Twitter announces layoffs • Hacker News Board

Re: Twitter announces layoffs

#311

Post by bromelus2013 » Tue, Oct 13, 2015, 7:01 PM UTC

celticninja wrote: post #37

> The world needs a strong Twitter Really? Does it? I think Twitter needs a strong Twitter, shareholders need a strong Twitter even Twitter employees need it. However the world is, at best, ambivalent about Twitter, if it disappeared tomorrow a replacement would spring up within a few weeks if the world really needed a way to shotgun their messages into the ether.

I think you have a point. I use Twitter a lot for professional and sometime personal reasons however it does have potential to be replaced by a better networking site. Even though its a powerful tool, I don't think it helps users and businesses like it use to, unless you pay for features. Ashton Kutcher explained how Twitter, not Facebook, can be the new Myspace: http://www.askmeanything.me/influencers/ashtonkutcher

Re: Twitter announces layoffs

#312

Post by kelseydh » Tue, Oct 13, 2015, 7:01 PM UTC

giarc wrote: post #275

ngoel36 wrote: post #230

This truly sucks - I'm sorry to hear that. If you're one of the unlucky engineers that caught up in all this - reach out to the email address in my profile. We're hiring tons of awesome engineers at Uber, and if that's not the right fit for you I can help get you connected to other SF companies as well.

Spit balling an idea here for Site X. -Twitter lays off a bunch of engineers. -Twitter employees create job profile, with Twitter permission on Site X. -Site X is accessible to other large tech companies looking for experienced engineers. Site X is a showcase of recently laid off employees filtered by layoff group (#368 employees, Twitter, Fall 2015). ---- Pro's - other tech companies can locate talent without having…

Even if they were good engineers, the perception will be that they weren't as a result of product progress being delayed.

Re: Twitter announces layoffs

#313

Post by phpnode » Tue, Oct 13, 2015, 7:02 PM UTC

masklinn wrote: post #159

bshimmin wrote: post #146

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is like corporate email golfing, I love it. I propose "Hey" instead of "Team".

Hey, Stock in the dumps, 336 chumps are fired. Jack

at least make it rhyme!

Hey, Stock in the dumps, firing 336 chumps. Jack

Re: Twitter announces layoffs

#314

Post by tony_b » Tue, Oct 13, 2015, 7:06 PM UTC

Good thing that his email about a roadmap for moving forward with a restructuring for a nimbler team and an organization streamlined in parallel as well as an invitation to reach out wasn't riddled with corporate speak the way those emails usually are.

Re: Twitter announces layoffs

#315

Post by tony_b » Tue, Oct 13, 2015, 7:06 PM UTC

Good thing that his email about a roadmap for moving forward with a restructuring for a nimbler team and an organization streamlined in parallel as well as an invitation to reach out wasn't riddled with corporate speak the way those emails usually are.

Re: Twitter announces layoffs

#316

Post by sirkneeland » Tue, Oct 13, 2015, 7:07 PM UTC

nsxwolf wrote: post #282

RyanMcGreal wrote: post #224

> Emails like this are usually riddled with corporate speak so I'm going to give it to you straight. [...] > we plan to part ways with up to 336 people from across the company Nothing says "give it to you straight" like using "part ways" to mean "you no longer have a job".

It's better than "rightsizing".

or "streamlining"

or "must be accomplished within an appropriate financial envelope"

Or any other of Stephen Elop's greatest hits..

Re: Twitter announces layoffs

#317

Post by giarc » Tue, Oct 13, 2015, 7:07 PM UTC

kelseydh wrote: post #312

giarc wrote: post #275

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Spit balling an idea here for Site X. -Twitter lays off a bunch of engineers. -Twitter employees create job profile, with Twitter permission on Site X. -Site X is accessible to other large tech companies looking for experienced engineers. Site X is a showcase of recently laid off employees filtered by layoff group (#368 employees, Twitter, Fall 2015). ---- Pro's - other tech companies can locate talent without having…

Even if they were good engineers, the perception will be that they weren't as a result of product progress being delayed.

True, however if you were head of HR for a tech company, would you rather take a risk with a recent Twitter employee, or take a risk with applicants you receive online? It would almost be like a pre-vetting process.

Re: Twitter announces layoffs

#318

Post by xytop » Tue, Oct 13, 2015, 7:08 PM UTC

frostmatthew wrote: post #300

s73v3r wrote: post #293

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So at what point does a company stop being a "startup" nowadays?

> So at what point does a company stop being a "startup" nowadays? Wikipedia defines startup as a new business in the form of a company, a partnership or temporary organization designed to search for a repeatable and scalable business model .[1] Not sure where an exact "point" is (if one even exists) but would seem that Twitter (a nearly ten year old company with revenues of $1.4B) no longer fits that definition. [1]…

I heard that Twitter has no revenue only loses.. is that changed recently?

Re: Twitter announces layoffs

#319

Post by sirkneeland » Tue, Oct 13, 2015, 7:08 PM UTC

kingryan wrote: post #181

mrmcd wrote: post #130

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This doesn't always mean that insiders are dumping stock because they know the company is doomed. Sometimes yes, but when you have a company like Twitter where a pretty significant percentage of compensation is in stock options and RSUs, then you're going to have lots of insiders selling in batches, so they can actually use that compensation to get things like houses and cars and diversified investment portfolios.

... and pay taxes

good joke there!

Re: Twitter announces layoffs

#320

Post by qwertyFish » Tue, Oct 13, 2015, 7:11 PM UTC

diego wrote: post #173

Taek wrote: post #148

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That is part of the startup world. Companies stall, and companies fail. If stability is required, it should be worked into the employee agreement. I don't know what is meant by "generous exit package", but it may be enough to tide the employees over to their next job.

Startup world? This is a public company with thousands of employees who can get rid of 336 of them. It's pretty far from the startup world. This is the corporate world, and it happens to companies with long histories when their environment changes.

To counter, Twitter is a growth stage company and while public, it's value is priced exclusively on future value. It is only a 9 year old company working out product market fit and has only had a few profitable quarters, I only noted feb 2014 but there are likely a few more.

So is it a startup? Idk wtf a startup is but Twitter isn't a blue chip.