Ask HN: Who Wants to Be Fired? • Hacker News Board

Re: Ask HN: Who Wants to Be Fired?

#201

Post by perl4ever » Thu, Oct 03, 2019, 2:04 AM UTC

acdha wrote: post #182

perl4ever wrote: post #174

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The story exceeds my suspension of disbelief. What particular jumps out at me is the backwards details - nobody off the street knows what "TPA" means, sure, but everybody who's ever gone to see a doctor knows what HIPAA is, even if they think it's called "HIPPA".

I think you are rather over-estimating the degree to which people read those standard forms: it’s akin to expecting everyone to read the full text on the “Are you sure?” dialog before clicking OK.

I don't know if I read the forms, but so what? Many if not most people don't do their own taxes, but they know generally what the IRS is and what it does.

Re: Ask HN: Who Wants to Be Fired?

#202

Post by primitivesuave » Thu, Oct 03, 2019, 2:04 AM UTC

throwaway58129 wrote: post #64

I didn't know this format was a thing and am so very excited to discover it. I hope you folks enjoy reading horror stories. I got a job as a Software Engineer in my current company 4.5 years ago; friend-of-a-friend sort of thing. The company had an apparently disastrous piece of software that was their main LOB. They had gone through pretty much every local consulting agency - at least once, on a few occasions they h…

HIPAA is lovely in that it is worded strongly enough to get your coworkers to stop writing their password on a Post-It stuck to their computer. Fabulous read!

Re: Ask HN: Who Wants to Be Fired?

#203

Post by Chirael » Thu, Oct 03, 2019, 2:07 AM UTC

reificator wrote: post #115

thijsvandien wrote: post #109

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What are the arguments against version control here (if any)? Honestly the project sounds quite interesting, but I can imagine the circumstances make it painful.

> What's are the arguments against version control here (if any)? * I don't understand it * You're overcomplicating things * We're not using any of that free shit here * It doesn't say Microsoft or IBM * The last guy we hired that tried to use it was smarter than I was so anyone else who tries is a threat to my leadership. (because everyone knows you can only manage people who have a strict subset of your own knowled…

“We’ve never needed it before, so why do we need it now?” (actual argument against it at my current workplace)

Re: Ask HN: Who Wants to Be Fired?

#204

Post by gwbas1c » Thu, Oct 03, 2019, 2:07 AM UTC

ctoinhiding wrote: post #105

I am an acquired founder working in the bay area. The acquisition made me rich, I'm liquid, and I love my product and my team. Everyone did really well in the acquisition. The acquirer means well, but as a public company there is little intellectual honesty and projects are going off the cliff while my fellow executives not sharing the truth of how bad things are going and asking for help from one another for the goo…

Then coast. Just do the minimum to keep your job until your vesting date.

The way to signal that you're unhappy is to give your notice the day of your vesting date. (Or give your notice so that you leave on your vesting date.)

I've seen worse. One CTO that I know of, after acquisition into a public company, got stuck with an idea guy who just monopolized his time pushing for dumb ideas that had nothing to do with what the company wanted. From reading between the lines, it sounds like there was a lot of verbal abuse going on.

Re: Ask HN: Who Wants to Be Fired?

#205

Post by yjftsjthsd-h » Thu, Oct 03, 2019, 2:09 AM UTC

jenkinstrigger wrote: post #186

throwaway58129 wrote: post #64

I didn't know this format was a thing and am so very excited to discover it. I hope you folks enjoy reading horror stories. I got a job as a Software Engineer in my current company 4.5 years ago; friend-of-a-friend sort of thing. The company had an apparently disastrous piece of software that was their main LOB. They had gone through pretty much every local consulting agency - at least once, on a few occasions they h…

whats great about this is that you don't realize that you've written a new classic. also, get out while you can!

> also, get out while you can!

May I humbly suggest that this is not strong enough. You're staring down the barrel of HIPPA; get a lawyer and hand in your resignation NOW.

(Not a lawyer, not legal advice)

Re: Ask HN: Who Wants to Be Fired?

