This is happening across the US government as a whole. The US State department is dead for instance. When you have talent and options why stay with a creaky ship that's sailing straight into a hurricane with a mad captain at the helm?
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NSA’s top talent is leaving because of low pay, flagging morale, unpopular reorg
91–100 of 547 posts
Re: NSA’s top talent is leaving because of low pay, flagging morale, unpopular reorg
#92Earlier quoted context omitted.
That top pay grade is less than the starting compensation for PhD's at the big tech co's. Not to mention free food, potential for career growth, and an open non-militaristic culture where you can wear a hoodie instead of a tie. I honestly don't understand why someone would work for the NSA given the choice.
A few possibilities: Believing in what the organization does (which could include several different narratives about why its work is good and/or legitimate and/or necessary) Recruitment via channels that civilian firms aren't using and offering people an educational and career path they didn't expect to have Recruitment via family, friend, and teacher channels Wanting to get to know lots of secrets Wanting to work wi…
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Re: NSA’s top talent is leaving because of low pay, flagging morale, unpopular reorg
#93Earlier quoted context omitted.
> if I didn't know her personally I'd be starting to wonder if she was, for whatever reason, unable to pass muster at Google et cetera. Not the best decision to drop that after a day of drinking together. But I'm glad I did--it was apparently the nudge she needed to quit. So she stopped being an indirect servant of popular will, and started selling ads. Great. > She now works in the private sector and is thrilled wit…
Another POV might break it down as: stopped helping spy on her fellow citizens and got an honest job.
Might be good to cite sources with direct evidence, if you’re claiming that somebody broke the law.
Re: NSA’s top talent is leaving because of low pay, flagging morale, unpopular reorg
#94Rogers disputed that there was any increase in attrition and told his employees that they should stop complaining and get back to work.
Can’t imagine why anybody would want to leave.
Re: NSA’s top talent is leaving because of low pay, flagging morale, unpopular reorg
#95The top talent might be leaving, but the databases and the lovely toys are staying put.
To be used by not-top-talent.
Interesting times.
Re: NSA’s top talent is leaving because of low pay, flagging morale, unpopular reorg
#96This combines a long running problem in government – not being allowed to offer competitive salaries for high-demand skills — with the new presidential administration’s chaos, and the specific feeling that the agency is not a force for good. I feel bad for everyone trying to do their jobs but struggling under the weight of so much baggage.
> the specific feeling that the agency is not a force for good. There are a mixture of feelings about the agency. The same can be said of the CIA and FBI. And this is nothing new.
I don’t think you can say there is “nothing new” in how the NSA is perceived. Both externally, and internally as well, if the reportage in the story is correct.
Re: NSA’s top talent is leaving because of low pay, flagging morale, unpopular reorg
#97The salary cap sounds like it will lead to more outsourcing, which would increase expenses overall.
Re: NSA’s top talent is leaving because of low pay, flagging morale, unpopular reorg
#98This is a problem across all of government. As a mediocre senior software engineer with no reports, I was paid more last year than the goddamn President of the United States (and no, it's not because I got lucky with stock). This is completely stupid and unacceptable. Of course our choices are going to be Hillary vs Trump if we pay the top leader in the country less than a mediocre software engineer. Of course Hillar…
> This is completely stupid and unacceptable.
Why?
> Why does Sundar Pichai make 500x more than the President? Do we, as a society, value running Google well 500x more than running our government well?
Why must the Presidency be the most highly-paid position for the government to run well? That is a ridiculous and silly assumption.
Re: NSA’s top talent is leaving because of low pay, flagging morale, unpopular reorg
#99Earlier quoted context omitted.
> if I didn't know her personally I'd be starting to wonder if she was, for whatever reason, unable to pass muster at Google et cetera. Not the best decision to drop that after a day of drinking together. But I'm glad I did--it was apparently the nudge she needed to quit. So she stopped being an indirect servant of popular will, and started selling ads. Great. > She now works in the private sector and is thrilled wit…
Serve Trump and the runaway deep state, or serve spam. That's bleak. That's not the only two options though.
Not to get into the politics of it, but isn't the"deep state" supposed to be the entrenched government employees that work against Trump?
Re: NSA’s top talent is leaving because of low pay, flagging morale, unpopular reorg
#100Question: how does this compare to other states?
I'm particularly interested in China's equivalent(s?) of the NSA. Do they manage to retain talent? Is it because the PRC's elite believes more in its mission? Is it higher status than the NSA? Do they offer higher relative salaries?