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Twitter’s mass layoffs have begun

techcrunch.com

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Re: Twitter’s mass layoffs have begun

#191

Post by bpodgursky »

lagolinguini wrote: post #184
bArray wrote: post #181

> Yep, the team is gone. The team that was researching and pushing for algorithmic transparency and algorithmic choice. The team that was studying algorithmic amplification. The team that was inventing and building ethical AI tooling and methodologies. All that is gone. If you want to justify your position, I would suggest highlighting the positive changes you _did_ make, rather than the positive changes you _intende…

> If you want to justify your position, I would suggest highlighting the positive changes you _did_ make, rather than the positive changes you _intended_ to make. Imagine where the world would be if bell labs didn't invest all that money into positive changes that people _intended_ to make.

Twitter does not have the luxury of being the Ma Bell monopoly.

If Twitter had a vice-grip on the social media market, we'd live in a different world... for better or for worse.

Re: Twitter’s mass layoffs have begun

#192

Post by s1k3 »

tomp wrote: post #122
redwood wrote: post #9

In my view no single medium (the media is the message) has done more to weaken the quality of public discourse in the world than Twitter. But maybe Facebook proves that even if you're allowed to use prose crazies dominate so maybe the issue is deeper

Really? On which other platform can you directly communicate (or at least listen to, unfiltered) to the worlds dictators, political leaders, and billionaires?

Twitter has destroyed public discourse. It has turned conversations into contents to be as short and as edgy as possible.

I’m sorry you don’t see that.

Re: Twitter’s mass layoffs have begun

#193

Post by Ptchd »

jdub wrote: post #76

Musk is capricious, cruel, and clueless. Whether or not you liked Twitter, it's a culturally significant platform, and Musk has almost certainly destroyed any hope it had of surviving. In barely a week. Hopefully it destroys him, too.

lol, what are you basing this comment on?

Re: Twitter’s mass layoffs have begun

#194

Post by jquery »

UncleMeat wrote: post #163
taurath wrote: post #89

Since apparently nobody else in the thread has any empathy for those who've lost their jobs, future access to healthcare (in the US and less civilized countries), and financial security, I guess I'll be the first: I feel bad for people who are laid off by the machinations of billionaires. I wish we lived in a society where it wasn't optimal to act like raving lunatics will tear down every bit of security you have at…

Even worse than that, immigration status. Getting laid off when on H1B, especially when other companies are freezing hiring and we are getting close to the holidays when everything takes longer is terrifying . You are on a clock for being simply kicked out of the country.

I didn’t even think about this. Absolutely horrifying. A lot of hopes and dreams just got destroyed.

Re: Twitter’s mass layoffs have begun

#196

Post by jejeyyy77 »

bluescrn wrote: post #12
aliljet wrote: post #8

I'm pretty curious about how and where Twitter employees were distributed. For a company ostensibly worth $44 billion, having 7,500 staff feels pretty damn lean. It feels like Musk isn't just purging people, he's purging the Twitter culture...

For comparison, SpaceX runs an entire private space program on ~12,000 employees. Near-weekly launches. Rocket development+production. Building+deploying Starlink. (Although that's just a number from a quick googling. Maybe they outsource a lot of manufacturing etc?)

To be fair software at space X is likely much less complex than Twitter’s stack.

Re: Twitter’s mass layoffs have begun

#198

Post by s1k3 »

tibbydudeza wrote: post #174

I got laid off but least I had the dignity of being told in person, given time to hand over my projects, allowed to remove my personal stuff from my work laptop (did not have any) and a generous severance package - it was about a month. So thankful I don't work in the US.

If you worked for a high profile company that just went through a tumultuous acquisition with a polarizing figure. Do you suppose you would have been given the same dignity?

These actions aren’t about you the individual. They’re about protecting the business against malcontents. With large polarizing companies this is a likelihood. Not so much with random company b with a couple hundred employees.

Re: Twitter’s mass layoffs have begun

#199

Post by prepend »

mattbrewsbytes wrote: post #18

What a contrast in leadership when you compare the way Twitter is doing this (rumor is right before bonus/stock vesting and cold impersonal email) and how Stripe is conducting their layoffs (empathy, 14 weeks severance, bonus payouts, etc.) Which company is going to have an easier time hiring after the dust settles and they have a growth stage again?

Isn’t the difference that Slack is profitable while Twitter is not?

I worked for a couple startups and the severance package for companies losing money was pretty bad. The package for profitable was ok. And the package for insolvent was “your last paycheck was your last.”

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