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Twitter announces layoffs

sec.gov

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Re: Twitter announces layoffs

#341

Post by sneak »

abalone wrote: post #334
hitekker wrote: post #207

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

The euphemism "restructuring of our workforce" (versus more direct and explicit language) is the exact type of corporate speak he disclaims. It's dishonest.

Re: Twitter announces layoffs

#342

Post by DaveWalk »

BinaryIdiot wrote: post #325
coldpie wrote: post #270

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Legitimately asking: Do you have any evidence that this achieves certain goals better than how this email was phrased? Are you sure those goals are the same as those of the author of this email?

I had read a couple of books both of which said the sandwich technique is an out-of-date way of delivering bad news and it's significantly better to do it immediately to help not continue to build up to the bad news that the person on the other side knows it coming (because, let's face it, the sandwich is obvious from 100ft away). Unfortunately I can't figure out what books I read and I'm having a hard time finding s…

While not scientific, the example I can think of is in How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie (published: 1936). In the section dealing with how people read your messages, he lists an actual letter from a company apologizing about a delay [which reads just like any corporate e-mail].

Then he rewrites it focusing on what the person reading it is concerned about: themselves. The key was to focus on the questions a reader will ask, "How will this effect me?" and "What should I do?"

Re: Twitter announces layoffs

#343

Post by rdtsc »

rboyd wrote: post #259
diego wrote: post #182

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

This is dead on. I think the biggest reason quality engineers turn unproductive is that they feel their efforts are wasted (pointless meetings, org policy requiring some inferior tooling/platform/language, etc.) Those engineers are usually fairly vocal about obstacles. Managers should learn to interpret this signal, suss out the root cause (usually easy) and eliminate it (usually hard). Twitter might actually be bett…

> suss out the root cause (usually easy) and eliminate it (usually hard).

Well in this case it maybe what happened. They are eliminating the root cause -- the actors ;-)

Basically always think twice and watch your back. HR is not your friend to confide in, being disgruntled and pointing to issues need to be done carefully. In an irrational organization it will backfire -- you are labeled as a disgruntled trouble-maker.

Re: Twitter announces layoffs

#344

Post by astrodust »

_pmf_ wrote: post #304
hitekker wrote: post #207

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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. If you are writing a decisive message that can greatly impact many people's lives: write the decision first. I'm sure the guys being laid off appreciate their boss' rhetorical prowess.

An honest "I'm sorry, you're being laid off" is a hell of a lot better than "we're making structural changes that may or may not impact you over the next six months".

Re: Twitter announces layoffs

#347

Post by TheMagicHorsey »

I'm seriously impressed by Twitter's service ... doing fan-out for so many popular celebrities, so seamlessly, for so many readers is an accomplishment.

But I'm seriously curious why they have 4,000+ employees.

What in the hell are all those people doing?

300~ people being laid off is nothing. I wouldn't have been shocked if they said they were laying off 1,000+ people. I think entire departments probably need to go.

There has to be a lot of dead weight at Twitter.

Re: Twitter announces layoffs

#348

Post by kingnothing »

xytop wrote: post #318
frostmatthew wrote: post #300

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 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?

They may not have turned a profit, but they certainly have revenue.

Re: Twitter announces layoffs

#349

Post by frostmatthew »

xytop wrote: post #318
frostmatthew wrote: post #300

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 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?

You're confusing revenue (money coming in) with profit/income (money left over after expenses). In 2014 they had revenue of $1.4B[1].

[1] https://finance.yahoo.com/q/is?s=TWTR+Income+Statement&annua...

Re: Twitter announces layoffs

#350

Post by ComputerGuru »

ljk wrote: post #291
ComputerGuru wrote: post #40

Wow, these aren't proofread by anyone? > The team has been working around the clock to produce streamlined roadmap for Twitter, "to produce streamlined roadmap" Really?

I'm not sure what the typo is, care to explain?

Since "streamlined roadmap" is singular, it must be prefaced with an "a".

The correct phrase would be "to produce a streamlined roadmap." (if it were plural, you could instead use "to produce streamlined roadmaps.)

I'm normally not a Grammar Nazi, but when you're talking about drafting a short SEC filing that will be read by hundreds of thousands, declaring the fate of 8% of your workforce... I think the least you can do is make it look like you put some effort into it. Of course, my initial post has been downvoted to hell, but such is life. I probably should have actually included this explanation and disclaimer in my OP rather than expecting it to be self-evident.

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