I wonder what this means for the Boston twitter offices (Crashlytics and Bluefin Labs) - No mention of them, whereas Vine and Periscope are.
Twitter announces layoffs
121–130 of 410 posts
Re: Twitter announces layoffs
#122fewer
The purpose of language is communication. Did you understand what melvinmt meant? Yes, of course you did. What's the big deal? What are you gaining by "correcting" a pointless[1] semantic distinction, other than your own smug satisfaction? [1]: Yes, it's pointless. Why is there no such distinction for "more"?
He was just giving a tip. Your "smug satisfaction" view is in your mind. I would want to know if I was misusing a word.
Re: Twitter announces layoffs
#123What's the reason for this e-mail being housed on a .gov TLD?
> A WARN notification is required if more than 500 people (or 33% of the "active workforce") are being laid off. Check your state's Department of Labor (or whatever it is called in your state) to see the notices that have been filed by employees in your state. (from http://www.job-hunt.org/layoffs/pending-layoff-signs.shtml ) For California: http://www.edd.ca.gov/jobs_and_training/Layoff_Services_WARN...
It's not a WARN notification, it's an SEC filing.
WARN wouldn't even apply here since the cutoff is 500 or 33% of active workforce. Twitter's cuts are below both.
Re: Twitter announces layoffs
#124> Emails like this are usually riddled with corporate speak so I'm going to give it to you straight. I tried rewriting his email to live up to this promise: - - - Team, We're cutting our workforce to strengthen Twitter as a company. The team has been deciding how to best streamline Twitter, Vine, and Periscope to put their focus on the projects which will have the greatest impact. Moments, which we launched last week…
I'd hire you to fire me any day.
Re: Twitter announces layoffs
#125> Emails like this are usually riddled with corporate speak so I'm going to give it to you straight. Well, since you said it that way, I should assume that what comes next will not sound like a steamy pile of meandering corporate speak, right? > The team has been working around the clock to produce streamlined roadmap for Twitter, Vine, and Periscope and they are shaping up to be strong. The roadmap is focused on the…
"As many of you who have(had) vested stock with us know, our stock and investor faith have collapsed - and in a desperation move to win back our shareholder's trust, we are 'going lean,' so to speak, so we spent a mid-six-figure sum in hiring an outside consulting agency to eliminate human capital - so we didn't have to review it internally - regardless of what you've built with us."
Re: Twitter announces layoffs
#126I'm a little surprised that they're only firing 336 people. Unless this is just the first round of layoffs and more will follow once products and management has been streamlined/trimmed whatever you want to call it.
Usually in a situation like this you want to cut hard and deep just the once. Every time you make cuts the entire workforce is on knife edge (excuse the pun), so it's best to do one round and get it out of the way so everyone can refocus on their work.
That's a long way of saying I doubt there are more layoffs planned. That's not to say they won't make more layoffs if they don't get their shit together.
Re: Twitter announces layoffs
#127Earlier quoted context omitted.
Odd. While incredibly flawed it's still the single best toolto fight against censorship and public and private control. If you have doubts go look at how many national governments have blocked it at one time or another. The world is better off with a strong Twitter.
Saying it like that makes it sound too much like the brand is what is needed as opposed to the tool. To put your words another way: The world is better off with a strong tool to fight against censorship and public and private control. If Twitter starting taking massive cash payments from governments to filter content, it would be a strong Twitter with lots of cash, but not a strong tool to fight against anything.
But the brand can't be dismissed. The brand attracts users which amplify the reach of the message of an individual. Without the brand and network you're just standing on a street corner with a bullhorn.
Re: Twitter announces layoffs
#128> Emails like this are usually riddled with corporate speak so I'm going to give it to you straight. I tried rewriting his email to live up to this promise: - - - Team, We're cutting our workforce to strengthen Twitter as a company. The team has been deciding how to best streamline Twitter, Vine, and Periscope to put their focus on the projects which will have the greatest impact. Moments, which we launched last week…
Am I the only one who doesn't see much difference between your version and his?
Re: Twitter announces layoffs
#129Earlier quoted context omitted.
He said he would give it to you straight, not ELI5. They are focusing on fewer things that they believe are the most valuable, and stopping stuff that isn't core to their purpose. What about this is confusing to you?
What you said is as near the definition of "giving it straight" as one might expect to follow his preface. What he actually said is as near the definition of corporate speak as possible. There is no confusion on my part. Perhaps Jack is the one confused about what people mean by "corporate speak".
>> What he actually said is as near the definition of corporate speak as possible.
No, it's really not.
Only on HN.
Re: Twitter announces layoffs
#130> The world needs a strong Twitter Really? Does it? I think Twitter needs a strong Twitter, shareholders need a strong Twitter even Twitter employees need it. However the world is, at best, ambivalent about Twitter, if it disappeared tomorrow a replacement would spring up within a few weeks if the world really needed a way to shotgun their messages into the ether.
Morgan Stanley, Fidelity, Vanguard, Jennison Associates, and Blackrock need a stronger Twitter. [1] Also interesting to note that over the past year insiders have only bought 1.5m shares while offloading 12.5m. [1] http://www.nasdaq.com/symbol/twtr/ownership-summary
This doesn't always mean that insiders are dumping stock because they know the company is doomed. Sometimes yes, but when you have a company like Twitter where a pretty significant percentage of compensation is in stock options and RSUs, then you're going to have lots of insiders selling in batches, so they can actually use that compensation to get things like houses and cars and diversified investment portfolios.