McDonald’s CEO: No Plans To Replace Employees With Robots Yet

HardUp4HardWare said:
Well, the key phrase you used is "before its ready". Making a move toward robotics would have many risks and implications. Not to mention protesting ex-employees who were replaced.

My point is that robotics would be an obvious and necessary move and that he should be "planning" for this as a defacto future move.

McDonalds has been declining for some time now and if robotics can make them more profitable they should be doing serious R&D. That is planning.

I would say that this CEO is clearly LYING. They are probably testing robotics rigorously and simply do not want to agitate their already agitated workforce and harm their public image by appearing to be heartless.

Also, you need to parse his words carefully. He says that robotics would not ELIMINATE the human element. He is not saying that it couldn't significantly reduce the human element.

Also:
Easterbrook has cited improved customer service as a key reason for McDonald's recent turnaround. Higher pay and technological advances are more likely to result in workers being shifted to dining rooms and more service-oriented roles, he said.

So parse that down and he is painting a picture of a McDonalds run by robots were humans play a minor role as human figureheads.

On the stock side of things, McDonalds is a terrible stock and they know it. People want fast-quality food now and McDonalds is not able to compete in the quality arena. They will be around forever, or slowly fade away. This is why they opened Chipolte, and see how that is working out for them.

Anyhoo, I just really hate this "Fight for $15" BS. Someday when the robot overlords are running the shithole McDs and there is one human "greeter" at the door, then he can make $20 an hour. Until then pay should be performance based, not protest forced.

I think, however, the distant future of McDs is going to be like in Idiocracy with a vending machine in the street dispensing fries and bwando.
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Realistically, McDonalds isn't going to go the full robotic prep station route. At least not immediately.

What they WILL do is replace their current cashiers with self-service kiosks (a couple in my area already have these and have for years). If you look at McDonalds most of the time, they have one cashier on. The only times you see more are generally the lunch and dinner rushes.

Kiosks will free them from needing even that. And they can concentrate on assisting the kitchen staff and getting orders prepped.
 
Chas said:
A clamshell grill (what McDonalds uses) is a bit more than a "hot plate".

I'd know, I worked at McDonalds too (way the fuck back when in 1991).

The whole point of shitty jobs like this is to learn basic work skills (show up on time, work, decide the job sucks and get a better job).
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I'm not trying to argue the intricacies of McDonald's burger making. The point I was making is that people don't even need to know how to flip a burgers
 
tetris42 said:
Yeah, everybody likes to ignore this part when talking about their rhetoric.
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I sure don't.

For all the people who are rendered unemployed by this? It's called "tough shit, develop new job skills and get a job someplace better".
 
OEM said:
I'm not trying to argue the intricacies of McDonald's burger making. The point I was making is that people don't even need to know how to flip a burgers
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At Burger King and McDonalds with current prep tech? No.

Other places (White Castle, Steak and Shake, etc), there's still some flipology going on...
 
The sooner we automate most of our jobs, the better. We'll hopefully get past this ridiculous idea that everyone needs to 'earn a living'.
Buckminster-Fuller-Quote.jpg
 
Chas said:
I sure don't.

For all the people who are rendered unemployed by this? It's called "tough shit, develop new job skills and get a job someplace better".
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You seem to not understand the concept that more jobs are going to get displaced by robots than will be created. If you lose 50 million jobs to robots, but only 10 million in skilled labor are created in the meantime, that's still 40 million people in the "tough shit" category. The skills are just for your chance at the remaining ones then. You're just competing over who gets the right to earn a living when the fact remains there aren't enough to go around. It's musical chairs, except the winners get to eat and have a place to live.
 
HardUp4HardWare said:
On the stock side of things, McDonalds is a terrible stock and they know it. People want fast-quality food now and McDonalds is not able to compete in the quality arena. They will be around forever, or slowly fade away. This is why they opened Chipolte, and see how that is working out for them.
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McDonald's divested from Chipotle 10 years ago. Even then, Chipotle was created separate from them.
 