#206

Post by dboreham » Thu, Oct 03, 2019, 2:09 AM UTC

perl4ever wrote: post #175

MFLoon wrote: post #151

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I lost it at "What the fuck is HIPPA". Who the fuck buys a healthcare company and doesn't know what the fuck HIPPA is? Great read.

That's (purportedly) a quote from the person posting this on HN, not the purchaser of the company.

Ok, but I've never come close to working on healthcare software but I've run up against HIPAA numerous times because partners, customers, suppliers, customers of customers, are in that space. So the idea that your company can buy a full-on healthcare software business but you and your legal people have never heard of it is pretty hard to swallow.

Re: Ask HN: Who Wants to Be Fired?

#207

Post by house9-2 » Thu, Oct 03, 2019, 2:10 AM UTC

rjplatte wrote: post #100

I'm the sole developer working on my current project, which is overhauling a massive DOS era application, as well as overhauling an early 2000s era CRM/business management tool, that almost all of our work happens through. Did I mention that the DOS application is a HIPAA billing application that must meet all HIPAA guidelines as well as write EDI X12 billing files? I'm very junior, been coding for ~5 years, 3 profes…

> working on non-version-controlled code, having been expressly forbidden from using ANY VC by the CEO

Version Control is a basic requirement of professional software development in this day and age.

You could try explaining to your CEO it would be like telling a carpenter they can't use a hammer to build your new house.

Or just take the initiative and use Version Control without telling them. In my mind it isn't something you need to ask permission for.

Re: Ask HN: Who Wants to Be Fired?

#208

Post by Chirael » Thu, Oct 03, 2019, 2:12 AM UTC

rjplatte wrote: post #100

I'm the sole developer working on my current project, which is overhauling a massive DOS era application, as well as overhauling an early 2000s era CRM/business management tool, that almost all of our work happens through. Did I mention that the DOS application is a HIPAA billing application that must meet all HIPAA guidelines as well as write EDI X12 billing files? I'm very junior, been coding for ~5 years, 3 profes…

You may find this article helpful in some way: “How to Improve a Legacy Codebase” [0]

[0] https://jacquesmattheij.com/improving-a-legacy-codebase

Re: Ask HN: Who Wants to Be Fired?

#209

Post by paulcole » Thu, Oct 03, 2019, 2:13 AM UTC

uhhhhhhhh wrote: post #112

throwaway58129 wrote: post #64

I didn't know this format was a thing and am so very excited to discover it. I hope you folks enjoy reading horror stories. I got a job as a Software Engineer in my current company 4.5 years ago; friend-of-a-friend sort of thing. The company had an apparently disastrous piece of software that was their main LOB. They had gone through pretty much every local consulting agency - at least once, on a few occasions they h…

Will echo other comments and say that I enjoyed this post. IANAL, however, in all seriousness... I think you should talk to a personal lawyer about your situation ASAP, especially now that you posted this publicly. HIPAA is not to be trifled with and now you've shared that you have knowledge of a breach. You've also provided enough detail in this post that (if found and traced back to you) could be used as proof that…

HIPAA is absolutely to be trifled with. Look up who is actually fined and face actual consequences from HIPAA violations. It is 99.99% big universities, hospitals, and insurance companies. Everyone else gets (at most) a slap on the wrist and has to promise not to do it again. Once in a while they’ll fine a small family practitioner $25k for not shredding papers properly but it’s a total joke.

HIPAA Compliance Services are something for consultants to sell so business owners can sleep at night. It’s like Lisa’s magic rock on the Simpsons that keeps tigers away. Does it work? I don’t see any tigers around here do you?

Re: Ask HN: Who Wants to Be Fired?

#210

Post by t34543 » Thu, Oct 03, 2019, 2:13 AM UTC

Fuck my job. I make more money than ever but a bunch of chodes want to meet all day. I do NOT like meetings. Pairing is a NIGHTMARE. I’m a hardcore sysadmin, let’s debug some drivers. Instead we run php web apps where I can’t grep.