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Tech companies keep falling for the forever fallacy

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Re: Tech companies keep falling for the forever fallacy

#121

Post by thriller »

The problem I have with some layoff articles like this, is that they ascribe mass hiring during the pandemic to a CEO or single 'throat to choke'.

My experience is hiring decisions are primarily political in nature. Head of a team and salary/revenue ratios are solid? Better make a convincing but ultimately flimsy business case to get more heads. Otherwise, your fellow empire builder in another department will be more than happy to take that headcount. Multiply this by a few hundred teams and you see the magnitude of the problem.

Once you've played the game, grown your team with no real appreciation of thinking like an owner, you can ruthlessly mow down 10 percent of your team or seek that new role while Rome begins to burn.

Re: Tech companies keep falling for the forever fallacy

#122

Post by berkethegrizzly »

The article is missing a huge point. The companies mentioned in it did not lose anything at all, or an amount that is negligible.

They took advantage off the boom and made more money than they could in a normal situation.

They did not lose anything (at least the companies mentioned in the article) in my point of view.

They already knew they were going to fire the staff they hired. But they also knew that they had to hire more staff to take advantage of the situation.

Re: Tech companies keep falling for the forever fallacy

#123

Post by mensetmanusman »

lopis wrote: post #91
LapsangGuzzler wrote: post #13

The real problem that author doesn’t call out is that at the end of the day, the people in charge don’t get hurt from these irresponsible boom and bust hiring practices. These companies knew the growth wouldn’t last, nothing lasts forever. They all maintain control while the little people suffer. The dream is to become insulated from the economic storms like they are.

They gamble with high risk and no stakes. If it works out, get win big. It it fails, they get to layoff people, restructure the company, and earn a small millionaire bonus. There's literally no losing for them.

After a certain amount of accumulated wealth, there is no losing.

The trick is to apply this to your life and be willing to live well below your means to get there.

Re: Tech companies keep falling for the forever fallacy

#124

Post by berkethegrizzly »

lopis wrote: post #91
LapsangGuzzler wrote: post #13

The real problem that author doesn’t call out is that at the end of the day, the people in charge don’t get hurt from these irresponsible boom and bust hiring practices. These companies knew the growth wouldn’t last, nothing lasts forever. They all maintain control while the little people suffer. The dream is to become insulated from the economic storms like they are.

They gamble with high risk and no stakes. If it works out, get win big. It it fails, they get to layoff people, restructure the company, and earn a small millionaire bonus. There's literally no losing for them.

[flagged]

Re: Tech companies keep falling for the forever fallacy

#125

Post by berkethegrizzly »

mensetmanusman wrote: post #123
lopis wrote: post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They gamble with high risk and no stakes. If it works out, get win big. It it fails, they get to layoff people, restructure the company, and earn a small millionaire bonus. There's literally no losing for them.

After a certain amount of accumulated wealth, there is no losing. The trick is to apply this to your life and be willing to live well below your means to get there.

[flagged]

Re: Tech companies keep falling for the forever fallacy

#126

Post by mensetmanusman »

bilvar wrote: post #104
Tade0 wrote: post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

People often have to uproot their lives to get into a new role. It's only ultimately worth it if it's a long-term commitment on both sides. Also later in life having to suddenly switch jobs is neither easy nor desirable.

Cry me a river, the same people who demand a long-term commitment from their employer will jump ship in an instant for 10k more after 6 months of employment. Companies are full of them.

This started after the Welch acolytes in corporate America broke the employee/employer contract.

Re: Tech companies keep falling for the forever fallacy

#127

Post by bilvar »

LunaSea wrote: post #111
bilvar wrote: post #104

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Cry me a river, the same people who demand a long-term commitment from their employer will jump ship in an instant for 10k more after 6 months of employment. Companies are full of them.

Cry me a river. Will the company have to uproot its family to find a new worker?

I don't understand how the convenience of the worker makes it fairer to demand loyalty but not reciprocate. Sounds entitled and self-serving.

Re: Tech companies keep falling for the forever fallacy

#128

Post by pdimitar »

DrScientist wrote: post #98
tombert wrote: post #86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah; the thing that kind of triggered me on this was the Google CEO saying in December or January that he "takes full responsibility" for all these layoffs. "Full responsibiliyt"? Really? How are you doing that exactly? By still getting your full paycheck and bonus while you fired twelve thousand humans because you didn't consider that the economy after years of a pandemic might be volatile?

By saying that he is directing internal heat ( and external heat - like yours ) to himself, rather than HR, or middle managers etc in Google. I suspect that's the reason for saying that. If you feel the need to blame somebody - blame me ( not other people or external conditions or shareholders ). Ultimately it is his fault - even if it was forced on him be shareholders - he'd have the option of resigning ( following…

This does not change the fact that the "heat" he is taking had exactly zero consequences for him. So "I take full responsibility" is an empty platitude that means basically nothing.

Re: Tech companies keep falling for the forever fallacy

#129

Post by mensetmanusman »

operatingthetan wrote: post #47
srackey wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

People can make babies, and we’re not limited to a one planet ;)

An organism with a tendency for unchecked colonization might attract the wrong kind of attention.

It's risky for humans to become multi-planetary lest we attract the power of super-intelligent aliens?

Re: Tech companies keep falling for the forever fallacy

#130

Post by gtirloni »

berkethegrizzly wrote: post #122

The article is missing a huge point. The companies mentioned in it did not lose anything at all, or an amount that is negligible. They took advantage off the boom and made more money than they could in a normal situation. They did not lose anything (at least the companies mentioned in the article) in my point of view. They already knew they were going to fire the staff they hired. But they also knew that they had to…

> They already knew they were going to fire the staff they hired. But they also knew that they had to hire more staff to take advantage of the situation

Exactly. People keep either saying CEOs are playing 5D chess or that they are fools... when reality is much simpler.

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