37% of Brits Say Their Jobs Are Pointless — and the Worst Case Is Driving Across Germany to Move One PC
aakashgupta · x · 2026-09-19
A UK poll found 37% of workers believe their jobs make no meaningful contribution to the world; the Netherlands hit 40%. In Bullshit Jobs, LSE anthropologist David Graeber documents the most absurd case: a German soldier switching offices can't carry his own computer, because IT gear requires a certified contractor. So Kurt — employed by a subcontractor of a subcontractor of a subcontractor to the German military — drives across the country, fills out a form, unplugs the machine, carries it a few meters down a hallway, plugs it back in, files another form, and drives home.
The author argues rules producing this absurdity are almost never deleted, due to an asymmetry (argument truncated in the post). Attached is a meme of workers following pointless company rules for the salary.
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