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Meet Silicon Valley’s rattled layoff ‘survivors’

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Re: Meet Silicon Valley’s rattled layoff ‘survivors’

#5

Quoted post unavailable.

Why is getting better benefits and perks deemed worthy of derision rather than an admission that most employees in the world are treated like garbage?

They aren't being completely exploited by their companies so they deserve to be taken down a peg to the sorry state you're in?

Re: Meet Silicon Valley’s rattled layoff ‘survivors’

#7
After a layoff, a lot of the best people among the remaining staff end up leaving as well. In addition to the extra work, the workplace acquires a bunch of mental tombstones of a time that would never repeat itself. If you are any good, that lowers the threshold of reasons not to quit, and the upside of quitting remains untouched (higher salary, new experiences, better title elsewhere, more learning). The reasons to stay have to increase to compensate - equity, vesting, higher title, etc. The people who stay have to be the ones you actually want to work with as well.

Re: Meet Silicon Valley’s rattled layoff ‘survivors’

#8
People have had 10 year careers in tech thinking the world is a permanent bull market. I can imagine how this feels like the world is collapsing around them.

For those of us who have weathered previous recessions, we know the world moves on. Things will be rough, for a while, we will rebound, and hopefully we will thrive again.

I feel the current situation is more representative of the long term job market than the last few exuberant years.

Re: Meet Silicon Valley’s rattled layoff ‘survivors’

#9

Quoted post unavailable.

Why is getting better benefits and perks deemed worthy of derision rather than an admission that most employees in the world are treated like garbage? They aren't being completely exploited by their companies so they deserve to be taken down a peg to the sorry state you're in?

For me, it's not necessarily derision, but lack of sympathy is natural.

If someone in my community (say a teacher) is making 45k a year, and they get laid off through no fault of their own, I will feel sympathy. They were contributing to the community as best they could, they were important, and now they are possibly struggling financially.

A developer making $300k? Working for an ad company? Not too much sympathy - they will probably be okay. People here usually brag about how much they make and how easy it is to find a job, anyway.

On top of that, there is this perception (not necessarily reality, but there is a kernel of truth) that California in particular has an outsized influence on the rest of the country, and does not really respect the beliefs of large swaths of our culture. You have corporations making unfathomable amounts of money dictating communications, interactions, etc, all from the silicon tower in California. That is a recipe for derision, whether it's logical or not.

Re: Meet Silicon Valley’s rattled layoff ‘survivors’

#10

Quoted post unavailable.

Why is getting better benefits and perks deemed worthy of derision rather than an admission that most employees in the world are treated like garbage? They aren't being completely exploited by their companies so they deserve to be taken down a peg to the sorry state you're in?

I think he's making the point that SV layoffs are not worthy of more sympathy than other layoffs, but maybe less.
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