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Twitter announces layoffs

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Re: Twitter announces layoffs

#351

Post by BinaryIdiot »

DaveWalk wrote: post #342
BinaryIdiot wrote: post #325

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I had read a couple of books both of which said the sandwich technique is an out-of-date way of delivering bad news and it's significantly better to do it immediately to help not continue to build up to the bad news that the person on the other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 th…

That's exactly one of the examples I was thinking of! Thanks!

Re: Twitter announces layoffs

#352

Post by zorpner »

apetresc wrote: post #326
jsprogrammer wrote: post #306

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Who said it seemed foreign? Why would repo access be terminated without prior notification? The only topic here is how this behavior deviates from how Twitter claimed it would handle itself.

What is disrespectful about removing repo access? What, did he need to fix those last-minute bugs for his former employer?

The disrespectful part is discovering that you've been laid off via a side effect of the layoff, rather than being told by a person.

It's true that layoffs are (even more) difficult and complex in the case of a remote employee, but this doesn't mean that we should see something appalling and simply throw up our hands and say "what were they supposed to do". We solve complex, difficult problems every day -- when the solutions are valuable to us. This is a demonstration that treating their employees with respect is not valuable to Twitter.

Re: Twitter announces layoffs

#353

Post by jghn »

acveilleux wrote: post #331
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.

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…

Similarly I was laid off once as they decided to get rid of the whole department. This was a very large company so a department was quite a few people. No one survived, there was no judgement on if you were a start contributor or not. I feel no shame in talking about being laid off in that case as there was literally no indicator of my personal quality wrapped up in that.

Re: Twitter announces layoffs

#354

Post by bduerst »

fredkbloggs wrote: post #183
melvinmt wrote: post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The world also needs fewer* trading algorithms.

Well, really, the world doesn't need any. But I'm curious why you think the world would benefit from fewer.

Isn't there no real value added with HFT? Isn't the question then 'why don't we have fewer?'

Re: Twitter announces layoffs

#355

Post by kpil »

rudolf0 wrote: post #174
adevine wrote: post #165

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Did you read his followup email? He said they called but he did not pick up. Whenever you have a large layoff, it is fairly standard to lock accounts immediately.

Exactly. For security reasons, you have no other option, even if it's rude.

That is very US-centric.

In many places (in the world) you are expected to for months after you are laid off. In many european contries, layoffs must be announced a long time before they happen (a maximum number but not specific jobs).

In any event, you are expected to be loyal to the employer.

Re: Twitter announces layoffs

#357

Post by jsprogrammer »

apetresc wrote: post #326
jsprogrammer wrote: post #306

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Who said it seemed foreign? Why would repo access be terminated without prior notification? The only topic here is how this behavior deviates from how Twitter claimed it would handle itself.

What is disrespectful about removing repo access? What, did he need to fix those last-minute bugs for his former employer?

He could have unpushed work, or some tools that he would like to recover. Effectively, wasted effort.

Also, I could imagine it being frustrating trying to figure out why your access has been revoked for two hours until some company rep calls you to tell you that you are no longer wanted.

Re: Twitter announces layoffs

#359

Post by at-fates-hands »

kaonashi wrote: post #203
at-fates-hands wrote: post #190

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm always surprised people can never seem to see these things coming. If I was working there, I would've started looking two or three months ago. Maybe they had some stock options or something they were holding onto??

Maybe they have families and don't want to upset the status quo until it's absolutely necessary.

Which then in most cases is too late, and you're left in the lurch behind the 8-ball.

Case in point - Target's acquisition of the Zellers leases on their locations.

I had over a dozen people I know who were offered pretty lucrative jobs there. I know another half dozen who balked at their offers (including myself). The people who went were only there about 6 months. Right away, there were signs this was doomed.

For several months all I heard and read was stories about how this was not going very well at all. Two of my friends who took jobs started looking as rumors swept through their departments. They both found employment in short order, right before the roof collapsed and Target announced over 1,700 layoffs.

If you decided to wait it out, you were now entering a market were you had a lot of competition for your same job at any number of businesses in the area. Thus, reducing the likelihood of finding something quickly. I have several friends who still haven't found a job six months later.

I went through the first dot com bust with two startups. Because of that scary experience, I've always been leery of my continuing employment anywhere. I'm become somewhat adept at reading signs and realizing when something is about to go tits up. As such, I interview constantly, and always have an exit strategy for any position I take, whether its a perm gig or a contract gig. I constantly look over my shoulder and its served me well.

Re: Twitter announces layoffs

#360

Post by wwwwwwwwww »

cwbrandsma wrote: post #184
efuquen wrote: post #172

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Twitter is still a "startup"?

Startup is just a code word for "tech company" anymore.

Correction, startup is a code word for "tech company that doesn't make enough money to justify its valuation"

Or if you're a VC, it's "tech company whose current valuation is based on future value"

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