If you (still) work at Twitter and you can code, head to the HQ now

Post by zipperhead » Sat, Nov 19, 2022, 3:57 PM UTC

nemo44x wrote: post #288

errantmind wrote: post #223

I'm no Elon fan, but why does essentially everyone in these threads automatically assume he is wrong? Has no one here worked at companies where there was more dead weight than talent? Where 80% of the work being done is by 20% of the people, and there are whole teams that do almost nothing? What if there is no clean, efficient way to discover who should be fired and so Elon's fallback plan is to test for who really w…

It's pretty much what they have been doing since the acquisition. It's based on 80/20 rule thinking and is taught in MBA programs. First they dropped orgs and teams they just didn't find useful any longer like large swaths of the HR team, marketing, etc. Then they asked leaders to identify the bottom ~30% of performers and culled them. Now you're left with the "better half" of the company. But Musk isn't through yet…

Post by s1artibartfast » Sat, Nov 19, 2022, 4:48 PM UTC

hamburglar wrote: post #643

s1artibartfast wrote: post #640

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Of course nobody is excited to explain what value they provide on short notice to keep their job. Nobody likes getting fired either. I agree that these exercises are neither measured, careful, or well coached. It is a blunt and imperfect way to see who codes at all, who can articulate their job, who can handle uncertainty and pressure, and also who will follow orders. Taking a screenshot and explaining your code is n…

Ok, well everything you’ve said in this subthread up until here has seemed to defend the request as reasonable. That is the confusing part. Our entire conversation still works if we swap in “please measure the length of your forearm and report to the 10th floor” for the request. It’s an unreasonable and arbitrary way to compare employees for immediate dismissal, yet it’s definitely a way that would let you cut 75% if…

Post by joshspankit » Sat, Nov 19, 2022, 6:06 PM UTC

radicaldreamer wrote: post #665

joshspankit wrote: post #658

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree with this. In fact, I don’t even know if Musk cares whether people actually review the submissions. This could be a very simple process of keeping them running through obstacle courses while the “weak” ones self-eliminate.

It’s constructive dismissal…

Post by michaelmrose » Sat, Nov 19, 2022, 6:38 PM UTC

khazhoux wrote: post #591

piva00 wrote: post #584

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> only mentoring others and attending meetings and writing design docs (as someone else suggested here) If you are mentioning a previous comment of mine [1] in this thread I think you're grossly misrepresenting my words. And if so I definitely take offense in that as it's not only uncharitable, it's completely missing the point and reducing a brief expansion based on one of your questions to "only attending meetings…

No, that was about someone else who posted that they would not expect even half of software developers, to be actually writing code. I found that statement bizarre. Like, yeah of course the top engineers find themselves less and less hands-on-keyboard as they turn more to technical leadership roles. But some people seem to be arguing that code isn’t the bread and butter work for majority of developers. Who’s doing th…

Post by ryanbrunner » Sat, Nov 19, 2022, 7:56 PM UTC

joshspankit wrote: post #666

radicaldreamer wrote: post #665

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It’s constructive dismissal…

Legally I’d agree with you, but that just means he has to pay severance and whatnot which I suspect is just a line item to him. If I’m right he’s trying to go full “Sparta” and his actual goal is to end up with the best devs at the finish line.