Chas said:
Nobody's saying you shouldn't take pride in your job. That's one of the skills everyone needs to learn. Too many careless sons of bitches out there doing shit work.

However, that doesn't change the fact that a McBurgerShack job is unskilled menial labor. As such, it tends to be low paid (as anyone can do unskilled menial labor). So, the entire point of the job is to make you realize that you don't want to be a worthless, underpaid schlub your entire life and help you begin developing your job skills and career path.

Hell, that's the ENTIRE POINT of the McDonalds franchise and corporate system! To take those workers who want to make something of themselves and develop them as far as their skills and motivation will allow them to go. Everyone else remains a low-paid schlub and eventually goes away as they're adding no real individual value to the company and franchise.
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IT DOESNT MATTER IF ANYONE CAN DO IT IF MOST PEOPLE ARE NOT WILLING TO DO IT.
You people really do look down on people dont you. Jesus.
 
tetris42 said:
You seem to not understand the concept that more jobs are going to get displaced by robots than will be created. If you lose 50 million jobs to robots, but only 10 million in skilled labor are created in the meantime, that's still 40 million people in the "tough shit" category. The skills are just for your chance at the remaining ones then. You're just competing over who gets the right to earn a living when the fact remains there aren't enough to go around.
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Then everyone gets $15 an hour to sit at home and play with VR. Future looks pretty bight!
 
{NG}Fidel said:
IT DOESNT MATTER IF ANYONE CAN DO IT IF MOST PEOPLE ARE NOT WILLING TO DO IT.
You people really do look down on people dont you. Jesus.
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I don't look down on anybody who does a great job in a menial role. It is hard to work hard and I respect that.
There is a Starbucks near me where ALL of the employees bust ass and do a great job. I doubt they are all making $15/hr but if they are it is because they fucking DESERVE IT.

In contrast there was a McDs near me that did tons of business even though it sucked and everyone was fat lazy and stupid. It was in a prime location and still went out of business. If I am the franchise operator why in the ever living fuck would I pay those assholes who ruined my business $15/hr to start? He should have been firing their minimum wage asses for being stoner sloths.


You simply don't understand that people need to EARN a living, it isn't just handed to you and if it is it instantly becomes meaningless.
 
Most businesses like McDonald's that fail are the fault of management. Especially in prime locations. Maybe management should have only gotten 15 an hour as well. Until one older person explains why this generation has to struggle and why others could easily afford college and there first car then i really don't want to hear it. Things have changed and the minimum wage is anemic. It's time to move forward like all those other countries have.
 
{NG}Fidel said:
Most businesses like McDonald's that fail are the fault of management. Especially in prime locations. Maybe management should have only gotten 15 an hour as well. Until one older person explains why this generation has to struggle and why others could easily afford college and there first car then i really don't want to hear it. Things have changed and the minimum wage is anemic. It's time to move forward like all those other countries have.
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I like reading your posts in my head like a Hitler speech, makes it much more fun. SEIG!!!!
 
I like seeing you guys complain as 15 hour min wages go up city after city. Reminds me of older folk complaining about the lack of segregation or homosexuals getting married.
 
Hey workers of the world untie. You got what you wished for, $15 an hour flipping burgers, making fries, and you're going to get replaced. Enjoy.
 
{NG}Fidel said:
I like seeing you guys complain as 15 hour min wages go up city after city. Reminds me of older folk complaining about the lack of segregation or homosexuals getting married.
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Yeah it will be great when those "restaurants" raise the wage to $15 and then fire the fuck out of half their employees forcing the remaining workers to work twice as hard....which will then make their shit "restaurants" even worse, driving away the customers forever and resulting in all those people making ZERO $$$/Hour....

Keep it up you are really funny.
 
Which has been the opposite of what happens in both the small and large scale. Companies not firing anyone and actually making more money, and countries that are not going broke either.

