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Thoughts on getting laid off after nine years at Twilio

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Re: Thoughts on getting laid off after nine years at Twilio

#141

Post by itbeho »

throwawaycopter wrote: post #120
wonderwonder wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I very much take a mercenary approach to my jobs. At my very first software job I remember seeing a let go employee walking sadly through the office with a box of his possessions under one arm and a potted plant in the other. Since then I have brought nothing personal into work. If I'm let go I just have to grab my keys and I'm out. Work is something I do to earn money. If companies can replace people for less or cut…

You just described with incredible precision my approach to jobs and career. The only difference is that I make a point of leaving my current job in 18 to 24 months. That is the sweet spot. No matter how good or bad I think the job is. Always get a raise in the switch. Rinse and repeat. I actually avoid getting promotions in whatever is my current job, those are detrimental, seldom the raise is compatible with the in…

I follow a similar pattern. A current employer almost never raises salary commensurate with market rates after 2 or more years.

Re: Thoughts on getting laid off after nine years at Twilio

#142

Post by librish »

Manuel_D wrote: post #132
librish wrote: post #131

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not abundantly clear to me. The author probably enjoyed those nine years a lot more than someone who adopts a mercenary attitude would have. Human beings love belonging places. What did this emotional investment cost him? Slightly more pain when the relationship ended (and it seems like they're already excited for what's next)?

The emotional investment may have made him miss out on more interesting, better compensated, or otherwise more desirable jobs. And the pain at its end does not correspond to more enjoyment. I don't think a mercenary attitude diminishes the enjoyment of working at all. Like I said earlier, the Blackwater and Executive Outcomes guys probably enjoy their jobs just as much as typical soldiers - possibly even more. I don'…

I think we'll have to agree to disagree, that's not my experience.

Re: Thoughts on getting laid off after nine years at Twilio

#143

Post by JohnFen »

fzeroracer wrote: post #53
twawaaay wrote: post #13

I wonder if large companies recognise they are shitting in the pond they are floating in. As somebody with over quarter of century of experience managing and hiring people I notice how candidates change over time (trying to adjust for how I change myself). I notice people care less about the company they work for and, honestly, it is more and more difficult to find arguments against. This whole trend of optimising ev…

We're seeing the consequences of this stuff. Productivity is going down and you have a bunch of your typical CEO-favored sites going on about quiet quitting, ghosted interviews, unthankful employees etc. To counter this issue rather than improving the workplace they're deciding to try and enforce productivity through spying on workers and forcing people back into the office. It's all a symptom of what you mentioned w…

> unthankful employees

This always gets me. It's as if they think they're doing people a favor by hiring them -- or at least expect people to think they're doing them a favor.

It just ain't so. The reason companies hire people is because they'll make more money by doing so. It's not a favor, it's just cold business. Employees should not feel "thankful", they should feel as if they entered into a business relationship.

Re: Thoughts on getting laid off after nine years at Twilio

#144

Post by JohnFen »

throwawaysleep wrote: post #42
twawaaay wrote: post #13

I wonder if large companies recognise they are shitting in the pond they are floating in. As somebody with over quarter of century of experience managing and hiring people I notice how candidates change over time (trying to adjust for how I change myself). I notice people care less about the company they work for and, honestly, it is more and more difficult to find arguments against. This whole trend of optimising ev…

I don’t see a reason to even report money being literally wasted in my current jobs. There is an unused cloud service burning money at one of my jobs. Tens of thousands kind of money. Make a case for me even bothering to tell someone about it. You can’t.

I figure that one of the things a company is paying me for is my expertise. I would be negligent in withholding that from them, so I'll always say something. Whether or not they listen isn't my problem -- I've done my duty.

Re: Thoughts on getting laid off after nine years at Twilio

#145

Post by JohnFen »

perfecthjrjth wrote: post #70
ChrisMarshallNY wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> You can't just tell people not to have human connections to their work. In my case, it has been required. I'm very fortunate, to have worked for 27 years, for a company that had many, many faults, but always treated their workers as if their career at the company was a critical factor. That's because it was a "classic" Japanese company. The best managers that I had, were Japanese (including one that eventually beca…

Integrity as a virtue is given less weight in almost all business transactions, these days.

Integrity is as important as it has always been. While you can certainly have a successful career or business that is lacking it, how much integrity you are perceived as having has an enormous influence on it.

If you are viewed as lacking, you will largely be restricted to doing business with people and companies who are also lacking because others won't give you the time of day.

Re: Thoughts on getting laid off after nine years at Twilio

#146

Post by JohnFen »

kmac_ wrote: post #94
vlunkr wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> unhealthy to be emotionally invested. I used to agree with this, but I've changed my tune recently. Working 8 hours a day on something you're not emotionally invested in for years is incredibly depressing and puts you at risk of burn out. My more nuanced opinion is that you need to find the right pieces of the company to be invested in. I can take pride in the quality of the code, in trying to help out my co-worker…

This and investment in self development through the work for the company. I don't earn just money but I gain experience. When the second one doesn't go up, it's time to go.

Oh, this is so me. When I'm looking for a new position, the main thing I'm looking for is a position where I'll have to be learning new skills.

The pay rate ranks third or fourth on my list of important considerations.

Re: Thoughts on getting laid off after nine years at Twilio

#147

Post by sys_64738 »

throwawaycopter wrote: post #136
sys_64738 wrote: post #124

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Each to their own, but I wouldn't hire you - I wouldn't even interview you. You do get to a point where you earn enough and can't be bothered to prove yourself at a new place yet again. It does get tired and boring as you realize that working life isn't really a pursuit that is your most important life goal.

> Each to their own, but I wouldn't hire you It's okay, a lot of other companies do. There's plenty of fish in this particular ocean. Even if you would hire him, nothing meaningful would change.

I agree. Good luck to him with his strategy and I hope it continues to work for him.
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