Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

LinkedIn laying off nearly 700, mostly from core engineering teams

cnbc.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

181–190 of 294 posts

Re: LinkedIn laying off nearly 700, mostly from core engineering teams

#181

Post by JumpCrisscross »

JohnFen wrote: post #131
catlover76 wrote: post #125

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think the notion of "we are all going to quit and/or refuse to work if employer doesn't do (or does do) x" is arguably pretty extortiony. One could also argue it's just makes the market hyper-efficient by signalling the reaction of the supply of labor to a change in the asking price very quickly and directly. I genuinely don't know why employers do not hire non-union employees in such circumstances; I think most of…

It's no more extortiony than how employers treat their employees. Collective bargaining is pretty much the only tool workers have to even begin to correct the power differential between employer and employee. Ideally, it allows employees and employers to negotiate on more equal terms than is otherwise possible.

> Collective bargaining is pretty much the only tool workers have

No, it isn’t. There is the individual threat of quitting. And there are the courts.

Re: LinkedIn laying off nearly 700, mostly from core engineering teams

#182

Post by arecurrence »

gabyar wrote: post #44
raybb wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are some tech worker unions (like at NYT) but not enough. A relevant book that recently came out but I have not read is You Deserve a Tech Union by Ethan Marcotte https://abookapart.com/products/you-deserve-a-tech-union

My first job was at a tech company with a union. Boeing. It was ridiculously bad. I've never worked with less talented people. One of my coworkers did nothing, at all, for 2 years. But with 17 years of experience, he couldn't be fired. I carried the team, but they couldn't pay me what I was worth or promote me. I left as soon as I could.

Been in a similar environment as an intern. Can concur was worst professional experience of my life. Very glad I experienced this early on to avoid whenever possible for the rest of my days.

Staff couldn't even be disciplined without going through the union rep and everything was based on seniority... with no other reason.

That business no longer exists... its competitors that were non-unionized are still thriving.

Re: LinkedIn laying off nearly 700, mostly from core engineering teams

#183

Post by bombcar »

6D794163636F756 wrote: post #171
runako wrote: post #156

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Tom Cruise finished filming Top Gun: Maverick years ago, but people are still streaming, renting, and purchasing that movie bringing in massive profit for the studio. This is also true of the original Top Gun, released ~37 years ago. Very little software has that kind of long-term earning power, further supporting the idea that software work is not all that unique as work goes.

It is as of yet unclear if software will reach that long term profitability. Video games certainly can have it though. I've purchased copies of games which were coded before I was born. Tech is still a young and growing industry where we find new use cases every day. As this slows and as software is perfected this may change. If someone designs the perfect email app it may just be able to run in steady state for deca…

Video games are probably closest to books; in fact, much of software is probably "bookish" in general - lots of it written for particular purposes, sells well enough to have been done, disappears into the long-tail.

A few major breakout successes become historical and bought long after the fact, but the majority do not.

Re: LinkedIn laying off nearly 700, mostly from core engineering teams

#184

Post by fullshark »

slg wrote: post #81
AndrewKemendo wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Don’t you know? We 10x engineers are so special that we are waving off offer after offer and that will never end. Not only will that never end, but luckily I’m so perfect that I’ll never experience a disability or need any accommodation that I can’t just code or build myself. I mean even then, certainly you had a good enough exit at your first company (like anyone good) that you could basically retire whenever. I mea…

I know this is said in jest, but I just want to remind people there is no such thing as being too valuable to be a member of a union. LeBron James is in a union. Tom Cruise is literally striking right now as part of the SAG-AFTRA union strike. Unless John Carmack happens to be reading this, I guarantee you are not close to being as valuable an engineer as LeBron is a basketball player or Cruise is an actor.

LeBron James is also underpaid, at least his NBA salary. That's why he chose his team based on whatever would be best for his "brand" so he could make real money.

Re: LinkedIn laying off nearly 700, mostly from core engineering teams

#185

Post by eikenberry »

LewisVerstappen wrote: post #3

> LinkedIn is now ramping up hiring in India, according the person familiar. So, laying off people in the US and hiring in India?

Any reason it will work out better this time than it did the last time outsourcing was the new big thing? In my anecdotal experience this is just a rehashing of the last outsourcing craze with a new crowd and will end up the same way.

Re: LinkedIn laying off nearly 700, mostly from core engineering teams

#187

Post by kurikuri »

JumpCrisscross wrote: post #180
AndrewKemendo wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Don’t you know? We 10x engineers are so special that we are waving off offer after offer and that will never end. Not only will that never end, but luckily I’m so perfect that I’ll never experience a disability or need any accommodation that I can’t just code or build myself. I mean even then, certainly you had a good enough exit at your first company (like anyone good) that you could basically retire whenever. I mea…

It’s difficult to see unions as anything but a failed model. What they advocate for, workers’ rights, is noble. But the divisiveness they employ makes them a political distraction. We need workers’ rights in law for everyone. Not just those who are in a union.

> But the divisiveness they employ makes them a political distraction.

What divisiveness? Most news I hear about unions paints them as a negative without backing anything up.

> We need workers’ rights for everyone. Not just those who are in a union.

Agreed, but we have to start somewhere. If unions are able to push for some type of labor benefit, then good for them.

Re: LinkedIn laying off nearly 700, mostly from core engineering teams

#188

Post by ta1243 »

paxys wrote: post #174
bluGill wrote: post #166

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I cannot fly and be there with 2 hours notice though. Sometimes flights are full and you can't get there at all with less than a few weeks notice. Often you can, but the cost for same day tickets can be very high. Planning months in advance is done all the time, but it is hard. It is always easier to plan if you can look at the current most urgent project list and pick the top item. if you have to plan what will be o…

To me the biggest advantage of WFH is that I can choose to live in an area that fits my lifestyle and needs. If a company says "you can work from home but be near the office so that we can call you in whenever we want with zero notice" then that isn't really a remote job. In fact it is the worst of both worlds, because you lose the flexibility of being remote as well as the community and perks of an office.

If "near" is a couple of hours that seems far better. Rather than spending 15-20 hours a week commuting you pop into an office once or twice a month, costing an average 2 hours a week, perhaps avoiding rush hour too.

Re: LinkedIn laying off nearly 700, mostly from core engineering teams

#189

Post by lotsofpulp »

deviantbit wrote: post #161
nojito wrote: post #106

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So? Are you implying that those developers can’t compete with US developers?

US developers are far better than Indian developers, but they can't compete on wages. The cost of living is too high in this country.

How about Silicon Valley developers being outsourced to Missouri?

Re: LinkedIn laying off nearly 700, mostly from core engineering teams

#190

Post by WalterBright »

FireBeyond wrote: post #144
WalterBright wrote: post #138

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The extorty part is when the company is not allowed to hire other people to replace the striking workers. Whereas the employee is free to go to work for some other company at any time. The rules are not in balance.

There are very few cases where the company is not allowed to hire other people. They may have a hard time, but it's generally allowed. > Whereas the employee is free to go to work for some other company at any time. And generally the employer is free to fire people at any time. And to forbid employees from working elsewhere. I don't think your examples hold up to scrutiny.

They don't? Employers cannot fire striking employees. Or fire any that may look like retaliation for union activity.

> And to forbid employees from working elsewhere

That's simply not true.

Post reply on HN