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Layoffs at Block

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Re: Layoffs at Block

#661

Post by ryukoposting »

mattmaroon wrote: post #410
paxys wrote: post #273

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Exactly. Square was the first great checkout system, but now a decade and a half later every other system is good enough that retailers aren't going to pay extra for a flashier app.

It’s not extra and their hardware is still far better than the competition. Square is still awesome in the small business PoS space. Their lead has not shrunk.

The ubiquity of NFC has made specialized hardware irrelevant for entire industries. It's set dressing for small businesses. The ruggedized enclosures and swiveling touchscreens are cute, but that's not a moat.

Their lead absolutely has shrunk. In the mid-late 2010s it was either Square, or a bevy of shovelware Windows POS systems loosely stitched together with a tablet for rewards and maybe grubhub. Clover and Toast are both regular sights in that space now.

Re: Layoffs at Block

#662

Post by pllbnk »

daxfohl wrote: post #48

We'll see how much the AI aspect is true by whether they're thinning out teams equally, or just axing whole initiatives. My impression of Block was that it was mostly a one-trick pony (okay, two if you include CashApp) with a bunch of side initiatives that never seemed to pan out, so I'm expecting it to be more of the latter, with this being more of an admission that they're now in "maintenance mode". Either way, I t…

Yeah, the narratives diverge. He said "i had two options: cut gradually over months or years as this shift plays out, or be honest about where we are and act on it now." So, if these tools actually deliver this 90% productivity improvement? Will he let another 5k or then start cutting gradually over months?

We can all read stock market charts - the business isn't doing well.

Re: Layoffs at Block

#663

Post by IshKebab »

Imustaskforhelp wrote: post #229
IshKebab wrote: post #137

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I expect it's more that early in projects you move faster, and that normally involves fewer people. Once projects get bigger they need more devs and also move slower. Put a team of 1-3 devs on MS Word and see how fast they move...

I found this an interesting question and did some research out of curiosity [Full credits to wikipedia]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Division (The company behind what's gonna be essentially StarOffice/Later OpenOffice/Libreoffice given Libreoffice is a fork of OpenOffice) Star Division was a German software company best known for developing StarOffice, a proprietary office suite. The company was founded in 198…

Yeah what I really meant is imagine if you reduced the actual MS Word team to just 3 people. They would not move fast because by this point Word is an enormous mature project and they wouldn't even be able to touch 1% of it.

Also AbiWord is dead, sadly.

Re: Layoffs at Block

#664

Post by Rapzid »

chrishare wrote: post #307
rappatic wrote: post #13

i'm gonna write this terrible news in all lowercase cause it's super aesthetic. maintain a bit of professionalism for the 4,000 people whose lives i'm throwing into turmoil? i don't think so, i have my shift key taped over so i don't accidentally show respect to anybody

Does the lowercase convey authenticity or lack of care?

bro, dO yOu eVEN cARe?

Re: Layoffs at Block

#666

Post by grey-area »

senko wrote: post #254

This is one of the best (if not the best) layoff letters I've seen online (no affiliation, don't know anyone working there, purely outsider perspective). * Severance packages upfront because realistically that's what everyone worries about first. * Reasoning second. I appreciate the one clean cut vs prolonged bleeding. * Owning the decision and respecting the people that got you there. Opting for an awkward allhands…

Apart from the bit where he lays 4000 people off, but himself is untouched.

Oh and the bit where he claims AI efficiencies are the reason.

If I had to do this to a company I’d built I’d fire myself too. It’s an admission of a massive failure of leadership.

Re: Layoffs at Block

#667

Post by unsupp0rted »

TeMPOraL wrote: post #660
pjmlp wrote: post #655

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Having been through a couple of layoffs and merges, as I approach mid-century, the MBA powered managers are always to blame, because the stupid way to manage every year has to be x% exponential increase over the previous year, always forgetting that it is physically impossible when everyone goes for the same goal. And then when targets aren't met, it is the employees that get shown the door while management gets thei…

> the stupid way to manage every year has to be x% exponential increase over the previous year, always forgetting that it is physically impossible when everyone goes for the same goal. That's why we have this corporate ritual, which we carry out each year, or even each quarter - a solemn ceremony, where we divide everyone into two groups: the cost centers and the profit centers . Everyone works in harmony for the sam…

As if some people are born as cost centers, like it’s the genetic programming for pupillary distance.

If you want to be a profit center, be one.

When the body is in danger of dying should it stop healing the fingernails or the brain?

Re: Layoffs at Block

#668

Post by joelthelion »

agnishom wrote: post #611

> i had two options: cut gradually over months or years as this shift plays out, or be honest about where we are and act on it now. Sounds like a false dichotomy. The third option is that he could have kept them around. It would be financially feasible given that "our business is strong. gross profit continues to grow, we continue to serve more and more customers, and profitability is improving.".

As someone who comes from a country where it's very hard to fire people, don't make that mistake.

Staying in a company where you're not wanted is a miserable experience. The company will do anything to make you leave. Plus, it weakens companies and makes for a poor general worker experience.

What should be done instead is mandate generous severance packages that increase with tenure. But give companies a clear path to fire people when they don't want to employ them anymore.

Re: Layoffs at Block

#669

Post by sgt »

To those who stayed behind... won't you feel like you're potentially going to be next? With such a massive cut, I'd start making plans.
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