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How much have tech layoffs affected engineers vs. other departments?

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Re: How much have tech layoffs affected engineers vs. other departments?

#131

We (large FANGish) are more or less in a hiring freeze but still grabbing a few new hires here and there. A friend just interviewed for SSE at AAPL and seemed to have the job only to be told they closed the req. I'm still getting lots of recruiter spam though so I think we're still fairly early in any sort of layoff cycle. The economy is still trucking. Despite many people trying to be first to declare it, we're not…

Not in a recession only in the sense that recessions are self fulfilling as people stop transactions

But by several other metrics we are

Re: How much have tech layoffs affected engineers vs. other departments?

#132
post #119

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The real value add of software engineering hasn't been code for awhile, it's figuring out what code needs to be written and which architecture/services are the most efficient to implement it.

Yes, same as the value of a plumber, electrician or architect. Difference there is there isn't a supply/demand imbalance of labor in those jobs. And there soon won't be one in engineering either

Have you tried to call an electrician or plumber recently? Assuming you can even get one on the phone, they can basically name their price for any job.

Re: How much have tech layoffs affected engineers vs. other departments?

#133
post #119

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The real value add of software engineering hasn't been code for awhile, it's figuring out what code needs to be written and which architecture/services are the most efficient to implement it.

Yes, same as the value of a plumber, electrician or architect. Difference there is there isn't a supply/demand imbalance of labor in those jobs. And there soon won't be one in engineering either

That’s a very hard prediction to make. The most expensive part of software is maintenance and it’s not decreasing over time.

Re: How much have tech layoffs affected engineers vs. other departments?

#134
post #100

I just went through a round of interviews and received offers from large, small, and medium sized companies. So the opportunities are still there if you can navigate the interview gauntlet.

I tell people that you are looking for _one_ position, not 10,000. There will always be a position somewhere that fits your needs. Its more difficult in down times to a degree. And if your industry is in a huge slump, find a new industry! There's more work to do than can ever be done.

I wish that was the case, but my experience is that there are fewer PHP jobs.

Switching a stack won't help cos places want years of experience.

Re: How much have tech layoffs affected engineers vs. other departments?

#135

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's also nothing wrong with plateauing for a while or even topping out, especially if you are generally happy with life and career. There's pride to be had in being a good individual contributor; not everyone needs to make it to Senior Super Special Principal :)

I keep being told I shouldn’t be writing code at my level and should be knee deep in design docs and estimations all day long. This is actually what happens but I would much prefer to be writing software and am wondering if I can even be happy in this career any longer. This industry has some real bizarre notions of career progression.

You need to write code and you need to get people around you to write better code.

That’s basically what a staff engineer does in addition to making large design decisions.

Re: How much have tech layoffs affected engineers vs. other departments?

#138

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Contrary view - this will sprout more startups that were previously starved for talent rest&vesting at faang&co and we'll see much tighter market in 2-3 years.

It will definitely do that if FAANG comp compresses via lower equity issuances. The difference is startups generally can’t compensate at the level that FAANGs do or did. And if discount rate stays higher, valuations will be much lower at the same revenue and growth rates than they had been in the past. Of course this also implies the value of the dollars you earn is greater via opportunity of higher yielding investme…

small crypto startups compete directly with faang because they can give their own liquid tokens alongside their base salary

given how big the VC funds for crypto startups are now I dont really see any talent acquisition situation improving for other tech startups, I see it getting more impossible

who wants below market salary and illiquid lottery tickets that you have to also put up your own money to redeem after 1 to 4 years of your life with a higher chance of getting zeroed after VCs get their cut first assuming the company doesnt fold? Given a choice

Re: How much have tech layoffs affected engineers vs. other departments?

#139

I just went through a round of interviews and received offers from large, small, and medium sized companies. So the opportunities are still there if you can navigate the interview gauntlet.

How many applications did you send, compared to number of phone screens?

Re: How much have tech layoffs affected engineers vs. other departments?

#140
post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Unemployment is at a historic low, which is not typical of a recession.

The economy is shrinking because boomers are retiring at a rate faster than we can fill jobs. The Boomer economists at the Fed have responded by raising interest rates so that Xers, Millennials, and Zoomers don't get uppity and ask for more money.

I think it's all just about too-little production. Stimulating demand just made prices worse so they finally stopped that.

Anyway they need those younger generations to keep making more money so they can afford to pay absurd rents for the rest of their lives.

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