Oura, a startup business that makes rings for wearable tracking, won a contract with the US military for $96 million last year, to provide rings to monitor and improve the conditions of personnel.
An Oura spokesperson said the contract was intended as an efficiency initiative to address staff burnout and turnover. “If insights from this program had led to even a 1% reduction in burnout, the return on investment would have been achieved,” the spokesperson told Breaking Defense.
The contract was cancelled.
Because an American company, WHOOP, who lost in the initial tender saying it was "unclear", protested. The tender was opened again, and again they lost to Oura, so they protested again. Finally, the US government cancelled the whole initiative, saying it was no longer a priority. That is pretty pathetic on a couple accounts, but probably points to what is likely to happen more in the Trump administration - favouring US business, even when the product is inferior, and more expensive. The other thing that will increase, is giving even less of a crap about people.
People are just expendable resources.
The majority who think the Great America drive is going to make lives of Americans better, I feel is fooling themselves, and is in for a nasty surprise. The whole move is another money grab transfer of wealth up the chain, from poor to rich and people should be considering what happens when the poor have nothing left to take? How are the homeless doing at the moment? Are things getting better?
Answer: No.
The world is likely to become increasingly cutthroat, as social disconnection increases and it becomes apparent that social support is decreasing. As people realise they are "on their own" more and more, they will do whatever it takes to succeed, leading to increasing crime and violence.
None of this bodes well for humanity, because the inhumane are making the rules of the game and the inhumane are the ones who are going to make the gains. The entire trajectory of current events speeds up the widening of the wealth gap and will further crush down individuals, making it harder and harder to have access to any opportunities at all. It will all come down to survival, and when humans are pushed into a corner, they will fight to the end.
The end is nigh?
I feel like we are getting to a point in history where we either overcome our stupidity as a species and start developing for betterment, or winding down the species to extinction, where we destroy ourselves through violence, contagion, or pollution - probably a mix of the three. Nuclear war is an ever-present threat where we all go out with a bang. But I feel it is more likely that we go out with a whimper, starving and choking to death on our own idiocy.
Even now, with all that we know about the world, we keep fixating on the Bread and Circus presented to us, rather on what is actually important. But rather than kept docile, we are kept outraged at the mundane - while the real problems that affect us, that hold us back, that steal the future from our children, go on unabated - right in front of us.
So many people seem to have become so complacent these days, either arguing that there is nothing to be done, or arguing that there is no problem. It is interesting to me, that so many people are just so disillusioned, that they would rather spiral into oblivion with everyone else, than stand up for themselves - and those they supposedly love.
Love.
I am not sure we know what it means anymore.
Taraz
[ Gen1: Hive ]
I think you are right about the part that Trump is not going to make America great again and this is just a money grab.
How bad would things need to get for you to consider leaving?
Things are becoming so bad I do worry about our kids futures and grandkids because this is no longer what we would say is normal. At the rate the world is going there will be nothing within a few generations and I need to make sure they are looked after.
I am not very sure of what it is going to take to look after the kids in the future.
In fact, I feel so too. People have been on their own since pandemic and they would like to continue this simple-lonely lifestyle until the situation bite them.
The jaws are open, and we are putting our heads in the mouth.
This is the most faulty part of all... Making America "great", but not improving. Just by subtracting investment and deviate the dollars to a own agenda, with no concern to all the ones that are becoming smaller and smaller. Crushing not only cost number, but millions of people's life for a uncertain trail for the cliff.
And so many are following along, because they think they can make some gains out of it - or get something for nothing.
Exactly. Just like the saying tells_ "There's no such thing as a free lunch". Let see if the World can "wake up" early enough to be on time to recover from the massive damage. I might be wrong, but I'm almost sure, that way is not going to take America, and the Americans on the best side of the road. And it will drag a lot of countries with them...
It honestly feels scary to think about the future like this. We’re told to chase dreams and study hard, but sometimes it feels like the system is already set up to push us down.
When chasing our dreams, we need to make sure they are actually ours. Otherwise we are being led to chase others dreams.
I completely agree with your take on the situation. The US government's decision to cancel the contract due to protests from a rival company is pathetic. I'm worried about the widening wealth gap and the impact on people's lives, it feels like a step backward
A step backwards - running backwards.