Musk’s first email to Twitter staff ends remote work • Hacker News Board

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

#801

Post by danans » Fri, Nov 11, 2022, 12:04 AM UTC

dragonwriter wrote: post #745

danans wrote: post #301

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 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 all teams are properly staffed. He's got huge debt and declining revenue - both of his own making - so he doesn't have time for employees to self-select based on minor incentives. He has to strip down the car fast while someho…

> He also wants to recreate the place per his own vision, so it makes sense to get rid of as many people carrying the previous culture as you can and then start hiring as necessary with the kind of people you want So, he's destroying all of the institutional knowledge, the brand image, and the existing business relationships, while pivoting to a radically different market. He wanted a fresh startup to sink $44 billio…

> So, he's destroying all of the institutional knowledge, the brand image, and the existing business relationships, while pivoting to a radically different market.

Sounds about right. Also, I don't think he values the institutional knowledge much, and thinks he can replace it quickly, because he thinks Twitter employees were idiots and he makes reusable space rockets something something.

Now he has to find a way out of his predicament. First step, fire a lot of people to stop the monetary bleeding he caused. Second step, find others to blame - activists organizing boycotts - or have his buddy the founder take public blame for him. Third, bring in his "A-team" of super rocket EV tunnel software engineers to fix it all up to work better with 1/5th the people. I don't think he cares if he has to do institutional and human damage to achieve it.

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

#802

Post by PM_me_your_math » Fri, Nov 11, 2022, 12:04 AM UTC

Taniwha wrote: post #461

boatsie wrote: post #271

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think you have it backwards. This is how you accomplish a 75% reduction while only having to lay off (and pay severance for) 50%! Musk again playing 4d chess.

4D chess? he doesn't have the self control, too busy haring off tilting at windmills to launch his damned spaceship

In the absence of Russian rockets, how do you suppose the USA launch astronauts to the iss or fly satellites?

Hope can't achieve orbital velocity.

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

#803

Post by gw98 » Fri, Nov 11, 2022, 12:04 AM UTC

rchaud wrote: post #737

janoc wrote: post #685

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>then start hiring as necessary with the kind of people you want. That assumes that people will still want to work for Twitter after all of this. Given that there is no shortage of jobs for engineers even after massive layoffs at Facebook/Meta and Twitter, many people are going to think twice about signing up to work for a company and owner that have a reputation for treating people as disposable trash. Employees are…

I'm sure he can drag some Tesla software engineers in for a few months to fill the gaps. That's how this works, right? /s

Yup. I've been that guy twice on projects. Started a contract. Oh all the other guys were fired/left! I laughed inside a bit, took the 6 months pay and watched it tank both times because there was fuck all I could do about it but was contracted for butts on seats only.

I was an expensive parachute into a slurry pit.

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

#804

Post by foxylad » Fri, Nov 11, 2022, 12:04 AM UTC

abxytg wrote: post #481

Or -- he's stupid.

He's not stupid in the domains he understands. I think his problem is impulse control, and he's impulsively bought into a business that he knows little about.

I do think hard times are coming for Musk. As well as burning billions on Twitter, Tesla is no longer the vangard of the EV market, Boring seems to be a dead end, and I haven't heard anything about the solar enterprise for years. Space X seems to be still innovating, and I hope Musk isn't completely cleaned out so his Mars aspirations still bear fruit.

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

#805

Post by aerostable_slug » Fri, Nov 11, 2022, 12:04 AM UTC

danans wrote: post #301

slg wrote: 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…

> 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 all teams are properly staffed. He's got huge debt and declining revenue - both of his own making - so he doesn't have time for employees to self-select based on minor incentives. He has to strip down the car fast while someho…

> both of his own making

Really? I was under the impression that Twitter was hemorrhaging money.

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

#806

Post by rot13xor » Fri, Nov 11, 2022, 12:06 AM UTC

nyokodo wrote: post #781

gw98 wrote: post #567

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I suspect this is the real problem. Stupid people with money can look like they are clever because the layer of people immediately underneath them actually wields the clue stick. Stupid people with no money look stupid because they can't afford the layer of clever people underneath them. Clever people are either abstracting the liability via stupid person in the layer above them or don't need that kind of shit in the…

> Stupid people with money can look like they are clever I get it, some people hate Elon’s guts and equally hate Elon fans. I also think that it’s pretty well established that he has a range of character flaws that really hurt him and threaten his future success. However, anyone who insinuates that Elon is stupid needs to establish how a genuinely stupid person could found two successful dot coms and then hire all th…

Being smart in one field doesn't translate to being smart in another field. For example, Steve Jobs making medical decisions, doctors making investment decisions, bankers making tech decisions.

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

#807

Post by mdcds » Fri, Nov 11, 2022, 12:06 AM UTC

slg wrote: 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…

> Wouldn't it make the most sense to announce those decisions before making layoffs?

no. layoff from the bottom first. then push out more people as needed. bottom performers have fewer options and, on average, will be willing to put up with more than top performers

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

#808

Post by shaburn » Fri, Nov 11, 2022, 12:07 AM UTC

georgyo wrote: post #523

slg wrote: 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.

2009 was a different time and this is the easiest time to find a new job for the rest of the collapse.

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

#809

Post by idontpost » Fri, Nov 11, 2022, 12:08 AM UTC

14u2c wrote: post #757

slg wrote: post #687

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well yes, the actual best approach for the wellbeing of employee is to combine these two moves. Give employees the choice between taking a voluntary severance package or coming back to the office. Make it known that a round of layoffs is possible depending on the number of people who take the severance. That way no one is misled into moving and the company doesn't have to be as concerned with the distribution of peop…

I don't think I've ever seen a company leave a question of "possible" layoffs up in the air like that. If they happen the announcement is made the same day, otherwise you have people questioning their employment for months.

No post body was provided.

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

#810

Post by acdha » Fri, Nov 11, 2022, 12:08 AM UTC

aerostable_slug wrote: post #805

danans wrote: post #301

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 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 all teams are properly staffed. He's got huge debt and declining revenue - both of his own making - so he doesn't have time for employees to self-select based on minor incentives. He has to strip down the car fast while someho…

> both of his own making Really? I was under the impression that Twitter was hemorrhaging money.

Twitter was losing money but for years they would have been profitable except they were handing out executive stock compensation like they were Facebook.

That wasn’t great but there was an obvious path to profitability. Musk just added somewhat over a billion in new annual debt servicing so it went from “stop going to nightclubs every day” to “sell the furniture”.