What an utterly privileged life we lead when we can just decide to quit our jobs because things are getting too “absurd”.
Kinda sounds like "not slavery" with extra steps
Ask HN: Who is quitting? (July 2026)
41–50 of 160 posts
Re: Ask HN: Who is quitting? (July 2026)
#42Not quitting just yet, but the culture is super toxic lately. Managers will promise things that are not feasible, set absurd deadlines, and then let engineers take the fall if they don't meet those deadlines. When engineers come up with good ideas, managers will say it's a bad idea, but then run away with the idea and take the credit. I wake up every day wondering if I should quiet quit or go for a clean exit.
Quiet quit aka : do the actual amount of work you are are paid for and don't let yourself get ripped off due to 'pressures'.
Re: Ask HN: Who is quitting? (July 2026)
#43What an utterly privileged life we lead when we can just decide to quit our jobs because things are getting too “absurd”.
Sure, but because work is something we spend so much time on, when workers can quit when the work feels meaningless or absurd, that's a good thing. We should aspire for a society where all workers can do that.
I’m making no comment about how things _should_ broadly be. Only that we should consciously appreciate how rare it is for quitting to be a practical, and non-ruinous, option.
Re: Ask HN: Who is quitting? (July 2026)
#44Earlier quoted context omitted.
It’s not about money until you have no money At least you now know what privilege feels like
They literally say they ran out of money lol how is that privileged?
I believe it means that he has the privilege to save amount of money, do what he wants and later on go back to the industry in a good position.
Remember that there are people who never had the opportunity to study or lives in a precarious situation.
Re: Ask HN: Who is quitting? (July 2026)
#45Not long ago I had a dream about becoming a butcher, and so then I bought half a cow with a friend and after a week trying to cut it out in pieces I realised maybe I was too old to make the move... so im still a programmer.
I worked in a grocery store meat department in high school. I wasn’t a butcher, my main job was wrapping the meat for the counter, weighing and pricing it, but over time I learned to do basic meat cutting, still nowhere near a full butcher but getting some basic experience.
Point is it’s an apprenticeship that takes years and starts with helping a butcher do low value stuff. Grabbing half a cow and trying to cut it up probably isn’t the best entry point or test of aptitude.
Re: Ask HN: Who is quitting? (July 2026)
#46Not quitting just yet, but the culture is super toxic lately. Managers will promise things that are not feasible, set absurd deadlines, and then let engineers take the fall if they don't meet those deadlines. When engineers come up with good ideas, managers will say it's a bad idea, but then run away with the idea and take the credit. I wake up every day wondering if I should quiet quit or go for a clean exit.
I had a co-worker like this. Management believed him over me when I complained. Go for a clean exit once you've found a new position. This toxic environment hurts your mental health more than you think.
Re: Ask HN: Who is quitting? (July 2026)
#47quitted on 6/30.
Was working for 5 years as PO in autonomous driving. teams changed 3 times, France to US/Mexico/Europe to India. Each time start almost from scratch.
Now cooking for family and boot strapping 2 startups.
Re: Ask HN: Who is quitting? (July 2026)
#48[deleted]
Re: Ask HN: Who is quitting? (July 2026)
#49I just quit recently. After a few years in big tech the only thing I have to show for it is a fat bank account. I don’t remember the last time I’ve learned something new or had any kind of responsibility. I’ll be joining a startup in a few months to hopefully find the joy in my profession again with a fresh start and more skin in the game.
I went the opposite way - I worked for smaller companies before going into a big corpo.
I will say that the experience taught me a lot about working on a team and also the importance of understanding my own (and my coworkers) limits when it comes to actually implementing stuff. Very worthwhile even if I left with a bad taste in my mouth.
Re: Ask HN: Who is quitting? (July 2026)
#50[dead]