The Elves Leave Middle Earth – Sodas Are No Longer Free (2009)
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Re: The Elves Leave Middle Earth – Sodas Are No Longer Free (2009)
#2(2009)
That's not to say that it's no longer relevant. It is relevant, perhaps even more so now. But it was written in 2009.
Have things changed?
Re: The Elves Leave Middle Earth – Sodas Are No Longer Free (2009)
#3(2009) That's not to say that it's no longer relevant. It is relevant, perhaps even more so now. But it was written in 2009. Have things changed?
Nothing really. This story comes up all the time.
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11635066
HN doesn't have "sticky" posts, but sometimes you wonder if it should.
Re: The Elves Leave Middle Earth – Sodas Are No Longer Free (2009)
#4> It’s about the company’s most valuable asset – its employees.
There are often two ways to look at that statement.
Employees aren't fungible and how that cuts both ways.
The longer someone works in an established company the more tribal knowledge they accumulate to the extent that an equally talented fresh face cannot replace.
And the other is that some employees have already done their part & are now not easily moved into a different role (Peter principle or otherwise).
That fine line is somewhat scary to look at, particularly when you work in a boom-bust environment like a video game company or when the company does a tough pivot.
Re: The Elves Leave Middle Earth – Sodas Are No Longer Free (2009)
#5(2009) That's not to say that it's no longer relevant. It is relevant, perhaps even more so now. But it was written in 2009. Have things changed?
Nothing really. This story comes up all the time. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11635066 HN doesn't have "sticky" posts, but sometimes you wonder if it should.
It's been submitted a lot:
https://hn.algolia.com/?query=Elves%20Leave&sort=byDate&date...
Massive discussions:
Re: The Elves Leave Middle Earth – Sodas Are No Longer Free (2009)
#6I still don't understand why companies would willingly serve free drinks (and snacks) that they know will only deteriorate the health of their employees. Free drinks, sure, but 290-calorie cans of sugar, and bags of fat? Say what you will about adults having free will to make bad choices, but your company doesn't give away free cigarettes.
Re: The Elves Leave Middle Earth – Sodas Are No Longer Free (2009)
#7> Some had already been irritated when “professional” managers had been hired over their teams with reportedly more stock than the early engineers had
That right there is a huge warning sign that they're not valued well and that they never were.
Re: The Elves Leave Middle Earth – Sodas Are No Longer Free (2009)
#8"It never ceases to amaze me how many startups make the mistake of killing off the free drinks."
(One of the comments on the page.)
But wait a minute. Killing off the free drinks is just the signpost. The change is primarily in the size and the culture of the company itself. Charging for sodas might be the first, but it isn't the biggest change that the company is going to, and going to have to, make as it grows.
Does anyone really believe that IBM, Amazon, Facebook, or Google would still be their happy fun startup selves if they still gave away free sodas?
Re: The Elves Leave Middle Earth – Sodas Are No Longer Free (2009)
#9" It never ceases to amaze me how many startups make the mistake of killing off the free drinks. " (One of the comments on the page.) But wait a minute. Killing off the free drinks is just the signpost. The change is primarily in the size and the culture of the company itself. Charging for sodas might be the first, but it isn't the biggest change that the company is going to, and going to have to, make as it grows. D…
I would be shocked if Amazon, Facebook, and Google don't still give away free sodas.
Re: The Elves Leave Middle Earth – Sodas Are No Longer Free (2009)
#10" It never ceases to amaze me how many startups make the mistake of killing off the free drinks. " (One of the comments on the page.) But wait a minute. Killing off the free drinks is just the signpost. The change is primarily in the size and the culture of the company itself. Charging for sodas might be the first, but it isn't the biggest change that the company is going to, and going to have to, make as it grows. D…
Incidentally, the office of IBM I worked at a decade ago had free sodas.