Plaid Layoffs

well somebody has to say this or lame asses like you just keep thinking that your entitlement is actually reasonable, I've seen too many of you here on HN. Employment goes two way, you are free to leave the company and they are free to fire you, whenever they feel like. The fact that they shouldn't have hired you in the first place or that they are still making profit is irrelevant.

I am concerned that you are not seeing the point parent listed and default to forcing the Russian revolution analogy even though it does nothing for the point itself. I guess I will try rephrasing it a little bit in an effort to hopefully clear it a little.

Few here would not recognize their privileged position in US society ( edit: come to think of it, almost any society today; even in North Korea, hackers are deemed useful if I remember correctly and fare better under that regime than rest of the population; still, I wanted to focus on US ). And I think most here know that a mob won't be particularly inclined to ask multiple choice questions or introspection to determine your social status ( as you indicated with kulaks example.. just having a farm will be enough ) and allegiance to the cause.

The issue is, however, that system is indeed broken. Just the other day I had a conversation with business owner, who claimed WFH is bad, because a chat with a person isn't fast enough ( implication being if I can't yell at you in person, it does not count ), things are delayed/wrong ( because of WFH ) and I will either return and comply or be replaced. The interesting thing about it is that he was actually trying to restrain himself as I was not his employee ( but the guy was angry ). He stopped talking to me once I asked if he thinks that it seems like the communication is the issue to solve here. But the guy was not interested in a solution. He ran that business for decades now. This is just how he operates and does not want to adjust. And that is ok, but I get a distinct feeling this is how managers across US are feeling.

They want to be able to just issue vague layoff threats to get people in line. I am almost certain that I wrote this here before, but as one overheard manager bemoaned 'I had to throw my entire toolbox away for Covid.' Manager class does not want to change what they had and see now as an opportunity to re-establish pre-covid power structure, which was already out of whack. They had a good tool and covid ruined it.

From manager's perspective, the issue comes from the fact that knowledge workers are not as easily located to be replaced. There is simply less of a pool of desirable candidates. Even for relatively easy ( and popular now ) things to learn like Python, it is hard for multiple reasons including one, where HR and sometimes even hiring manager does not know much about.

FWIW, I buy that there is some level of resentment from lower middle class ( even though I do perceive myself as a part of middle class now, which gives you an idea of how easily distorted concept is is - maybe we should start talking about income brackets; that would maybe open some eyes ) and below.

My main point stands though. There is anger. It has to be addressed. When stuff like that is not addressed, bad things happen ( usually across the board including eventually to the mob if French revolution is any indicator ). HN crowd may well be 'kulaks' in today's society ( although I would dispute that comparison ), but it does not change the validity of previous sentence.

What does "don't need" mean?

The solution is to have employees at least have some seat at the table for this process. How are layoffs chosen? How are severance benefits chosen? We are currently seeing generous severance benefits at most of these companies, but absolutely nothing guarantees this. The solution is that when the CEO wants to lay off 15% of the company they go to the employees and say "okay, we need to lay off 15% of the company, let's work together to find the best way to do this."

CEOs resigning or otherwise experiencing a lot of pain does not help the people being laid off. But if it becomes a cultural norm then CEOs in the future may be less likely to take steps that lead to layoffs.

Consider a more extreme example of the justice system. Putting somebody in prison doesn't undo the crime they committed. But deterrence is considered to be a reasonable argument for criminal punishment.

Look at practically every violent revolution by the lower classes - China, Cambodia, Vietnam. Intellectuals, small business owners, what most countries would call the “middle class” were the enemy.

The workers are the people truly suffering. Not getting laid off with a cushy severance package or not being allowed to work from home.

While many on HN see themselves as the oppressed working class I can promise you the lower class don’t see it that way at all. Engineers in Silicon Valley are the rich. Sure not billionaires, but far wealthy beyond what the lower classes could ever imagine.