Sorry if my realistic comment about how you cannot really stop it and how you seem like one of those people on the wrong side of history offended you.
 
{NG}Fidel said:
Which has been the opposite of what happens in both the small and large scale. Companies not firing anyone and actually making more money, and countries that are not going broke either.

Sorry if my realistic comment about how you cannot really stop it and how you seem like one of those people on the wrong side of history offended you.
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Not offended at all. I feel sorry for you thinking that your SJW position on this issue makes any sense. These corporations are not going to eat this cost. If you think that then you are a fool. They will pass the cost onto the customer, they will lessen the quantity and quality of their product and they will cut staff.

Hey, can I borrow some Bernie Sanders signs though? 'preciate it.

Oh and one more thing, the "wrong side of history" comment is fucking fantastic.
Because "history" whateverthefuck that means is always the RIGHT side.
 
{NG}Fidel said:
IT DOESNT MATTER IF ANYONE CAN DO IT IF MOST PEOPLE ARE NOT WILLING TO DO IT.
You people really do look down on people dont you. Jesus.
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Yeah. That's right. However, outside of a bunch of nose-in-the-air jackasses who think they're OWED a high paying job and refuse anything less, there's a class of people out there who just want to work and make life better for themselves.

This class of people is actually fairly large.

As such, since anyone can do it, and there's a large population of people who WILL do it if it means bringing in any sort of paycheck at all, your argument is invalid.

And no, it's NOT looking down on people. It's realizing that life's too short to work a shit job for the remainder of it.

To realize that there IS upward mobility for those who are willing to take it.

If I'm looking down on anyone, it's those who fail to grasp opportunities that are basically THROWN at them due to laziness, entitlement or stupidity.

If you have a problem with me having a problem with lazy, entitled stupid people, my give-a-damn has already exceeded it's quota for this millennium AND the one following it.
 
haste. said:
LOL bob from accounting is 1000000× harder to replace than a teller, line cook, labor worker, etc. I guess you don't understand automation vs specialization that can't be replaced anytime soon. Lol again.
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Accountants will be replaced. Hell, I believe they've got software to replace some lawyers. I don't know what you do, but there's a decent chance that your job will go away within the next 100 years.
 
snowcrash said:
You got some f*d up perspective man. There aren't enough skilled jobs so now flipping burgers need to be brought up to level. Are you f*king serious?

Next you're going to tell me that those without jobs need to be paid $15/hr too because there aren't enough jobs to go around.
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At some point, we will arrive there, because at some point, the software and machines will do virtually everything. There may be jobs for some researchers and people who fix machines, but it's also possible that software will write software and machines will fix other machines.
 
Chas said:
Yeah. That's right. However, outside of a bunch of nose-in-the-air jackasses who think they're OWED a high paying job and refuse anything less, there's a class of people out there who just want to work and make life better for themselves.

This class of people is actually fairly large.

As such, since anyone can do it, and there's a large population of people who WILL do it if it means bringing in any sort of paycheck at all, your argument is invalid.

And no, it's NOT looking down on people. It's realizing that life's too short to work a shit job for the remainder of it.

To realize that there IS upward mobility for those who are willing to take it.

If I'm looking down on anyone, it's those who fail to grasp opportunities that are basically THROWN at them due to laziness, entitlement or stupidity.

If you have a problem with me having a problem with lazy, entitled stupid people, my give-a-damn has already exceeded it's quota for this millennium AND the one following it.
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Oh go ahead and have an issue with your straw man arguement. I'm going to go with what's actually happening which is the 15 dollar min wage that's happening In this country many years too late. Btw my current job pays me a great wage, but some of those min wage jobs were harder in every aspect. I have a problem with anyone that Acts smart and yet is ok judging millions of people they never really met. I'm sure you have one or two stories you will bring up as your scientific evidence. You wanna pay someone peanuts then move to China.
 
nilepez said:
At some point, we will arrive there, because at some point, the software and machines will do virtually everything. There may be jobs for some researchers and people who fix machines, but it's also possible that software will write software and machines will fix other machines.
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I suspect that we will never get to this utopian ideal of which you speak.
If you want a picture of the future, picture a boot stomping on a human head....forever....
 
