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Plaid Layoffs

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Re: Plaid Layoffs

#151

Post by Mistletoe »

boringg wrote: post #70

I get that layoffs seriously are terrible but a lot of these tech companies are providing some pretty seriously nice exit packages. I fail to understand the amount of acid in the comment thread? Layoffs suck, corporate speak is always cringey. What would people want as alternatives outside perfectly executed business plans that don't have layoffs? Handheld individual exit goodbye packages? Im seriously asking for leg…

I think the vitriol is more tied to the founder model of get as big as you can, as fast as you can, by hiring as many as you can, so that the valuations keep getting bigger and bigger so you can cash out. Then you cut loose all the people you know you didn’t actually need.

Re: Plaid Layoffs

#152

Post by dimmke »

woeirua wrote: post #37
lxe wrote: post #28

What delusional playbook does every tech leader get the idea to refer to their employees by cringey names like "Plaids" or "Metamates" in serious memos like this? Imagine if your physician did this... "Hey there KaiserPermanientoid! You have cancer!"

It's all part of the cult of personality. "We're all a family." Remind me, when was the last time your father just cut out half of the family?

But like, who at this point is not cynical enough to fall for this? I guess brand new college grads.

When I worked at Amazon, it was all "Amazonians" like I'm supposed to feel some kind of kinship with the 1 million+ people who work there. Plus the cheap branded clothing. Ugh.

Re: Plaid Layoffs

#153

Post by hinkley »

bluehatbrit wrote: post #87
dougmwne wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And BTW, I take full responsibility for everything, which means nothing.

"I take full responsibility! But I'll still be keeping my job, pay, and maybe getting a bonus for making this difficult decision to maintain our stock value."

Bo Burnham:

We used to have all the money and land. We still do, but it’s not as fun now.

Re: Plaid Layoffs

#154

Post by bombcar »

sct202 wrote: post #141
boringg wrote: post #70

I get that layoffs seriously are terrible but a lot of these tech companies are providing some pretty seriously nice exit packages. I fail to understand the amount of acid in the comment thread? Layoffs suck, corporate speak is always cringey. What would people want as alternatives outside perfectly executed business plans that don't have layoffs? Handheld individual exit goodbye packages? Im seriously asking for leg…

I've been thru a lot of layoffs and these posts would honestly be the last thing I would worry about. The worst ones I've been thru are the secret layoffs where a handful of people just disappear one day and everyone left just whispers about it because if we were supposed to know details the overlords would have said something and no one wants to be next by speaking out.

Yeah, mass layoffs are bad and annoying, but at least they're (usually) one and done and over with and you move along with your life.

The worst is when the company is struggling along and you're never quite sure if you should cut and run and people are disappearing every few weeks like some bad horror movie.

Re: Plaid Layoffs

#155

Post by BlargMcLarg »

jdnffjvnv wrote: post #128
game_the0ry wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In the chimpanzee world, this would be handled differently. In chimp world, when alpha chimp causes chaos that brings down the community, a group of beta chimps will tear apart alpha chimp limb-by-limb, then they elect a new alpha from the group of beta subversives. This also how the organized crime works - leaders get a lot of benefits, but they also get the downside accountability when they fuck up ("skin in the ga…

Are you advocating for mob violence against CEOs for laying people off?

The equivalent of our behavior in chimp world would be layoffs turning to execution, not removal from a job.

I'm sure someone educated enough to use the internet can argue in good faith and relativate what the human world equivalent of chimp behavior would be.

Re: Plaid Layoffs

#156

Post by elmomle »

hinkley wrote: post #112
bobmaxup wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Which means if anyone says they take full responsibility, they’re either saying “I’m a big fat narcissist” or that they imprinted on narcissists, so all of their mentors were. Kind of a stretch, no?

Grandparent talks about how taking responsibility means nothing. That’s what I was referring to. When’s the last time you saw someone actually take responsibility? When it’s a teen pregnancy or injuring a pedestrian, we know what “taking responsibility” means. For layoffs there are no actions, no alteration of life paths. Even the money for severance really comes out of someone else’s pockets. It means nothing for th…

To be clear, _saying_ that one takes full responsibility without further action means nothing.

Responsibility for a bad thing means that you are ultimately to blame, so if you take responsibility, you should either step down or present a detailed action plan. Otherwise you're saying "I messed this up and I also don't know how to fix it but I don't intend to stop being the leader"--which is (ironically) a very irresponsible stance.

Re: Plaid Layoffs

#157

Post by bombcar »

dougmwne wrote: post #44
simantel wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Peeps" at MailChimp.

And miss the opportunity to call them Chumps?

They probably forced "Peeps" as fast as they could because if the employees started referring to themselves as "Chimps" they could have all sorts of trouble.

Re: Plaid Layoffs

#160

Post by function_seven »

stu2b50 wrote: post #124
1234letshaveatw wrote: post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Certainly not referring to the people that just lost their jobs as "Plaids". Yuck

Why? That seems entirely innocuous?

I'll try to explain why I think it's gross.

All of these tech companies come up with cutesy terms for employees. "Googlers", "Plaids", "Metamates", "Splunkers", "Pinployees". It seems like a cheap way of tying workers' identities to The Company.

It's a cheap gesture used in an attempt to create a distinct "culture".

So in the context of a mass-termination, it really rubs me the wrong way to refer to these people as "Plaids". They're clearly not that, because you're sending them packing!

Lets get back to identifying our personnel with real terms. Employee, technician, associate, etc.

EDIT: NYTimes does a good job with this: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/16/technology/metamates-goog...

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