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The Layoff

xeiaso.net

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Re: The Layoff

#111

Post by no_wizard »

gcr wrote: post #61
necovek wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you have any sources for layoffs "due to AI/LLM advances" other than layoffs-in-one-sector-to-replace-with-AI-experts which I can find plenty of, but which are not really due to efficiency improvements?

What’s the difference? AI-motivated job cuts are widespread in all sectors, and companies are phrasing them as “efficiency improvements.” This is only possible because of recent advances in LLM capability. If anything, skilled experts are slightly less likely to be replaced by AI (with notable exceptions for visual artists) “IBM Plans To Replace Nearly 8,000 Jobs With AI” https://finance.yahoo.com/news/ibm-plans-repl…

Reality is that knowing LLM and other AI tech now is going to be a long term distinct advantage for software engineers of all stripes and those that don’t know will fall behind

Re: The Layoff

#112

Post by xena »

PH95VuimJjqBqy wrote: post #90
halfmatthalfcat wrote: post #78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

People have been saying the same thing about off/near-shoring for decades. "X will be replaced by cheaper Y" but that has not materialized in any way. If anything, the opposite has been proven as demand for high-skilled labor continue to push salaries and competition for positions up. The amount of AI is coming for X or AI will replace Y is so unfounded at this point, I'm chalking it up with FSD-levels of hype. It re…

I work at a company where the offshore developers are both cheaper and far stronger than the FTE's. AI is coming for those FTE's. It's nowhere near replacing the good ones but we have such a glut of shitty developers in this industry and AI is absolutely coming for them.

Funny enough, I have a story about this! https://xeiaso.net/blog/protos/

Re: The Layoff

#114

Post by weatherlite »

sokoloff wrote: post #29
forgotusername6 wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's at least better than I've experienced: Manager at a standup "got some news. Unfortunately Bob has passed out" Confused looks. "What do you mean passed out?" "Oh I mean he's died" Horror from everyone there. No further information was ever given.

Personally, I think it’s not the company’s place to give out further information in this case, absent a request from Bob’s family.

So why even say he died? Maybe just say he is not working for the company anymore and let the team figure it out for themselves if they are that curious.

Re: The Layoff

#115

Post by brvsft »

> "James, eyes up here please. This is important." James looked back at the E100 Meet tab.

Bit too tryhard for my taste.

Re: The Layoff

#116

Post by x86x87 »

Clubber wrote: post #69

"the rest of the year's worth of pay in one lump sum, to keep your corporate laptop, and COBRA coverage for the rest of the year should you need it. You will also get double the value of any unspent paid time off, including the time you would have gained during the rest of the year." OMG I would love this kind of severance, in February no less. I'm accustomed to hearing about severance that goes from from jack squat…

This kind of severance is a thing of the past.

I predict a new type of employement will emerge as a result of the late stage capitalism we are experiencing: the just in time employment. Where you are technically employed all the time but you are not paid [the same] when the corpo has you in the idle bucket. The drones will stay on for the health insurance, minimum pay, the illusion of work right around the corner. Heck, we also may have corpos form big pools of disposables that allow them to elastically scale the number of people that currently work on something up and down. Remember folks! JustInTime Employment!

Re: The Layoff

#117

Post by x86x87 »

oblio wrote: post #42
Scarblac wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> "I'm from employee success. I'm here to give you an important update about your future at Techaro."

"You have been deemed an employment failure."

No no no. You are so successful that we need to promote you to being a customer!!!

Re: The Layoff

#118

Post by dudul »

franciscop wrote: post #24
vasco wrote: post #13

"We won't share a list of the affected employees because some of them might not want the information to be public" was the biggest bullshit I've heard recently - no fiction needed. Discovering that people you worked with for years have been laid off only because you randomly notice their slack is deactivated has to be one of 2024s gifts to humanity.

This has been one of my most surprising/weird experiences working for US startups. In the other two countries I've been, at the very least my manager sat with each of us, or in group, or some sort of announcement when someone I was working with would stop (either voluntarily or involuntarily). Seeing names and 1-1 conversations just disappear from Slack without anyone saying anything is very bizarre. But I had to lea…

I don't know if it became the norm in the US because of remote work, but as a manager I make a point of announcing to my team when one of them just got let go. Like in the next 30min or so.

I guess I don't tell all teams and all our 200 engineers that this random guy is no longer with us.

Re: The Layoff

#119

Post by omoikane »

x86x87 wrote: post #116
Clubber wrote: post #69

"the rest of the year's worth of pay in one lump sum, to keep your corporate laptop, and COBRA coverage for the rest of the year should you need it. You will also get double the value of any unspent paid time off, including the time you would have gained during the rest of the year." OMG I would love this kind of severance, in February no less. I'm accustomed to hearing about severance that goes from from jack squat…

This kind of severance is a thing of the past. I predict a new type of employement will emerge as a result of the late stage capitalism we are experiencing: the just in time employment. Where you are technically employed all the time but you are not paid [the same] when the corpo has you in the idle bucket. The drones will stay on for the health insurance, minimum pay, the illusion of work right around the corner. He…

> just in time employment

Sounds like making everyone a contractor.

Re: The Layoff

#120

Post by x86x87 »

xena wrote: post #93

Hi, author of the story here. Here's the side notes that I put on Patreon: This story was hard to write. Well, okay, the story was a lot easier to write after I ended up working in person in San Francisco for a week and after I had a long conversation with Corey Quinn about why things are the way they are. Either way, this story was hard to write because of the way you have to balance these things very carefully. If…

Have you considered using an AI bot to help you balance various aspects carefully? :)
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