Methadras said:
Hey workers of the world untie. You got what you wished for, $15 an hour flipping burgers, making fries, and you're going to get replaced. Enjoy.
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They'll get replaced no matter what. Your job will eventually be replaced by a machine. Whether that's next year or in 100 years, it's inevitable. I wouldn't be surprised if doctors are replaced by robots at some point. I'm sure there will be some researchers, but the nuts and bolts of primary care, and perhaps even surgery, will eventually be automated.
 
HardUp4HardWare said:
I suspect that we will never get to this utopian ideal of which you speak.
If you want a picture of the future, picture a boot stomping on a human head....forever....
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I didn't say it was utopia. It's going to happen, because a machine that can work without stopping for days and is easily fixed and upgraded automatically is cheaper than paying a person.
 
nilepez said:
I didn't say it was utopia. It's going to happen, because a machine that can work without stopping for days and is easily fixed and upgraded automatically is cheaper than paying a person.
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Right, but I am saying that the world doesn't work that way.

I mean a world filled with robot workers would be so far removed from how we live today, the tech to get us there effectively so far advanced, driven by AI, etc. We can't predict how that is going to go.
If robots take all the jobs, then people would live solely for pleasure, the state would dictate everything. People would only have freedom in the virtual world. We would all have tentacles.

I picture the world becoming more like Orwell's 1984.
 
{NG}Fidel said:
Oh go ahead and have an issue with your straw man arguement. I'm going to go with what's actually happening which is the 15 dollar min wage that's happening In this country many years too late. Btw my current job pays me a great wage, but some of those min wage jobs were harder in every aspect. I have a problem with anyone that Acts smart and yet is ok judging millions of people they never really met. I'm sure you have one or two stories you will bring up as your scientific evidence. You wanna pay someone peanuts then move to China.
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Oh. So now my argument is a straw man.

I call bullshit.

You keep telling me I'm judging millions of people. Sorry, but I'm not. Not everyone working a minimum wage job at this moment is a stupid slacker schlub.

That doesn't change the fact that the bottom tier manual labor jobs are NOT intended to be full time "make a life" jobs!

I've WORKED said jobs before. Delivered papers as soon as I was old enough to legally hold a job. Worked in a local drugstore mopping floors and stocking shelves. Did construction one summer (until the owner took off for parts unknown). And yes, the ever-present "McDonalds job" for about 8 months before I joined the Army.

In all that time, and since, I've been developing my job skills.
I don't pretend to any special skill or excessive intelligence. Just work ethic. If I have a job to do, I show up, do the job to the best of my ability, see if there's any way to do it better, see if there's other stuff I can be doing, etc.

If you want to pull out the victim card because there are people who've basically said "screw work ethic", be my guest.

I'll just give it the only reaction something that silly deserves. Laughter.

If I want stupid grunt I pay minimum wage, because I can always get a grunt.

If you see someone who's busting their butt and can use a leg up, you don't simply throw MOAR MONEY! at them. You move them into a position where their hard work enables them to give THEMSELVES said "leg up". And if they continue on in that vein, they are basically promoted as far as their skillset and job availability allows.

Done right, you always have your grunt labor for those who have no aspirations, and you can develop your skilled workers at a pace that keeps up with your most highly skilled workers leaving for greener pastures.

And I'm sorry, I don't think you want to compare current wage minimums in the US to the pittances they pay in China and the nasty "company store" mentality...
 
