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Microsoft to lay off 10k workers

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Re: Microsoft to lay off 10k workers

#141

Post by nemo44x »

jonathankoren wrote: post #115
_huayra_ wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wonder where EU tech workers (big or not) fit in this. Certainly pay is less than US, but when I worked in Europe, everyone took all of their vacation time and generally did not work beyond regular business hours. Where I work today in the US, even junior devs (i.e. no on-call or general need to fight fires outside of regular hours) are grinding away on nights and weekends. The only way I can basically take a half-…

> The only way I can basically take a half-day here and there during the week to ski is because my team would be screwed without me lol. No. Your team will do just fine if you dropped dead today. Trust m. Teams are always fine. Take the time off and get down off the cross.

It's amazing how prevalent this type of attitude is and not only in tech but in like menial jobs I've had when I was young as well. People actually think they are Atlas, supporting the entire operation and without them it would collapse. It's just not true, ever. It doesn't mean people aren't valued and that the organization is better off with them, but just because an individual can't see an organization working without them doesn't mean they can't.

We don't say it out loud because it's not polite but everyone is replaceable. In fact, there's many things we don't say because we are polite but I sort of feel like people tend to mistake politeness for support. But that's another thing all together and I digress.

Re: Microsoft to lay off 10k workers

#142

Post by x86x87 »

cokeandpepsi wrote: post #108

Would be cool if it got up to 100% one day

Nope. In the "good old days" corpos got thay a move like this would kill morale. Nowadays in the "you should be grateful you have a job" days corpos no longer care. It's great because they can squeeze more work from the people left behind and they also have flexibility when it comes to opportunistically shedding workers around key date (ie earnings)

Re: Microsoft to lay off 10k workers

#143

Post by O__________O »

Interview with Microsoft’s CEO was posted by WSJ within past 24-hours that includes questions about if workers should be concerned about AI taking their jobs. My understanding was he expected companies to retrain their workforce to leverage AI. I would be super curious to hear his reasoning for why Microsoft did not take his own advice.

Satya Nadella: Microsoft's Products Will Soon Access Open AI Tools Like ChatGPT | WSJ - YouTube

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=UNbyT7wPwk4

Re: Microsoft to lay off 10k workers

#144

Post by wnolens »

thr0w4w4ymsft wrote: post #2

MSFT manager of 25+ person team here with no actual heads up on this. The writing has been on the wall for months though from internal comms so this should come as a surprise to no one. No one on my team has any information about this beyond the Satya email, so this is either a "no news is good news" situation (assuming you don't actually want to be laid off), or a poorly executed process. I'm hoping for the former f…

At least you got an email from Satya. Amazon folks need to stumble across major news outlets.

Re: Microsoft to lay off 10k workers

#145

Post by roncesvalles »

Cthulhu_ wrote: post #98
jstx1 wrote: post #3

> When I think about this moment in time, the start of 2023, it’s showtime – for our industry and for Microsoft. He could have left that part out.

I mean I don't understand the big announcement in the first place; with a company that large, reducing staff count by 10K can be done organically, simply by not hiring replacements. Which makes me think of two things; one, they want to get rid of very specific people, people who wouldn't quit on their own. And two, that they can't just reduce staff count without an announcement, because staff count is one of those me…

You're absolutely correct about the second one. It's theatre.

https://news.stanford.edu/2022/12/05/explains-recent-tech-la...

The announcement itself has an "if-by-whiskey" feel to it. On the one hand, they claim to be "aligning cost structure with revenue". On the other hand, they also claim to be investing in "strategic areas for our future". It tries to spin it in a way that appeals to both value and growth investors respectively.

Re: Microsoft to lay off 10k workers

#146

Post by skinnymuch »

kypro wrote: post #83
mynameisvlad wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

IIRC, Salesforce also did the same thing. Announced layoffs that would happen over the course of a year, with some effective immediately. It feels like it would demoralize workers; everyone was already on eggshells leading up to such an announcement and it would suck to continue working while stepping on eggshells for a full year, wondering if tomorrow is your day.

I've seen both. Imo announcing layoffs ahead of time is better because while demoralising it at least gives people time to prepare and a sense that the company cares enough about you to be honest with you and aid with a smooth transition to your next role. I worked for place which did several mass layoffs. The way they did it was by emailing everyone at end of day Thursday explain that everyone needed to be in the of…

The entire situation is silly. People shouldn’t be panicking about losing health care etc because of layoffs. Corporations shouldn’t have this much power.

Re: Microsoft to lay off 10k workers

#148

Post by skinnymuch »

jstx1 wrote: post #85
college_physics wrote: post #75

There was a sentiment in an earlier discussion [0] that this is "a war on tech wages" but for years the argument was that tech will make many other jobs obsolete (which would justify wage growth for tech employees). Remember, e.g., the Jack Ma era and his proclamations that we should all get into arts because tech will take care of the rest? Is the current round of layoffs an admission that the "software will eat the…

> Is the current round of layoffs an admission that the "software will eat the world" scenario will not happen or an indication that it can be done with even fewer tech employees? Either statement is reading too much into it. It's a reaction to economic conditions and the state of the labor market.

Or it’s a reaction to others laying off and not rational at all.

Re: Microsoft to lay off 10k workers

#149

Post by verst »

wnolens wrote: post #144
thr0w4w4ymsft wrote: post #2

MSFT manager of 25+ person team here with no actual heads up on this. The writing has been on the wall for months though from internal comms so this should come as a surprise to no one. No one on my team has any information about this beyond the Satya email, so this is either a "no news is good news" situation (assuming you don't actually want to be laid off), or a poorly executed process. I'm hoping for the former f…

At least you got an email from Satya. Amazon folks need to stumble across major news outlets.

Major news came yesterday. Satya email this morning.

Re: Microsoft to lay off 10k workers

#150

Post by skinnymuch »

onlyrealcuzzo wrote: post #118
roflyear wrote: post #110

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Lots of companies do take no profit and pay out entirely to their employees, and there are some famous examples of that.

Lots of co-ops and private companies... Please show me one public company that has said - sorry shareholders - we're returning 100%+ of profits to our employees forever.

Who cares if a public company hasn’t done it? We know it’s possible. We need to make the world a better place not have the status quo.
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