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

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

#251

Post by heartbreak »

mmmpop wrote: post #205
csande17 wrote: post #179

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Say, for sake of argument, that I'm the World's Greatest Widget Engineer. I'm worth more than the average employee at my company, so I can get stuff I want by negotiating individually with my employer. On the other hand, if a union imposes some broad agreement on the company under threat of strikes, I can't convince my company to break that agreement on my own because I'm not more valuable than the entire rest of the…

That makes you management buddy, so saddle up and don't forget your helmet.

Not-so-subtle threats of violence. Another reason not to like labor unions.

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

#252

Post by worik »

dimtion wrote: post #21
mmmmkay wrote: 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.

> ...policy is to work wherever we feel the most productive and happiest

That is interesting. I like that idea, in theory.

In practise I find the promise I have made to an employer to work/be available certain hours very useful. My time off is off, on is on.

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

#253

Post by daniel_reetz »

ludjer wrote: post #214
filoleg wrote: post #153

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not to undermine your point, wich which i agree wholeheartedly, but I wanted to address one thing. I imagine quite a lot of people who worked on M1 hardware probably still had to show up to the office. For some positions it is just required. A friend of mine who worked on hardware at Apple had to go to the office almost every day throughout the pandemic (and no, i dont know what product he worked on, and I am not goi…

There is very little physical interactions when designing hardware these days. You do most of the work and CAD software and simulations.

There's a ton of lab work, reverse engineering, validation, prototyping, measurement, the list goes on forever. CAD and simulation are just the beginning.

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

#254

Post by elpakal »

ethbr0 wrote: post #201
temp8964 wrote: post #162

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This sounds great. Maybe Apple thinks it can find someone else can do the same job in office. Also they can't just make exceptions for "talented" people, I guess.

No, Apple has a proud tradition of firing talented people, running the company into the ground, then rehiring the same people via acquisition.

Um, > running the company into the ground

how so?

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

#255

Post by MichaelMoser123 »

thr0wawayf00 wrote: post #38

Here’s to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes… the ones who see things differently — they’re not fond of rules… You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you can’t do is ignore them because they change things… they push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the on…

i think Steve Job said that, it may have been part of his clever marketing. He was very good at it.

He probably had to think differently when he got in charge of a big corporation...

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

#256

Post by recuter »

hn_throwaway_99 wrote: post #97
hooande wrote: post #77

Earlier quoted context omitted.

here's to you, good luck in your journey. make it worth it "If you're going to try, go all the way. Otherwise, don't even start. This could mean losing girlfriends, wives, relatives and maybe even your mind. It could mean not eating for three or four days. It could mean freezing on a park bench. It could mean jail. It could mean derision. It could mean mockery--isolation. Isolation is the gift. All the others are a t…

"Elegant, inspiring, soaring prose often makes for incredibly shitty real-world advice." - hn_throwaway_99

Who said anything about advice?

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

#257

Post by ineedasername »

hogrider wrote: post #224
ineedasername wrote: post #70

I'm trying to hire for a position right now and it has dragged on for months for two reasons: 1) WFH is now limited to 1 day per week, and a 3 month probationary period where new hires don't even get that. 2) Salary. It's still a job seeker's market and my workplace is not keeping pace. It's spec'ed for 3 years of experience but salary is about the median for a new graduate w/o professional experience. I'm happy to t…

I hope you tell who you eventually hire it's a shitty salary because it sounds they would only take the job if they don't know what they're worth.

I'm very upfront when I schedule the interview, give them a range when we set the time and if they're still interested we proceed. It's education analytics, so there's a little bit of "doing it for the mission" that gets people who are willing to make a little less because the job really has a very direct impact on students' success and lives. My work reduces student debt and increases success rates and identifies those individuals most at risk of having difficulties so others can make proper targeted interventions.

The work environment is laid back, 40 hour weeks & rarely any expectation of going over that so there can be a very good work/life balance. Benefits are pretty good too: very good retirement plan matching contributions, above average health insurance, 37 days PTO each year. So I need to find the right candidate that appreciates those things even if they could easily get 30%+ salary somewhere else. TCP where I work isn't to far off from other opportunities if the candidate considers & values those other benefits.

And again I am very upfront about that, and even explain these factors to them before interviews. I want people who know what they're signing up for, and not waste each other's time. It's a position that will give them lots of hands on experience to easily get the next step up in their career after doing this job for 3 years or so. They can grown from a basic analyst as described above into creating more sophisticated predictive modeling, bringing them up closer to my level. I view my role as managing someone as 1) to keep away from them as much as possible so they can do their work and I can do mine instead of sitting in meetings. And 2) to prepare them for their next job, their next step in their career. Because that's what a good manager does, and because by preparing them that way it means their last year working for me will be at a very high level of productivity, making my life easier as well.

But the candidate really has to be the right sort of person at the right stage in their life, someone looking for these things. And if my organization would ease up & recognize the job market requires at least a 15% increase in base salary I'd probably not have so much difficulty finding such a person.

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

#258

Post by zmmmmm »

nextos wrote: post #232
filoleg wrote: post #153

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not to undermine your point, wich which i agree wholeheartedly, but I wanted to address one thing. I imagine quite a lot of people who worked on M1 hardware probably still had to show up to the office. For some positions it is just required. A friend of mine who worked on hardware at Apple had to go to the office almost every day throughout the pandemic (and no, i dont know what product he worked on, and I am not goi…

I think onsite working can be nice but the problem is that it is really hard to find a company that doesn't try to cram you into an open plan office with at least half a dozen people. I can't do any real work like that. Before COVID, I was going to the office to talk to people, attend meetings and do chores, whereas I did real work at home. It was unsustainable, as work ended up filling 80+ hours per week.

> it is really hard to find a company that doesn't try to cram you into an open plan office with at least half a dozen people

exactly

I'd be fine to go into the office but don't be under the illusion I'm going to accept materially worse working conditions in order to do it. I guess it isn't the same for everyone, but my home office is a very high bar to beat and it makes a real difference to my productivity and mental well being to be there.

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

#259

Post by stavros »

hn_version_0023 wrote: post #73
nvrspyx wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That was a direct quote from Steve Jobs, except the last bit at the bottom. The whole point of the comment, I think, is how this goes against the old Apple ethos of encouraging non-conformity (to an extent).

Is that a quote from Jobs, or ad copy, or both?

It's ad copy, AFAIK.
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