As someone who works a $12 an hour, entry level skilled labor job, my job would likely become obsolete, as my employer would search for someone more skilled, if the minimum wage was raised. I live on my wage, with my wife's 8 an hour part time income, more than comfortably. I can afford to purchase new computer parts from time to time, was able to replace my car after a wreck last year, and still have enough money in the bank to pay at least 2 months worth of bills without an income. All this on less than 32k a year. If I lost my job, and found a full time minimum wage job, I could still afford to pay my bills, just not save. I'd have to cancel some of my less needed, but enjoyed, services to cut back on bills, but I could manage. And I'm in my low 20s.

I started at Papa John's in high school, graduated and worked at Little Caesars while I went to school, and got a job in my field making 11 an hour in my field. I worked hard, I forced myself to learn (eventually), and applied myself to my work and to my hunt for a better job. I honestly didn't even try as hard as I should've. Didn't graduate college. All I had to do was develop a skill and work on it, then apply that skill to my jobs.

If you can't make a living, you're not trying hard enough. Unless you're disabled, old, or otherwise unable to work (unABLE not unWILLING), then you can support yourself by getting either 1 full time job, or 2 part timers.
 
Mut1ny said:
No, it's not a fucked perspective, it's the truth. Get your head out of your ass and realize that a lot of people working these jobs are doing so out of necessity. Also, yes, with the way things are going there will need to be a universal income at some point or something else needs to seriously change.
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Universal income. I have seen it all now. Socialists unite!

I'm sure looking forward to this utopia. Don't need to work but still get paid. Sign me up!
 
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snowcrash said:
Universal income. I have seen it all now. Socialists unite!

I'm sure looking forward to this utopia. Don't need to work but still get paid. Sign me up!
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"The goal of Socialism is Communism."
-- Lenin

Never mind that socialism and communism, in the wider world just doesn't work and every experiment with it as a form of government has failed.

No!!!

Because the yoohoos pushing it again are So Much Smarter! They'll get it right THIS time!
All they need is YOUR money so they can play with society's matches...
 
snowcrash said:
Universal income. I have seen it all now. Socialists unite!

I'm sure looking forward to this utopia. Don't need to work but still get paid. Sign me up!
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Yeah and what the fuck is wrong with that? This bullshit mentality that EVERYONE has to work ALL THE TIME is BACKWARDS. It's 2016. We have the technology to cut this shit out.

Please, since you seem to be sooooo smart, can you tell me where millions of people are supposed to work for a living when there's not even enough jobs to cover everyone as it is? Where are all these jobs that exist? More importantly, where are all these jobs that pay enough for a comfortable living on ones own?

Man, you people are thick.
 
Mut1ny said:
Yeah and what the fuck is wrong with that? This bullshit mentality that EVERYONE has to work ALL THE TIME is BACKWARDS. It's 2016. We have the technology to cut this shit out.

Please, since you seem to be sooooo smart, can you tell me where millions of people are supposed to work for a living when there's not even enough jobs to cover everyone as it is? Where are all these jobs that exist? More importantly, where are all these jobs that pay enough for a comfortable living on ones own?

Man, you people are thick.
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So then what, I'm supposed to work my ass off and have even more of my income taken and distributed to others sitting around doing nothing?
 
Merc1138 said:
So then what, I'm supposed to work my ass off and have even more of my income taken and distributed to others sitting around doing nothing?
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Don't bother. He is probably still in high school or acting like he still is. Full of idealism. Thinks he knows everything and what is wrong with the country and exactly how to fix the problems.
 
Merc1138 said:
So then what, I'm supposed to work my ass off and have even more of my income taken and distributed to others sitting around doing nothing?
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OK tell me what these people that don't have jobs are supposed to do? Where are they supposed to get jobs? The town whose main source of employment is the factory that employs 2,000 people moves to Mexico for work. What are those 2,000 people supposed to do? Just "get a job"? You people apparently think that jobs exist in spades. You complain about your money being spent on other people that need it...let's hope you never need help.
 
