Yahoo planning 10% layoffs as early as this month, report says • Hacker News Board

Re: Yahoo planning 10% layoffs as early as this month, report says

#101

Post by jacquesm » Fri, Jan 08, 2016, 9:21 AM UTC

sillysaurus3 wrote: post #20

Alupis wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> It's only the people who did the work and made the stuff who will be laid off. Well... what do you expect? You're either the job creator or the job filler. If you could create jobs and had the right motivation and ability to do so, you wouldn't be filling a job. > Their fault for not cultivating the right connections. And yes, knowing the right people is part of that game. And yes, sometimes the job creators must d…

If you could create jobs and had the right motivation and ability to do so, you wouldn't be filling a job. Haha... I'm happy you believe this. No sarcasm; it just made me wish that I still did. In this world, merit is judged by more than ability. Motive, if not aimed perfectly, is a burden that will decrease your chances, not increase them. Background is so important. My family was totally broken, like one hundred pe…

> My family was totally broken, like one hundred percent shattered.

Mine was too.

> There is no chance I'll be a job creator, no matter how driven.

That need not be the case, all it takes is a lucky break, worked for me.

Re: Yahoo planning 10% layoffs as early as this month, report says

#102

Post by simi_ » Fri, Jan 08, 2016, 9:22 AM UTC

negamax wrote: post #92

sremani wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If no one could have gotten better results, I can think of many capable people who could have gotten similar results for a lot cheap. Yahoo! is almost paying MM $400 million and the $110 million exec who stayed about 11 months she fired. For all the Meritocracy talk about general foot soldiers, the SV execs seem to get a lot of "Participation Trophies".

She's making more than Tim Cook? No way

My thoughts exactly. IIRC Tim makes around 10 mil per year.

Re: Yahoo planning 10% layoffs as early as this month, report says

#103

Post by TheLogothete » Fri, Jan 08, 2016, 9:27 AM UTC

sillysaurus3 wrote: post #99

TheLogothete wrote: post #97

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, you are a very special little snowflake. Nobody overcame hardships in life.

Haha. Perhaps this exchange will be able to explain some things to some people, after I really say what I'm going to be saying. It's such a perfect illustration of the entire life, start to finish, like a waking nightmare. Goodbye.

Or perhaps you shouldn't be so arrogant and dismiss everyone else's problems so readily. "I have suffered infinitely more than you could ever comprehend". Vanity is definitely Devil's favorite sin, and it lurks in the strangest of places.

Goodbye to you too.

Re: Yahoo planning 10% layoffs as early as this month, report says

#104

Post by spacecowboy_lon » Fri, Jan 08, 2016, 9:32 AM UTC

sremani wrote: post #33

andrewvc wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree and disagree with your point. It's incredibly hard to determine how much good a new CEO has done, and how much is inertia. I think that's a strong argument against the incredibly high CEO pay in contemporary companies, it dramatically underestimates the importance of the work of the rank and file. That being said, if you ARE going to judge her by contemporary CEO standards, the question is, would anyone else…

If no one could have gotten better results, I can think of many capable people who could have gotten similar results for a lot cheap. Yahoo! is almost paying MM $400 million and the $110 million exec who stayed about 11 months she fired. For all the Meritocracy talk about general foot soldiers, the SV execs seem to get a lot of "Participation Trophies".

But would the have take such a high risk job? its noticeable that risky senior jobs have more Women and BME in post - as under represented groups they feel that they have to take more risks to break thorough the glass ceiling.

Re: Yahoo planning 10% layoffs as early as this month, report says

#105

Post by jacquesm » Fri, Jan 08, 2016, 9:38 AM UTC

toomuchtodo wrote: post #32

voltagex_ wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Perhaps Yahoo should have been split into smaller companies sooner. With better management, Flickr could have been Instagram.

I've been preparing to try to make an offer for Flickr in the event it goes up for sale (separate from the rest of the web business), organizing it as a benefit corp to be a long term business not to be put up for sale. It shouldn't be an Instagram. Its not a social network. Its a photo site that helps you organize/keep your photos, as well as share them (there's a difference). Just bidding my time, ear to the ground…

Very curious about what you plan on to make it profitable.

Re: Yahoo planning 10% layoffs as early as this month, report says

#106

Post by pjc50 » Fri, Jan 08, 2016, 9:41 AM UTC

negamax wrote: post #92

sremani wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If no one could have gotten better results, I can think of many capable people who could have gotten similar results for a lot cheap. Yahoo! is almost paying MM $400 million and the $110 million exec who stayed about 11 months she fired. For all the Meritocracy talk about general foot soldiers, the SV execs seem to get a lot of "Participation Trophies".

She's making more than Tim Cook? No way

Of course. What do you think this is, a meritocracy?

Re: Yahoo planning 10% layoffs as early as this month, report says

#107

Post by pjc50 » Fri, Jan 08, 2016, 9:44 AM UTC

namelezz wrote: post #54

jkot wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think the question is not if CEO is good, but if CEO is worth her/his salary.

I wonder the same thing. Why do CEOs get paid too much?

Other way round: you don't get made CEO unless you're very good at knowing the right people and convincing them to give you money.

Re: Yahoo planning 10% layoffs as early as this month, report says

#108

Post by jacquesm » Fri, Jan 08, 2016, 9:44 AM UTC

vonklaus wrote: post #8

alexandrerond wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When Nokia sold the Devices division to Microsoft it did the opposite, did not fire anyone, and let the new owner take care of it...

Nokia, in many ways, was the pioneer of SaaS. They developed a globally recognized product that would become both the iconic application associated with early cellphone applications and paved the way for a globally distributed market for mobile gaming. However, as time went on while using the product, it became increasingly difficult to find room to move horizontally as well as vertically within the space. Ultimately…

I never saw them involved in the service business at all, to me they were a hardware company and nothing else. That's how I look at my phone (and computers too), as pieces of hardware not tied to any particular service or eco-system unless I decide they should be. I don't buy subsidized phones with a 'plan' and what software comes with the computer I buy is wiped out before it even gets run once.

Re: Yahoo planning 10% layoffs as early as this month, report says

#109

Post by pjc50 » Fri, Jan 08, 2016, 9:47 AM UTC

kzhahou wrote: post #41

notacoward wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, all the "wealth creators" at the top will do fine. It's only the people who did the work and made the stuff who will be laid off. Their fault for not cultivating the right connections.

I'm surprised by the support you're getting, because the HN hivemind fully supports it when founders exit with 50-10000x what rank and file gets. I wonder if HN doesn't see a problem with founders because they all hope to be a billionaire founder themselves one day, but they don't personally relate to hired or big-company CEOs.

The founders are given the benefit of the doubt for actually having put in some hard work for little reward back when the success of the business was unclear.

As you say, anyone can found a business. Getting hired as a CEO is entirely to do with contacts; it's not usually a job that's advertised and you can apply for.

Re: Yahoo planning 10% layoffs as early as this month, report says

#110

Post by [deleted] » Fri, Jan 08, 2016, 9:47 AM UTC

vinceguidry wrote: post #27

jkot wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think the question is not if CEO is good, but if CEO is worth her/his salary.

Hmm, I would think salary would be one of the smaller considerations when choosing a CEO at that level. It's generally going to be a drop in the budget compared to annual revenue. A negotiation point for sure, but more of a side show to other concerns.

[deleted]