Google to reduce workforce by 12k • Hacker News Board

Re: Google to reduce workforce by 12k

#351

Post by RangerScience » Fri, Jan 20, 2023, 12:41 PM UTC

sillysaurusx wrote: post #135

makach wrote: post #104

Not a bad email, and a decent follow up on the ones that are affected. It is also a reminder that killing yourself slowly at the workplace is meaningless. Management has no responsibility to you, and no promise is certain. It’s your responsibility to take care of yourself. My take, don’t be bitter. Take the severance as soon as possible and get back on your feet. Having Google on your resume is a very good thing.

Hear hear re: not letting work consume your life. Seeing someone else say that was very refreshing. It’s so true that when you’re gone, the company hardly notices. Being let go with no severance and zero days notice was the last straw for me to ever put my soul into a soulless company again. Luckily there are cool ones out there worth putting yourself into. I managed to find one. Weirdly I now seem to enjoy staying u…

Second you on this one. I’ve taken to calling that kind of fun time “wizarding” so my friends and partner understand.

Re: Google to reduce workforce by 12k

#352

Post by threatofrain » Fri, Jan 20, 2023, 12:41 PM UTC

ergonaught wrote: post #234

I need to see these "I take full responsibility" people actually punished. At the very least, this sentence needs to be removed from their mouths. Alphabet had 116 billion USD "cash on hand" at the end of September 2022. Even if the full cost of each of those 12K employees is 500K per year, that's "only" 6 billion dollars to keep those "great" people that they "love" working with around. Net income for that quarter w…

Due to how the US works, it is the prerogative of the company to let workers go even if they are experiencing utmost prosperity. The CEO using language to take responsibility is an example of professional language. Contrast this to Elon who has the prerogative to let workers go while also shitting on their reputation.

Re: Google to reduce workforce by 12k

#353

Post by em500 » Fri, Jan 20, 2023, 12:41 PM UTC

ergonaught wrote: post #234

I need to see these "I take full responsibility" people actually punished. At the very least, this sentence needs to be removed from their mouths. Alphabet had 116 billion USD "cash on hand" at the end of September 2022. Even if the full cost of each of those 12K employees is 500K per year, that's "only" 6 billion dollars to keep those "great" people that they "love" working with around. Net income for that quarter w…

> I need to see these "I take full responsibility" people actually punished.

Sundar Pichai has an estimated net worth of 1.3bln.

There is no lawful way to "punish" a billionaire unless they've done something very illegal.

Re: Google to reduce workforce by 12k

#354

Post by activitypea » Fri, Jan 20, 2023, 12:41 PM UTC

joshruby123 wrote: post #293

Anyone who has experience with search interested in joining us? sirchit.com josh@sirchit.com

FWIW, I went through sirchit.com top-to-bottom twice, and I have no idea what the product is. It looks like something out of HBO's Silicon Valley. "It's about people" is a weird pitch to make a highly technical utility like a search engine.

"Google's mission is to organize information. Our mission is to help people get stuff done. In order for Google to accomplish its mission, it indexes the web. In order for Sirch to accomplish its mission, it connects users with people; people that offer goods, services, or [sic] infomation". I swear I uttered "those are certainly all words" to myself. Is Sirch a classifieds thing, or like a Craiglist?

Re: Google to reduce workforce by 12k

#355

Post by ddevault » Fri, Jan 20, 2023, 12:42 PM UTC

makach wrote: post #104

Not a bad email, and a decent follow up on the ones that are affected. It is also a reminder that killing yourself slowly at the workplace is meaningless. Management has no responsibility to you, and no promise is certain. It’s your responsibility to take care of yourself. My take, don’t be bitter. Take the severance as soon as possible and get back on your feet. Having Google on your resume is a very good thing.

Having Google on your resume is not a good thing depending on who's reading it. Googlers generally need to be extensively re-trained on reality outside of companies that cargo-cult Google's practices, and I'll have some questions about the moral compass of anyone who shows up with Google on the resume.

Re: Google to reduce workforce by 12k

#356

Post by crote » Fri, Jan 20, 2023, 12:42 PM UTC

i_like_apis wrote: post #321

ergonaught wrote: post #234

I need to see these "I take full responsibility" people actually punished. At the very least, this sentence needs to be removed from their mouths. Alphabet had 116 billion USD "cash on hand" at the end of September 2022. Even if the full cost of each of those 12K employees is 500K per year, that's "only" 6 billion dollars to keep those "great" people that they "love" working with around. Net income for that quarter w…

Punished for what? This is about miscalculating business needs and failing to create a culture of work ethic, leading to a situation where people need to be let go. That is not a crime. It’s just business.

