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Ask HN: Where are laid off employees gathering?

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71–80 of 342 posts

Re: Ask HN: Where are laid off employees gathering?

#71
post #13

We're sitting in the park, drinking Thunderbird and arguing with the pigeons.

That's funny, there are no pigeons where I live. I recently came back from holiday and I enjoyed looking at them and analyse their seemingly erratic alas scavenging behaviour all along. I even felt sorry for the not-so-well-groomed ones... We don't think enough about pigeons... oh well... back to work.

Re: Ask HN: Where are laid off employees gathering?

#72

It just occurred to me that so many people were laid off, we could start the world's largest software co-op (and arguably one of the largest tech orgs, period). We could build software products that every industry needs, that every worker owns a part of and can vote on org-wide decisions. Literally everyone you need was laid off... Tech people, business people, marketing, sales, etc. We just need a forum and some vol…

Tech Co-ops backed by crypto contracts representing fractional equity ownership are emerging.

They are a logical evolution of the Digital Nomad movement from years past (some emerged from Upwork).

However, each member is expected to be an independent LLC and handle their own country-specific revenue withholdings and taxes.

Re: Ask HN: Where are laid off employees gathering?

#73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Being laid off does not equate to doing poorly. Some people just get cut because some people who wear suits to work seem to not care.

I think you're interpreting "doing poorly" wrong. I read GP as saying that people who are laid off are currently going through a stressful time in their life: "doing poorly".

If your buddies are going through a stressful time in their life then you should be spending even more time with them if possible.

Re: Ask HN: Where are laid off employees gathering?

#74
post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't think it's the number of engineers or the innovation/talent. I think it's the sheer economic advantage of being a huge multinational corporation.

>economic advantage of being a huge multinational corporation I just left a huge multinational corporation that despite its economic power was wasting millions/billions and not achieving anything in the tech space due to huge mismanagement, as everyone at the top was completely clueless but well connected and good at bullshitting and too busy fighting private wars just so they can climb the corporate ladder to coast…

Right. That sort of thing is why I don't think their advantage is the number of engineers or innovation/talent.

Re: Ask HN: Where are laid off employees gathering?

#75
post #34

Related question: are any actual software engineers getting laid off or is it just support/admin/management who work in the tech sector? (I have been dealing with consulting contracts for software engineers lately, and was surprised to see that hourly rates are significantly higher than they were 5 years ago)

Yes. Software engineers. Senior engineers. TLs. Folks with 10 years at the company. No one seems safe. Except executives probably.

Re: Ask HN: Where are laid off employees gathering?

#76
post #65
post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I always thought having a "guild" like Hollywood does or something similar would be a great boon to empower tech workers. Maybe. But remember that the Hollywood guild system also acts as gatekeepers keeping people out of the system.

Software development has arguably more gatekeeping even without any guild. Got a CS degree from a university that isn't R1 and didn't score a summer internship? Need a visa sponsor? I don't envy how painful your early career will be. Luck out with the Stanford admission and a summer internship? You are playing on easy mode.

It depends on what part of the industry you're working in. If you're looking at FAANG-style companies, that's absolutely true. But there's much more to the industry than that.

Re: Ask HN: Where are laid off employees gathering?

#77
Hey folks! I'm a member of just such a cooperative, worker-owned tech community / consultancy. It's still early stages but we're growing really fast! Let's make that dream a reality.

Check out the following link and if it resonates for you then shoot me a message on LinkedIn (https://LinkedIn.com/in/gscrawley) to discuss next steps and answer any questions you might have.

https://wiki.quorum.one/blog/what-is-quorum1

Re: Ask HN: Where are laid off employees gathering?

#78
post #65
post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I always thought having a "guild" like Hollywood does or something similar would be a great boon to empower tech workers. Maybe. But remember that the Hollywood guild system also acts as gatekeepers keeping people out of the system.

Software development has arguably more gatekeeping even without any guild. Got a CS degree from a university that isn't R1 and didn't score a summer internship? Need a visa sponsor? I don't envy how painful your early career will be. Luck out with the Stanford admission and a summer internship? You are playing on easy mode.

Some of the best engineers I've ever worked don't even have a bachelor's degree. These autodidacts will suffer greatly if the wrong kind of "software guild" gains control over licensing tech employees.

Re: Ask HN: Where are laid off employees gathering?

#80
post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Software development has arguably more gatekeeping even without any guild. Got a CS degree from a university that isn't R1 and didn't score a summer internship? Need a visa sponsor? I don't envy how painful your early career will be. Luck out with the Stanford admission and a summer internship? You are playing on easy mode.

Some of the best engineers I've ever worked don't even have a bachelor's degree. These autodidacts will suffer greatly if the wrong kind of "software guild" gains control over licensing tech employees.

Not really, if the guild founders include self-taught coders then they will make provisions for their fellows.
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