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Mut1ny said:
OK tell me what these people that don't have are supposed to do? Where are they supposed to get jobs? The town whose main source of employment that employs 2,000 people moves to Mexico for work what are those 2,000 people supposed to do? Just "get a job"? You people apparently think that jobs exist in spades. You complain about your money being spent on other people that need it...let's hope you never need help.
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Maybe you should go back and read my previous reply to this thread? Jobs do exist, people need to be willing to do them, a lot of people are simply not willing to do anything more complex than flip burgers or do anything that would allow them to get a better job. I'm not saying that my experience in the SF bay area in California mirrors the rest of the nation, but your idea makes absolutely no damned sense as it is nothing but providing a reason to not bother earning a living, which a society cannot do and economically support itself at the same time.
 
Oh no prices will raise, they always fucking rise. Look at your rent.
Chas said:
"The goal of Socialism is Communism."
-- Lenin

Never mind that socialism and communism, in the wider world just doesn't work and every experiment with it as a form of government has failed.

No!!!

Because the yoohoos pushing it again are So Much Smarter! They'll get it right THIS time!
All they need is YOUR money so they can play with society's matches...
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except Democratic socialism which works and you've left out on purpose.
 
snowcrash said:
Don't bother. He is probably still in high school. Full of idealism. Thinks he knows everything and what is wrong with the country and exactly how to fix the problems.
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No people like you are delusional. That you think that there's enough pro level jobs out there for every adult to be able to afford a proper living. Lets say everyone above 18 goes to college and gets degree's. Please, how many millions of jobs are there that pays $40k+ a year? THEY DON'T EXIST. I've know people that have masters and Phd's that took months to find jobs and HAD to work at places that paid minimum wage just so they didn't lose everything they own.

You people are nuts if you think that just getting a job is something that's totally possible for everyone all the time.

Carrier workers' rage over move to Mexico caught on video

JUST GET A JOB YOU 1,400 PEOPLE!!!
 
Chas said:
Oh. So now my argument is a straw man.

I call bullshit.

You keep telling me I'm judging millions of people. Sorry, but I'm not. Not everyone working a minimum wage job at this moment is a stupid slacker schlub.

That doesn't change the fact that the bottom tier manual labor jobs are NOT intended to be full time "make a life" jobs!

I've WORKED said jobs before. Delivered papers as soon as I was old enough to legally hold a job. Worked in a local drugstore mopping floors and stocking shelves. Did construction one summer (until the owner took off for parts unknown). And yes, the ever-present "McDonalds job" for about 8 months before I joined the Army.

In all that time, and since, I've been developing my job skills.
I don't pretend to any special skill or excessive intelligence. Just work ethic. If I have a job to do, I show up, do the job to the best of my ability, see if there's any way to do it better, see if there's other stuff I can be doing, etc.

If you want to pull out the victim card because there are people who've basically said "screw work ethic", be my guest.

I'll just give it the only reaction something that silly deserves. Laughter.

If I want stupid grunt I pay minimum wage, because I can always get a grunt.

If you see someone who's busting their butt and can use a leg up, you don't simply throw MOAR MONEY! at them. You move them into a position where their hard work enables them to give THEMSELVES said "leg up". And if they continue on in that vein, they are basically promoted as far as their skillset and job availability allows.

Done right, you always have your grunt labor for those who have no aspirations, and you can develop your skilled workers at a pace that keeps up with your most highly skilled workers leaving for greener pastures.

And I'm sorry, I don't think you want to compare current wage minimums in the US to the pittances they pay in China and the nasty "company store" mentality...
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In 1968, the minimum wage was 1.60/hour or about $11.00 in current dollars. By the time we get a law to make it $12.00 it'll be about it'll be almost identical to '68 and AFAIK, the states that have moved to $15 have generally staggered it over time and started at $12.00 and plan to move up over several years.
Anyway you look at it the current minimum wage is lower than it was decades ago.
 
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