to carry on about job destruction being a good thing is pretty stupid.
If done for the right reasons - job destruction is the underlying principle of capitalism. Don't hate reality because it won't change for you.

As for Gerry, sure he's a bit of a funny character when it comes to online, but I bet he has forgotten more about business success than most of us will ever know in our lifetimes.
No doubt. If I got in a room with him, I'd be all ears, but I'd cut him short if wanted to lecture me about the nature of business on the internet.

:cool:

*rant off*

Sorry about the conversation deviation.

:p
 

Bacon Farmer

Top Contributor
"I particularly HATE it when politicians talk about "jobs" like we need to protect them and that someone losing their job is a tradegy. If I hear a politician say "I'm going to create jobs" they have automatically lost my vote, because they have proved they are a retard and that they don't understand the economic system we live in."

Thanks for the economics refresher, I think I started my economics degree the year after you were born. That's not to say I know more or that you don't make some good points but your callous disregard for those losing jobs and the lack of empathy in what it actually means in terms of suicides, houses repossessed, failed marriages really is very telling. Even more so when you say you've experienced some of that type of trauma.

You talk about efficiency gains of job losses and how that benefits society but in reality it benefits shareholders and to a very much lesser extent society. I think Apple is a good current example of this.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/22/b...d-a-squeezed-middle-class.html?pagewanted=all

http://www.forbes.com/sites/kenrapo...e-devices-will-never-be-made-in-america-okay/

http://fox8.com/2012/03/19/apple-to-pay-dividend-with-nearly-100b-cash-surplus/

"...job destruction is the underlying principle of capitalism..."

That's just bs. Efficient markets and allocation of resources perhaps but "job destruction" c'mon you just made that term up to suit your argument.

The idea that all those that lose their job in one sector will find another job in another sector is seriously flawed. Some will, some will do more training and a large group will go on the dole for extended periods of time.

Basically you just don't give a stuff about the human trauma of structural changes to our economy. By calling politicians retarded for wanting to create jobs well that's just ignorant. The GFC just proved pure capitalism is far from being society friendly. But you're right those poor dumb saps should have realised they were being taken for a ride.
 

James

Top Contributor
Jobs are destine to be lost in retail store fronts, more jobs will be created in online areas, also mining is healthy at the moment, You really have to follow the trends in the market and work based on that.
 

snoopy

Top Contributor
Jobs are destine to be lost in retail store fronts, more jobs will be created in online areas, also mining is healthy at the moment, You really have to follow the trends in the market and work based on that.

Yep, those jobs are going to be lost, doesn't matter what Gerry thinks, or anyone else about whether it is right, wrong, good or bad. It is simply a fact so people either need to deal with it and accept it or get left behind.
 

James

Top Contributor
Yep, those jobs are going to be lost, doesn't matter what Gerry thinks, or anyone else about whether it is right, wrong, good or bad. It is simply a fact so people either need to deal with it and accept it or get left behind.

Yeah you really have to get your shit together and go where the money is.

If SEO stopped tomorrow (could happen), I would move into Social Media full time (I have experience in it), if the internet stopped tomorrow, I would move into construction as I use to work in that field when I was younger + many cousins and uncles have businesses in it. Would even consider the mines doing something!!! LOL

I get sick of people who go around and have a bitch all day about they want some one to pay for them as their is going to be no jobs in retail, pick your shit up and go and get a job in another field. Nothing comes easy in this world you have to work hard if you want to do well.
 

findtim

Top Contributor
All i heard from gerry was he wanted a fair playing field for retailers nothing more so get off his back for that.

And then ....yes ... the reality is the the chimney sweep is gone, and so is some retail, i live near one of the largest westfields in victoria and we do not have a bookstore !! there was 3 and they all close, one has just opened up and EVERYTHING is on special already !!!

As gerry said, "some markets will disappear" but others will stay.... until someone works out the online solution!

See the light, move on before you are moved on as nothing is going to stop this train.... nothing.

? wasn't there a steel works in Newcastle NSW once ????? but lets not get onto the topics of China owning all our mining and sugar, nor the cold stream gas issue......... maybe all those ex retail workers will be employeed growing food on foreign owned farms for the chinese and indians combined 2.6 billion people ! and that is NOT racist its just a guess of where all this is heading.
 

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