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Citing revenue declines, Airbnb cuts 25% of workforce

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Re: Citing revenue declines, Airbnb cuts 25% of workforce

#791

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In theory I like this system. What are some of the downsides?

Significantly less risk taking and thus fewer globally competitive companies.

I think that if you want to make that argument, you probably shouldn't use Germany, manufacturing powerhouse of the West, as your example.

I'm not saying you are wrong, just that Germany doesn't really support your point.

Re: Citing revenue declines, Airbnb cuts 25% of workforce

#792
post #760

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I hear this claim often enough, but never seen related studies. Is getting hired in Germany more difficult, compared to the USA? And if so, can you attribute that to employee benefits?

Is there a reason why risky, innovative startups tend to be formed here in the US, and not in Germany? You guys act like there's no downside to cradle-to-grave nannying of the labor force. There is.

Correlation and causation. If you claim that lesser employee protection causes more innovation, proof it. So far, this is merely a believe.

Re: Citing revenue declines, Airbnb cuts 25% of workforce

#793

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Few options. Find an employer who is willing to hire you and go through H1B visa lottery, which is the normal work visa. Enroll in a US university, ideally a STEM degree, and use the OPT visa extension to get a foothold in the US. Marry an American? Probably plenty more options, but I'm not an expert in US immigration.

Join a company based in the US (like many tech companies), and do a really good job. They will then start trying to get you to move to the US, under an L1/L2 (if you can handle management, L2 tends to be better as your partner/spouse can work). Immediately apply for a green card. Preferably be born in a small European country, so the green card comes in your lifetime.

So looks like it's not too easy, which means salaries will not get better in Europe anytime soon.

Re: Citing revenue declines, Airbnb cuts 25% of workforce

#794
post #760

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I hear this claim often enough, but never seen related studies. Is getting hired in Germany more difficult, compared to the USA? And if so, can you attribute that to employee benefits?

Is there a reason why risky, innovative startups tend to be formed here in the US, and not in Germany? You guys act like there's no downside to cradle-to-grave nannying of the labor force. There is.

Cost and availability of capital, rather than anything else.

Like, if you are a PM at FAANG you can probably get a seed round for any kind of nonsense in SF, but in Germany you would need far more proof and preferably revenue (I don't know Germany that well, but it's similar across much of Western Europe).

Re: Citing revenue declines, Airbnb cuts 25% of workforce

#795

If Airbnb is willing to pay 14 weeks (3.25 months) of severance, they must believe this is going to go on significantly longer than that. Or they're using this as an opportunity to cut underperformers at the same time. Because if they believed things would start to recover by fall, wouldn't you just pay the people as normal and make a judgement call around then? You're spending the payroll money either way -- 14 week…

I personally suspect that travel related industries will be one of the last to recover, both due to consumer reticence and due to lower levels of disposable income during the recovery.

Especially Airbnb.

People will be more willing to stay at a hotel where at least some level of cleaning is guaranteed/expected.

In Airbnb, and I have no such guarantees and no idea who stayed at the property before me.

Re: Citing revenue declines, Airbnb cuts 25% of workforce

#797
post #695

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That is a...wildly imaginative take. Tesla sales are a fraction of any of the big three in terms of sales or revenue. They sold 192,000 vehicles in the US in 2019. Each of the Big Three sold well over three million. Tesla currently loses $2500 on every vehicle they sell

This thread is about innovation, not sales.

I mean, I get your point, but unless there are enough sales, pretty soon there will be no money for innovation.

Re: Citing revenue declines, Airbnb cuts 25% of workforce

#798

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sweden and Germany, for example, are heavily regulated but have more innovation in terms of GDP% than the USA. If you're talking about why we don't see more visible commercial innovation from European countries then it's more about access to the enormous amounts of capital to build a big name startup like Uber etc. Nobody notices the legions of small bootstrapped or seed to profitable software businesses across the E…

How do you measure "innovation in terms of GDP"? I certainly don't see trillion-dollar world-changing companies like Google, Microsoft, Apple and Amazon coming from those regions. What small business could replicate the impact of Windows, or Gmail or the iPhone?

It's worth noting that those companies have trillion dollar stock valuation, but by far less actual revenue. Average revenue per year of these companies is "just" 159 billions. Amazon has had a revenue of 88 billion.

German companies with more revenue than Amazon: Volkswagen, Daimler, BMW, Allianz, Siemens, Deutsche Telekom, Uniper, Bosch.

On the smaller end, Germany also has a comparable number of employer firms per capita as the U.S.

Empirically it largely is a myth that worker protection and consumer protection stiffles enterprises or innovation.

Re: Citing revenue declines, Airbnb cuts 25% of workforce

#799

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, it's a trade-off. Less regulation and more freedom and flexibility at the cost of more social risk and personal responsibility. That's the American way. I was simply stating that truth, not defending it nor saying other realities can't exist. But there is always a trade-off. What part of that is so controversial? Perhaps things have changed and the balance needs to be shifted now. That's a great discussion to ha…

"Just buy your own factory" as a response to the power imbalance between the workers and the owners of the means of production is the controversial statement.

Depending on your target industry, "a factory" can be as simple as some old yet reliable drill presses and lathes, and then hiring a machinist or two. How is the flexibility to do this "controversial"?

https://youtu.be/xXze8_SzW28?t=431 <---Granted he's got Youtuber money and other gun-sales related money to help, but the concept is the same....he's bootstrapping a factory after purchasing the relevant capital infrastructure using his own money.

Re: Citing revenue declines, Airbnb cuts 25% of workforce

#800

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How do you measure "innovation in terms of GDP"? I certainly don't see trillion-dollar world-changing companies like Google, Microsoft, Apple and Amazon coming from those regions. What small business could replicate the impact of Windows, or Gmail or the iPhone?

It's worth noting that those companies have trillion dollar stock valuation, but by far less actual revenue. Average revenue per year of these companies is "just" 159 billions. Amazon has had a revenue of 88 billion. German companies with more revenue than Amazon: Volkswagen, Daimler, BMW, Allianz, Siemens, Deutsche Telekom, Uniper, Bosch. On the smaller end, Germany also has a comparable number of employer firms per…

Amazon 2019 revenue is $280B, which is greater than every company you listed and tied with Volkswagen.

Valuation reflects market sentiment and potential but perhaps I should have left it out. The real focus is the "world-changing" aspect of the products produced.

What have been the recent global innovations produced by those German companies? Anything turned into a household name?

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