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Twitter announces layoffs

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Re: Twitter announces layoffs

#331

Post by acveilleux »

diego wrote: post #182
ethbro wrote: post #171

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Let's be honest (and no offense to anyone who got fired), but twitter probably had some dead weight to shed. Sadly, I'm sure some quality engineers got the ax too. Way of the world.

Quality engineers and dead weight are not exclusive. Great people who are burnt out and unmotivated become dead weight to a company. When planning layoffs, it's normal to put people who are checked out, coasting, and/or clearly planning their next move at the top of the list. That doesn't mean they are not high quality professionals.

Or hell, great people who work on projects that get axed may not have been as visible from outside the project.

They might have written some of the best code in a feature that management doesn't want anymore (Twitter API anyone?) but that doesn't necessarily translate in being part of those that are kept.

Maybe the dev lived in a town where they are closing the whole office and relocation is too much $$$ compared to a package. Maybe she just hasn't been with Twitter long enough to shine outside of her immediate team (who're all being cut). Maybe the folks drawing up lists had to make some concessions to keep some of their friends employed (consciously or otherwise.)

Re: Twitter announces layoffs

#332

Post by dj-wonk »

refurb wrote: post #123
dj-wonk wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> A WARN notification is required if more than 500 people (or 33% of the "active workforce") are being laid off. Check your state's Department of Labor (or whatever it is called in your state) to see the notices that have been filed by employees in your state. (from http://www.job-hunt.org/layoffs/pending-layoff-signs.shtml ) For California: http://www.edd.ca.gov/jobs_and_training/Layoff_Services_WARN...

It's not a WARN notification, it's an SEC filing. WARN wouldn't even apply here since the cutoff is 500 or 33% of active workforce. Twitter's cuts are below both.

Thanks for correcting me.

Re: Twitter announces layoffs

#333

Post by dj-wonk »

moron4hire wrote: post #25
dj-wonk wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm guessing the fact that this email shows up on the SEC web site may have to do with this: > Per Chapter 4, Part 4, Sections 1400-1408 of the Labor Code, WARN protects employees, their families, and communities by requiring that employers give a 60-day notice to the affected employees and both state and local representatives prior to a plant closing or mass layoff. http://www.edd.ca.gov/jobs_and_training/Layoff_Ser…

No, that would have been put on the Department of Labor site.

Good catch.

Re: Twitter announces layoffs

#334

Post by abalone »

hitekker wrote: post #207
Sidnicious wrote: post #97

> Emails like this are usually riddled with corporate speak so I'm going to give it to you straight. I tried rewriting his email to live up to this promise: - - - Team, We're cutting our workforce to strengthen Twitter as a company. The team has been deciding how to best streamline Twitter, Vine, and Periscope to put their focus on the projects which will have the greatest impact. Moments, which we launched last week…

Everyone should take note of this person's excellent structure: he put the decision first. If you are writing a decisive message that can greatly impact many people's lives: write the decision first. Don't "sandwich" the truth. Sandwiching only makes sense when the decision or the mistake is not of huge significance. Beating around the bush in matters of great import will always harm the sincerity of your words. Afte…

I agree the email overindulges in euphemisms ("streamline", "restructure", "nimble", "change how we work") and filler phrases ("working around the clock", "moving forward").

But for the most part it does lead with the decision being communicated, i.e. that there will be a "restructuring of our workforce", commonly understood to mean layoffs.

Re: Twitter announces layoffs

#335

Post by walshemj »

ethbro wrote: post #171
hammock wrote: post #151

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Dear Twitter, They're going to let me be CEO again, but as part of the deal I had to fire a bunch of people. Mostly engineers since I'm told there are many of them who cost too much and don't seem to impact the top line. Please let's all be nice about the whole thing, so it doesn't turn into a PR disaster. Jack

Let's be honest (and no offense to anyone who got fired), but twitter probably had some dead weight to shed. Sadly, I'm sure some quality engineers got the ax too. Way of the world.

I would imagine that rapid growth meant that twitter had a lot more tail (hr building services) than it needed.

Interesting that they call out hard to recruit engineering roles specifically - I bet every recruitment agent who has twitter guys and gals in his list is cold calling the ones still remaining.

