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Twitter announces layoffs

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Re: Twitter announces layoffs

#171

Post by ethbro »

hammock wrote: post #151
Sidnicious wrote: post #97

> 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…

Dear Twitter, They're going to let me be CEO again, but as part of the deal I had to fire a bunch of people. Mostly engineers since I'm told there are many of them who cost too much and don't seem to impact the top line. Please let's all be nice about the whole thing, so it doesn't turn into a PR disaster. Jack

Let's be honest (and no offense to anyone who got fired), but twitter probably had some dead weight to shed. Sadly, I'm sure some quality engineers got the ax too. Way of the world.

Re: Twitter announces layoffs

#172

Post by efuquen »

Taek wrote: post #148
fauigerzigerk wrote: post #135

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Team, we thought we would grow very fast and we hired accordingly. Turns out we didn't grow that fast so now we're firing accordingly. Please don't be mad at us! If things work out as we hope they will with Moments and all the rest, we may want to hire you back in the future because you folks are not so shoddy after all. Cheers

That is part of the startup world. Companies stall, and companies fail. If stability is required, it should be worked into the employee agreement. I don't know what is meant by "generous exit package", but it may be enough to tide the employees over to their next job.

Twitter is still a "startup"?

Re: Twitter announces layoffs

#173

Post by diego »

Taek wrote: post #148
fauigerzigerk wrote: post #135

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Team, we thought we would grow very fast and we hired accordingly. Turns out we didn't grow that fast so now we're firing accordingly. Please don't be mad at us! If things work out as we hope they will with Moments and all the rest, we may want to hire you back in the future because you folks are not so shoddy after all. Cheers

That is part of the startup world. Companies stall, and companies fail. If stability is required, it should be worked into the employee agreement. I don't know what is meant by "generous exit package", but it may be enough to tide the employees over to their next job.

Startup world? This is a public company with thousands of employees who can get rid of 336 of them. It's pretty far from the startup world. This is the corporate world, and it happens to companies with long histories when their environment changes.

Re: Twitter announces layoffs

#174

Post by rudolf0 »

adevine wrote: post #165
uptown wrote: post #139

"we plan to part ways with up to 336 people from across the company. We are doing this with the utmost respect for each and every person." Bart might disagree: https://twitter.com/bartt/status/653946266938818561

Did you read his followup email? He said they called but he did not pick up. Whenever you have a large layoff, it is fairly standard to lock accounts immediately.

Exactly. For security reasons, you have no other option, even if it's rude.

Re: Twitter announces layoffs

#175

Post by ch0wn »

PMan74 wrote: post #90
ch0wn wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Cut the snark, this still affects real people's lives.

Some of the most employable people in the current job market. Nobody likes getting fired but it's not like they don't have great prospects.

You're thinking of engineers. Those make up ~45% of the workforce. Some of my friends affected by this don't have recruiters queuing for them.

Re: Twitter announces layoffs

#176

Post by Cakez0r »

quarterto wrote: post #107
foobarbecue wrote: post #81

fewer

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"?

Usually when you use a citation, it's supposed to provide substantive evidence. Not just reiterating your opinion[1].

[1] This is a fact.

Re: Twitter announces layoffs

#177

Post by jsprogrammer »

adevine wrote: post #165
uptown wrote: post #139

"we plan to part ways with up to 336 people from across the company. We are doing this with the utmost respect for each and every person." Bart might disagree: https://twitter.com/bartt/status/653946266938818561

Did you read his followup email? He said they called but he did not pick up. Whenever you have a large layoff, it is fairly standard to lock accounts immediately.

Did you check the screenshot? Access was removed at 5:24AM, but the voicemail wasn't until 7:22AM.

Re: Twitter announces layoffs

#180

Post by ethbro »

rudolf0 wrote: post #169
adevine wrote: post #164

Earlier quoted context omitted.

While they may be jargon, they're not meaningless. I mean, roadmap? Is there anyone who has worked at a tech company that doesn't know what a roadmap is, and why it's important? Is there anyone who doesn't know that nimbler means better able to react to changes in the marketplace?

They're jargon as well as buzzwords. They mean things, but they're unnecessary. "Roadmap" -> plan, strategy "Structural change" -> internal reorganizing, lay-offs "Nimbler" -> fewer employees, which we hope will make us become more agile "Streamlined" -> ambiguous and essentially meaningless by itself "Impactful" -> revenue- and/or growth-generating, maybe "important"

You're suggesting we revert to Chaucer's English because linguistic drift is bad?

I'm as much a hater of overuse of jargon as the next person, but for his intended audience I don't think this is an example of that. If one doesn't know what any of those words mean, then "Hello, welcome to Hacker News."

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