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Flexport CEO resigns a year after joining logistics company

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Re: Flexport CEO resigns a year after joining logistics company

#21

Additional information on Dave Clark's impact: "Some Flexport insiders say layoffs and an influx of former Amazon leaders are wrecking morale."[1] '"These people do not have conversations — they make demands," one laid-off employee said. Unsatisfactory answers could be met with harsh feedback, sources said. One laid-off Flexporter said an Amazon veteran told them, "I don't believe a word you're saying," during a pres…

This is the scariest part of the whole article “during a presentation they said took months to prepare.” This sounds like what I would expect in the federal government or IBM. Not a fast growing startup changing the world. I hope Ryan can change this part of the culture or they are dead.

Lines up with the sentiment about Flexport being a tech retirement home

Re: Flexport CEO resigns a year after joining logistics company

#22

Good for them. Dave Clark is a stain on humanity. Horrible horrible human.

Not saying you’re wrong, but a bit more substance and less vitriol might be illuminating.

I can’t recall hearing anything about him good or bad (This comment aside…).

Re: Flexport CEO resigns a year after joining logistics company

#24
post #14

Additional information on Dave Clark's impact: "Some Flexport insiders say layoffs and an influx of former Amazon leaders are wrecking morale."[1] '"These people do not have conversations — they make demands," one laid-off employee said. Unsatisfactory answers could be met with harsh feedback, sources said. One laid-off Flexporter said an Amazon veteran told them, "I don't believe a word you're saying," during a pres…

I've experienced something similar at Peloton where a C-level kept bringing former reports at Uber for key roles and started to push out the existing employees. It's business at the end of the day but I do think there's a graceful way of bringing people in from former companies.

This is not business, it’s loyalty and empire building, at the expense of the business.

Re: Flexport CEO resigns a year after joining logistics company

#25

Additional information on Dave Clark's impact: "Some Flexport insiders say layoffs and an influx of former Amazon leaders are wrecking morale."[1] '"These people do not have conversations — they make demands," one laid-off employee said. Unsatisfactory answers could be met with harsh feedback, sources said. One laid-off Flexporter said an Amazon veteran told them, "I don't believe a word you're saying," during a pres…

This is the scariest part of the whole article “during a presentation they said took months to prepare.” This sounds like what I would expect in the federal government or IBM. Not a fast growing startup changing the world. I hope Ryan can change this part of the culture or they are dead.

Why? If they were futzing with the wording of a powerpoint for months that is indeed bad. If they worked hard on getting answers to questions nobody else can answer that can be reasonable.

After all one can describe a phd defense as “a presentation which took years to prepare.”

Re: Flexport CEO resigns a year after joining logistics company

#26

Additional information on Dave Clark's impact: "Some Flexport insiders say layoffs and an influx of former Amazon leaders are wrecking morale."[1] '"These people do not have conversations — they make demands," one laid-off employee said. Unsatisfactory answers could be met with harsh feedback, sources said. One laid-off Flexporter said an Amazon veteran told them, "I don't believe a word you're saying," during a pres…

I don't like to look askance at alumni of particular employers, but I have had one too many a poor experience from ex-Amazon hired into leadership roles. The above matches my experience.

For me, the worst casualty as various lackeys followed arrival (also ex-Amazon) was the choking out of candidness. Second worst was turning the company into a document factory.

Re: Flexport CEO resigns a year after joining logistics company

#27
post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've experienced something similar at Peloton where a C-level kept bringing former reports at Uber for key roles and started to push out the existing employees. It's business at the end of the day but I do think there's a graceful way of bringing people in from former companies.

This is not business, it’s loyalty and empire building, at the expense of the business.

Yeah, sounds like pretty standard nepotism.

Re: Flexport CEO resigns a year after joining logistics company

#28
post #18
post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've experienced something similar at Peloton where a C-level kept bringing former reports at Uber for key roles and started to push out the existing employees. It's business at the end of the day but I do think there's a graceful way of bringing people in from former companies.

Same thing at my company, only it was a former Microsoft employee who brought along all his buddies. They screwed up a bunch of stuff because they didn't understand our market or customers, and then all slowly got let go before having to contend with the full consequences of their bad decisions. We're now in a multi year recovery process.

You don't happen to work at Nokia do you? ;)

Re: Flexport CEO resigns a year after joining logistics company

#30
post #18
post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've experienced something similar at Peloton where a C-level kept bringing former reports at Uber for key roles and started to push out the existing employees. It's business at the end of the day but I do think there's a graceful way of bringing people in from former companies.

Same thing at my company, only it was a former Microsoft employee who brought along all his buddies. They screwed up a bunch of stuff because they didn't understand our market or customers, and then all slowly got let go before having to contend with the full consequences of their bad decisions. We're now in a multi year recovery process.

This hits so hard and so painfully. Had a VP from Amazon come into google Cloud and he seemed to have no clue about the ladder or discipline he was executive over. We had to explain his job to him several times.

He was an absolute incompetent in every sense of the word and fired high quality workers the entire time until he himself was fired.

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