Well, management should be punished for miscalculating business needs and failing to create a culture of work ethic, leading to a situation where people need to be let go.

It's their job to properly manage the business. They did not do their job properly, leading to the current mass firing. Of course it isn't a crime, but it does mean they are doing their job poorly. In virtually every single role that will have repercussions, so why does management get off scot-free?

Re: Google to reduce workforce by 12k

#357

Post by 4764764 » Fri, Jan 20, 2023, 12:42 PM UTC

Neil44 wrote: post #319

ergonaught wrote: post #234

I need to see these "I take full responsibility" people actually punished. At the very least, this sentence needs to be removed from their mouths. Alphabet had 116 billion USD "cash on hand" at the end of September 2022. Even if the full cost of each of those 12K employees is 500K per year, that's "only" 6 billion dollars to keep those "great" people that they "love" working with around. Net income for that quarter w…

If Googe doesn't need these people any more who would it benefit to keep them around? Google isn't social security and in any case who wants to work in a job where it doesn't really matter what you do because you're not really needed and just given busywork. It's just not a good way forward. Getting all angry over a specific phrase which is clearly meant to take any responsibility or implication away from those being…

[flagged]

Re: Google to reduce workforce by 12k

#358

Post by citrin_ru » Fri, Jan 20, 2023, 12:42 PM UTC

pembrook wrote: post #58

A lot of people seem to be chalking this one up in the “memetic imitation among tech execs” column. However, in the case of Google, I’m not so sure. Google is an advertising business. And advertising revenue is extremely sensitive to changes in the economy (Companies cut ad spending when there isn’t as much demand to soak up). In the last recession Google was still rapidly stealing ad share from old media, but now th…

Advertising revenue is sensitive but number of engineer Google needs is not proportional to amount of ads they show. It's not like Amazon where if people order less they need less workers at fulfillment centers and less track drivers. And Google still profitable and can afford to keep headcount as an investment into future. Or they have no plans which spans more than a quarter?

Re: Google to reduce workforce by 12k

#359

Post by itsoktocry » Fri, Jan 20, 2023, 12:43 PM UTC

oxfordmale wrote: post #265

ergonaught wrote: post #234

I need to see these "I take full responsibility" people actually punished. At the very least, this sentence needs to be removed from their mouths. Alphabet had 116 billion USD "cash on hand" at the end of September 2022. Even if the full cost of each of those 12K employees is 500K per year, that's "only" 6 billion dollars to keep those "great" people that they "love" working with around. Net income for that quarter w…

"I take full responsibility for punching you in the nether regions. I hope you have a lovely day." Taking full responsibility typically implies a negative impact on the person offering this. However, this has yet to be the case in tech layoffs. I would prefer they were honest. CEOs simply overhired to take maximum financial advantage of COVID, and now they no longer need the people who helped them achieve record prof…

>CEOs simply overhired to take maximum financial advantage of COVID

What does this even mean? Are you implying these people would have been better off not being hired?

Re: Google to reduce workforce by 12k

#360

Post by dbjijk » Fri, Jan 20, 2023, 12:43 PM UTC

ergonaught wrote: post #234

I need to see these "I take full responsibility" people actually punished. At the very least, this sentence needs to be removed from their mouths. Alphabet had 116 billion USD "cash on hand" at the end of September 2022. Even if the full cost of each of those 12K employees is 500K per year, that's "only" 6 billion dollars to keep those "great" people that they "love" working with around. Net income for that quarter w…

I'm reading these comments and feel the need to speak some truths. Come on everyone, have we not stopped drinking that koolaid yet ? Are we still that naive ?

The ONLY loyalty of a company is to its shareholders. The SOLE PURPOSE of a company is to increase profits for its shareholders. And you know it.

Yes they sit on plenty of money. It's not your money, it's not the employees money, it's the shareholders money. And they want more of it.

All the rest, the products, the messaging, whatever, is all just the means to reach that singular goal, increase profits for shareholders.

The current news cycle warning for recenssions and though times allows large companies to push through this kind of workforce reductions with less pushback than they would get in order times, and it is the perfect way to increase profitability.

Stock is up 2.3% already.

PS: I feel bad for everyone suffering from this. Losing a job is a personal drama for everyone involved.