Live data from Hacker News

Apple's director of machine learning resigns due to return to office work

macrumors.com

21–30 of 734 posts

Re: Apple's director of machine learning resigns due to return to office work

#21
post #10

I recently left Amazon for a fully remote position and that was my sole decision making factor.

Amazon WFH policy is still flexible though. For example, in my team the current policy is to work wherever we feel the most productive and happiest.

You could have potentially moved within the company if that was only decision factor.

Re: Apple's director of machine learning resigns due to return to office work

#22

We wish him well. People leave jobs all the time.

Do they leave them all the time because of a return-to-office policy?

It seems to be pretty common today, yeah. I'd say it's probably the most important thing for everyone I know, even moreso than compensation lately.

Re: Apple's director of machine learning resigns due to return to office work

#23
I'm so happy to work for a company who tried to do hybrid and when no one showed up (no way i was going back its a 50 mile one way drive) beginning of April they just said we are now a remote company.

Apple, Google, etc are going to learn quickly and change to all remote soon too I bet. Weighing their prestige vs. the improved quality of life remote brings to most workers can not compete. Especially with company's like Air BnB which pays same very high salaries who says work anywhere in the world.

Overall a raise of 50 to 100k in salary would not get me back into any office and I live alone in a small town in south central PA. The pandemic forced me to find a new social life with new friends that Im equally enjoying as I did with friends I had at work (they are still around some socially but the connection isnt as strong).

Re: Apple's director of machine learning resigns due to return to office work

#24

Quite a big loss for Apple. Ian was the primary author of the 2014 GAN paper. https://arxiv.org/abs/1406.2661

I can tell you from direct experience that he is no big loss for Apple. And he wasn't "Apple's Director of ML" as in the headline makes it sound like the top company lead for this topic. He was a director, among many. A reasonably sized group leader, not say, a JG.

Likewise when he left Google for Apple the media painted him as the director of Google AI

Re: Apple's director of machine learning resigns due to return to office work

#25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I can tell you from direct experience that he is no big loss for Apple. And he wasn't "Apple's Director of ML" as in the headline makes it sound like the top company lead for this topic. He was a director, among many. A reasonably sized group leader, not say, a JG.

Can you elaborate on this.

Let's just say that is it correct that he is still known for his 2014 GAN work.

Re: Apple's director of machine learning resigns due to return to office work

#26

We wish him well. People leave jobs all the time.

Do they leave them all the time because of a return-to-office policy?

Probably not.

I really doubt that most people would give up a job in a satisfying office environment with people they truly enjoy working with on a product/project they are excited to work on everyday simply because of they are told they have to go in and meet those people they really groove with three times a week.

Re: Apple's director of machine learning resigns due to return to office work

#27
I assume Ian wants to get back into research/publishing papers as well, he hasn't published any good papers in a while. He probably wanted the industry experience/research of machine learning in commercial applications with the scale and support of Apple behind it. When Apple designs things they design it with a fixed narrow purpose. Where as with Google you build general solutions. I think he wanted the experience of both. This return to office probably just gives him a good out after he accomplished what he wanted to do at Apple.

Re: Apple's director of machine learning resigns due to return to office work

#28
Good for him.

These companies touting their solutions for creating a more connected world can't have it both ways. Apple was able to ship the M1 and roll out new iterations of many other offerings since the pandemic hit. They're just fine.

Apple didn't collapse since the pandemic hit, and the flexibility offered by remote work is far more valuable to lots of people than the loss of in-person collaboration opportunities. We deserve to have input into how we work best and if that means walking away from companies run by egomaniacs that need to see butts in seats, then so be it.

Re: Apple's director of machine learning resigns due to return to office work

#29

You might agree or disagree with RTO but at least they aren't bending the rules for execs.

Unlike Google where Urs demanded his org back in person while he moved to New Zealand to safely work remote: https://www.businessinsider.com/google-exec-reportedly-worki...

Re: Apple's director of machine learning resigns due to return to office work

#30

Good for him. These companies touting their solutions for creating a more connected world can't have it both ways. Apple was able to ship the M1 and roll out new iterations of many other offerings since the pandemic hit. They're just fine. Apple didn't collapse since the pandemic hit, and the flexibility offered by remote work is far more valuable to lots of people than the loss of in-person collaboration opportuniti…

> We deserve to have input into how we work best and if that means walking away from companies run by egomaniacs that need to see butts in seats, then so be it.

The logical conclusion of this line of thinking is to organize your coworkers. You have much more bargaining power about your work conditions as an organized union. The history of unionization stems primarily from workers demanding safe working environments.

Post reply on HN