Re: Twitter announces layoffs

#336

Post by walshemj »

ghshephard wrote: post #221
corin_ wrote: post #133

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Even if your layoffs were 100% based on refocusing on certain areas, surely you'd (often) still want to keep the best employees you have in areas you no longer care about over the worst employees you have in areas you still care about, if you have to get rid of someone.

It's true that you do what you can to hold onto your top 1-5% of employees - but, I've been through two real layoffs - one at Netscape, and one at Loudcloud, very little differentiation occurs below that layer. At Netscape, when Microsoft effectively killed the browser-as-a-product space by giving theirs away for free, entire buildings were let go, and all the client side developers, and wan-dialer people, customer s…

In HR /IR speak layoff implies that it might be tempory - this is an out and out redundancy

Re: Twitter announces layoffs

#337

Post by walshemj »

diego wrote: post #182
ethbro wrote: post #171

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Let's be honest (and no offense to anyone who got fired), but twitter probably had some dead weight to shed. Sadly, I'm sure some quality engineers got the ax too. Way of the world.

Quality engineers and dead weight are not exclusive. Great people who are burnt out and unmotivated become dead weight to a company. When planning layoffs, it's normal to put people who are checked out, coasting, and/or clearly planning their next move at the top of the list. That doesn't mean they are not high quality professionals.

Not really its the ones who wont make a fuss and the easy targets they tend to target - this is from experience at British Telecom

Re: Twitter announces layoffs

#338

Post by abalone »

adevine wrote: post #164
mattmanser wrote: post #137

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's removed all the fairly meaningless corporate buzzwords like: roadmap structural change nimbler streamlined impactful And many more.

While they may be jargon, they're not meaningless. I mean, roadmap? Is there anyone who has worked at a tech company that doesn't know what a roadmap is, and why it's important? Is there anyone who doesn't know that nimbler means better able to react to changes in the marketplace?

They are euphemisms.* People react poorly to euphemisms when hearing bad news, because it feels like it's spin. Which it is.

*Perhaps with the exception of "roadmap", which is actually a better word choice than "plan" or "strategy" as it connotes a long journey ahead.

Re: Twitter announces layoffs

#339

Post by rodgerd »

hitekker wrote: post #207
Sidnicious wrote: post #97

> Emails like this are usually riddled with corporate speak so I'm going to give it to you straight. I tried rewriting his email to live up to this promise: - - - Team, We're cutting our workforce to strengthen Twitter as a company. The team has been deciding how to best streamline Twitter, Vine, and Periscope to put their focus on the projects which will have the greatest impact. Moments, which we launched last week…

Everyone should take note of this person's excellent structure: he put the decision first. If you are writing a decisive message that can greatly impact many people's lives: write the decision first. Don't "sandwich" the truth. Sandwiching only makes sense when the decision or the mistake is not of huge significance. Beating around the bush in matters of great import will always harm the sincerity of your words. Afte…

> Everyone should take note of this person's excellent structure: he put the decision first.

Going by my twitter feed, they implemented the decision first, with people discovering they were locked out of their twitter accounts and RAS before the announcement was made.

Re: Twitter announces layoffs

#340

Post by DaveWalk »

hitekker wrote: post #207
Sidnicious wrote: post #97

> Emails like this are usually riddled with corporate speak so I'm going to give it to you straight. I tried rewriting his email to live up to this promise: - - - Team, We're cutting our workforce to strengthen Twitter as a company. The team has been deciding how to best streamline Twitter, Vine, and Periscope to put their focus on the projects which will have the greatest impact. Moments, which we launched last week…

Everyone should take note of this person's excellent structure: he put the decision first. If you are writing a decisive message that can greatly impact many people's lives: write the decision first. Don't "sandwich" the truth. Sandwiching only makes sense when the decision or the mistake is not of huge significance. Beating around the bush in matters of great import will always harm the sincerity of your words. Afte…

I thought I was one of few who thought this way; this is a good thread. "Front-loading" messages, especially company-wide emails, give the reader confidence. And by getting to the point, ironically I want to read the whole thing instead of have my eyes glaze over after the second sentence.

Bravo, all!

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