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Exxon’s Exodus

bloomberg.com

11–20 of 102 posts

Re: Exxon’s Exodus

#12

> Keillor started by thanking everyone for their hard work over the past year, presented awards to three top-performing teams, and then opened the floor to questions. It was at this point things started to unravel, according to four people present who spoke on condition of anonymity. The software developers, data analysts, and technicians who run Exxon’s vast computing network, which helps the company manage everythi…

[deleted]

Re: Exxon’s Exodus

#13
A dinosaur media company cheers on a dinosaur energy company's demise.

> a culture that’s increasingly out of step with the world around it. Those interviewed describe an organization trapped in amber, whose insular and fear-based culture—once a beacon of corporate America—has become a drag on innovation, risk taking, and career satisfaction.

It's a giant, old company, with 1000s of employees who were not at that town hall because they don't do things like that. They live in Texas, not in Palo Alto or Manhattan.

Re: Exxon’s Exodus

#14
post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>> and whether Exxon was willing to raise pay to the level of major tech companies. Why would oil companies need to hire the same kinds of engineers that a SV giant would need? If they can get that kind of salary, more power to them, but I don't see the challenges being similar enough except on a smaller scale with device drivers for industrial equipment, etc.

What kind of systems do you think run the oil drills/manages refineries? Or simulate potential drilling sites? You think Exxon doesn't have data-centers? Or that everything is still analog buttons with a digital device driver on the end like the 80s? I work for a large defense contractor, you know what I'm working on right now? I'm coding up REST services, and a couple of months ago I was helping to spin up a Kuberne…

None of this seems to answer the underlying question of why other companies need to compete on salary with big tech.

I work for a financial company. We have tons of tech. We get paid peanuts compared to big tech.

Re: Exxon’s Exodus

#15
post #3

> Keillor started by thanking everyone for their hard work over the past year, presented awards to three top-performing teams, and then opened the floor to questions. It was at this point things started to unravel, according to four people present who spoke on condition of anonymity. The software developers, data analysts, and technicians who run Exxon’s vast computing network, which helps the company manage everythi…

>> and whether Exxon was willing to raise pay to the level of major tech companies. Why would oil companies need to hire the same kinds of engineers that a SV giant would need? If they can get that kind of salary, more power to them, but I don't see the challenges being similar enough except on a smaller scale with device drivers for industrial equipment, etc.

This is happening because of how much Exxon pays their other engineers, geologists, etc. and how these employees are caught in between 2 boom and bust industries (energy & tech). They see competitive pay for other job titles and layoffs are common when markets shift but are likely seen as a back-office function to be managed as "overhead" would (low pay, outsourcing, etc)

Re: Exxon’s Exodus

#16
Seem about the same situation and questions as any company right now - high attrition, management indifferent to stopping it, future work practices undecided (or decided to the disdain of the employees), etc.

Re: Exxon’s Exodus

#17
post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What kind of systems do you think run the oil drills/manages refineries? Or simulate potential drilling sites? You think Exxon doesn't have data-centers? Or that everything is still analog buttons with a digital device driver on the end like the 80s? I work for a large defense contractor, you know what I'm working on right now? I'm coding up REST services, and a couple of months ago I was helping to spin up a Kuberne…

None of this seems to answer the underlying question of why other companies need to compete on salary with big tech. I work for a financial company. We have tons of tech. We get paid peanuts compared to big tech.

Because those people will leave and take their knowledge with them to big tech?

Re: Exxon’s Exodus

#18
post #6
post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>> and whether Exxon was willing to raise pay to the level of major tech companies. Why would oil companies need to hire the same kinds of engineers that a SV giant would need? If they can get that kind of salary, more power to them, but I don't see the challenges being similar enough except on a smaller scale with device drivers for industrial equipment, etc.

Oil and gas are big users of HPC. They have been doing scale for longer than SV.

Not to mention they have been using ai/ml in practice regularly and at massive scale since at least the late 1970s. And IOT before it was a buzzword.

Re: Exxon’s Exodus

#19
post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What kind of systems do you think run the oil drills/manages refineries? Or simulate potential drilling sites? You think Exxon doesn't have data-centers? Or that everything is still analog buttons with a digital device driver on the end like the 80s? I work for a large defense contractor, you know what I'm working on right now? I'm coding up REST services, and a couple of months ago I was helping to spin up a Kuberne…

None of this seems to answer the underlying question of why other companies need to compete on salary with big tech. I work for a financial company. We have tons of tech. We get paid peanuts compared to big tech.

I guess if employees are satisfied with peanuts, great, that leaves more money for the top.

Re: Exxon’s Exodus

#20
post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What kind of systems do you think run the oil drills/manages refineries? Or simulate potential drilling sites? You think Exxon doesn't have data-centers? Or that everything is still analog buttons with a digital device driver on the end like the 80s? I work for a large defense contractor, you know what I'm working on right now? I'm coding up REST services, and a couple of months ago I was helping to spin up a Kuberne…

None of this seems to answer the underlying question of why other companies need to compete on salary with big tech. I work for a financial company. We have tons of tech. We get paid peanuts compared to big tech.

Then why don’t you leave for a job that pays better in big tech?
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