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Musk’s first email to Twitter staff ends remote work

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Re: Musk’s first email to Twitter staff ends remote work

#521
post #417
post #357

Everytime a new Commanding Officer (CO) showed up when I was in the Navy we tried to bet which type it was: 1) The kind who investigated the goings-on in the ship, interviewed the officers and chiefs, and learned how the ship was being run, then made small changes over time to optimize the operations based on what they learned. Sometimes big changes in one specific area, if it was required (like fixing the ship's cry…

and generally acted like they owned the place To be fair, he actually does own the place.

It doesn't seem like he really cares about the place though

Re: Musk’s first email to Twitter staff ends remote work

#522
post #408

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Difference is you served (or are serving) during peacetime. This is wartime.. Twitter is in a shit load of trouble and unlike Meta & Snap which are crashing like a shitcoin.. Elon bought Twitter at 2x-3x what its actually worth. Unlike the past decade, where these companies had easy access to funny money during a tech bull market.. now we are entering a uuge recession.. Twitter (or any company for that matter) which…

Ah yes, it's like Sun Tzu said, the best way to wage a war is to get rid of half your army, and demoralize the other half.

If half of the army hates you and is trying to make you lose, yeah.

Re: Musk’s first email to Twitter staff ends remote work

#523
post #208

Let's say you run a company and you want to reduce staff. Let's also say you want to make an unpopular decision (or multiple unpopular decisions) that you know will drive a certain percentage of your staff to leave the company. Wouldn't it make the most sense to announce those decisions before making layoffs? Let people self select whether they want to stay and work for you and then make your layoffs after to ensure…

I worked at a place that did this in 2009.

The problem with this method is that many people DID relocate to keep their jobs. And then were layed off two months later.

Imagine uplifting your life for your job, and then being told you need to find a new job anyway.

Re: Musk’s first email to Twitter staff ends remote work

#524
post #481

Or -- he's stupid.

What's stupid is people thinking that someone who successfully rules over some of the most influential companies in the world is stupid. Reminds me of all those people who claim that Trump or Putin[1] are "stupid" where in reality they just mean "I don't like them". [1] You can be a murderous dictator and not stupid, I would actually wager a guess that those people tend to actually be cleverer than average. Some appl…

Agreed.

I wouldn’t want to work for Twitter w/o remote work, but I don’t think he’s stupid.

Re: Musk’s first email to Twitter staff ends remote work

#525
post #208

Let's say you run a company and you want to reduce staff. Let's also say you want to make an unpopular decision (or multiple unpopular decisions) that you know will drive a certain percentage of your staff to leave the company. Wouldn't it make the most sense to announce those decisions before making layoffs? Let people self select whether they want to stay and work for you and then make your layoffs after to ensure…

At first this was my thinking as well, but then towards the end of the article, the author mentions an "all hands meeting" he had with employees before completing the acquisition, and apparently he said in that occasion that he was against remote work. Having said that, remote work is up there with compensation in my book, taking it away is just as likely[1] as a salary cut to make leave the company. [1] i.e. almost…

Getting rid of remote work is an excellent way to chase away your best employees while retaining people with nowhere to go.

Re: Musk’s first email to Twitter staff ends remote work

#526
post #208

Let's say you run a company and you want to reduce staff. Let's also say you want to make an unpopular decision (or multiple unpopular decisions) that you know will drive a certain percentage of your staff to leave the company. Wouldn't it make the most sense to announce those decisions before making layoffs? Let people self select whether they want to stay and work for you and then make your layoffs after to ensure…

I wonder if there is some sort of tax strategy Musk can implement if Twitter goes under? Might be more valuable dead than alive to him.

Re: Musk’s first email to Twitter staff ends remote work

#527

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What has Twitter innovated on in the past decade? While I don't agree with the way Elon has been making this move, it's sure looking like he's trying to clear the place out so he can establish a new culture. These policy changes are likely to scare mobile, top-performers off to other companies. This likely clears out a lot of internal dissent and heal digging to make room for new "top performers". I wouldn't be shock…

Why would any competent engineer sign up to work in the environment Musk has created? I’ve seen no upside to employees offered, only brutal management and benefit reduction with a promise of hard work for less.

Why would it be any different from his other companies? I wouldn't apply, but if some people are willing to work at Tesla, surely some are also willing to work at Musk-Twitter?

Re: Musk’s first email to Twitter staff ends remote work

#528
post #208

Let's say you run a company and you want to reduce staff. Let's also say you want to make an unpopular decision (or multiple unpopular decisions) that you know will drive a certain percentage of your staff to leave the company. Wouldn't it make the most sense to announce those decisions before making layoffs? Let people self select whether they want to stay and work for you and then make your layoffs after to ensure…

I made a half-joke here on HN a few months ago that Musk was buying Twitter just to destroy it for the lols.

Maybe everyone's wasting their time with rational economic analysis, trying to figure out a pretty simple guy with an obscene pile of fuck-you money and an axe to grind.

Re: Musk’s first email to Twitter staff ends remote work

#529
post #396

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> You can't innovate and software engineer using 1950s style "butts in seats" This seems to be pulled from thin air. Nobody would have murmured it 3 years ago. You really think the whole world changed that much in the past 3 years that you can lay down such a superlative?

>You really think the whole world changed that much in the past 3 years that you can lay down such a superlative? Because 3 years ago people thought it wouldn't work. The pandemic showed it does.

I'm not sure a huge tech recession is exactly proof.

Re: Musk’s first email to Twitter staff ends remote work

#530
post #481

Or -- he's stupid.

What's stupid is people thinking that someone who successfully rules over some of the most influential companies in the world is stupid. Reminds me of all those people who claim that Trump or Putin[1] are "stupid" where in reality they just mean "I don't like them". [1] You can be a murderous dictator and not stupid, I would actually wager a guess that those people tend to actually be cleverer than average. Some appl…

The smartest man in the world can still make mistakes.
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