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Twitter’s mass layoffs have begun

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Re: Twitter’s mass layoffs have begun

#141

Post by _djo_ »

wreath wrote: post #108
jdub wrote: post #76

Musk is capricious, cruel, and clueless. Whether or not you liked Twitter, it's a culturally significant platform, and Musk has almost certainly destroyed any hope it had of surviving. In barely a week. Hopefully it destroys him, too.

Twitter’s cultural significance is almost net negative. It has been a vehicle for divisiveness and culture wars and not only a vehicle but a self driving one if you catch my drift.

That depends on which aspects of Twitter you focus on. It has added a ton of value for niche interest areas, open source intelligence and reporting, news from underserved areas or issues, and so many others.

The value isn't in the loudest and most active accounts, but the long tail of expertise that was previously either not widely visible or connected in the way Twitter enabled.

All that will be lost.

Re: Twitter’s mass layoffs have begun

#142

Post by exitb »

swores wrote: post #135
exitb wrote: post #67

It's interesting how the firing process presented in the movie Up in the Air (2009) was supposed be inhumane and insulting. Well, look where we are now.

Either you or I, and I suspect you, have misunderstood the film's intention if you think that we the viewer are meant to agree with any of the options used by Clooney's character's company, that they were the humane option. Humane would be telling the person who works for you that you can no longer employ them, not hiring some stranger to come and tell them.

I don't think that either the direct or remote methods presented in the film were humane. Certainly not what I meant. I do think though, that checking your e-mail at 9AM to see if you're fired is considerably worse.

Re: Twitter’s mass layoffs have begun

#143

Post by PuffinBlue »

rob74 wrote: post #13

> “To help ensure the safety of each employee as well as Twitter systems and customer data, our offices will be temporarily closed and all badge access will be suspended,” the email reads. “If you are in an office or on your way to an office, please return home.” Welcome to the dystopian future... I find it a bit galling how companies can force you into home office nowadays if it suits them (you want to avoid your un…

This is quite a curiously Pavlovian response. It assumes so much from that "please return home". The whole comment stands as a window into a life lived under abusive working conditions where the Individual knows only the control of the Company.

Nothing in that 'please return home' is anything to do with forcing anyone to have a home office, to go there and work, to do anything really. The company doesn't control you.

Re: Twitter’s mass layoffs have begun

#144

Post by LightG »

aliljet wrote: post #8

I'm pretty curious about how and where Twitter employees were distributed. For a company ostensibly worth $44 billion, having 7,500 staff feels pretty damn lean. It feels like Musk isn't just purging people, he's purging the Twitter culture...

Perhaps that's the point. It's not worth $44bn.

Twitter rinsed Musk on the way out, which I deeply respect considering his behaviour.

That will only be some salve for the employees losing their jobs, but hopefully their packages get some of that.

Re: Twitter’s mass layoffs have begun

#145

Post by thundergolfer »

tomp wrote: post #122
redwood wrote: post #9

In my view no single medium (the media is the message) has done more to weaken the quality of public discourse in the world than Twitter. But maybe Facebook proves that even if you're allowed to use prose crazies dominate so maybe the issue is deeper

Really? On which other platform can you directly communicate (or at least listen to, unfiltered) to the worlds dictators, political leaders, and billionaires?

You’re missing the point of their comment. If the medium is the problematic thing being focused on in their comment then who the communicating parties are is not significant.

Checkout Postman and McLuhan.

Re: Twitter’s mass layoffs have begun

#146

Post by nameless912 »

alluro2 wrote: post #92
jdub wrote: post #76

Musk is capricious, cruel, and clueless. Whether or not you liked Twitter, it's a culturally significant platform, and Musk has almost certainly destroyed any hope it had of surviving. In barely a week. Hopefully it destroys him, too.

If you're basing part of your comment on this event, it might be worth noting that the article states the layoffs were being mentioned before Musk.

Sure, but I imagine the pre-Musk layoffs would have been similar to what we're seeing in Twitter's peer companies (~10-15%, generous severance payouts, etc.) as opposed to what's happening now. To throw your hands in the air and claim that layoffs were an inevitability is a weird way to shield a dude that is just being cruel because he thinks he's God.

Re: Twitter’s mass layoffs have begun

#147

Post by hardware2win »

mattbrewsbytes wrote: post #18

What a contrast in leadership when you compare the way Twitter is doing this (rumor is right before bonus/stock vesting and cold impersonal email) and how Stripe is conducting their layoffs (empathy, 14 weeks severance, bonus payouts, etc.) Which company is going to have an easier time hiring after the dust settles and they have a growth stage again?

It wouldnt change anything for me tbf

There are laws that take care of it in my country

Re: Twitter’s mass layoffs have begun

#148

Post by throwaway6734 »

taurath wrote: post #89

Since apparently nobody else in the thread has any empathy for those who've lost their jobs, future access to healthcare (in the US and less civilized countries), and financial security, I guess I'll be the first: I feel bad for people who are laid off by the machinations of billionaires. I wish we lived in a society where it wasn't optimal to act like raving lunatics will tear down every bit of security you have at…

What was the average salary of a Twitter employee?

It's great to see the fat getting cut and hopefully more companies follow suit

Re: Twitter’s mass layoffs have begun

#149

Post by pmoriarty »

somedude895 wrote: post #115
taurath wrote: post #89

Since apparently nobody else in the thread has any empathy for those who've lost their jobs, future access to healthcare (in the US and less civilized countries), and financial security, I guess I'll be the first: I feel bad for people who are laid off by the machinations of billionaires. I wish we lived in a society where it wasn't optimal to act like raving lunatics will tear down every bit of security you have at…

It's okay to feel bad for people who lose their jobs. But business cycles are important for a healthy economy. Unsustainable ventures need to die or be pruned at some point if you want to generate lasting prosperity. Whether this specific instance actually serves to create a more productive and more dynamic company remains to be seen, and it sucks for the people affected, but if they're skilled and useful – as every…

"if they're skilled and useful – as every person should always strive to be – they'll be fine"

And if they're not?

Re: Twitter’s mass layoffs have begun

#150

Post by twekrljpl234234 »

beardedman wrote: post #101
taurath wrote: post #89

Since apparently nobody else in the thread has any empathy for those who've lost their jobs, future access to healthcare (in the US and less civilized countries), and financial security, I guess I'll be the first: I feel bad for people who are laid off by the machinations of billionaires. I wish we lived in a society where it wasn't optimal to act like raving lunatics will tear down every bit of security you have at…

> in the US and less civilized countries Going to have a hard time finding some goodwill when you refer to other countries as "less civilized". A tad hypocritical.

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