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Meta to ask many managers to become individual contributors or leave

bloomberg.com

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Re: Meta to ask many managers to become individual contributors or leave

#21

Post by justizin »

disgruntledphd2 wrote: post #15
switchbak wrote: post #6

The vast majority of the managers I've worked with wouldn't be particularly good ICs, not so sure of the wisdom of this move. Maybe it's a way to slow roll a bunch of layoffs.

It's definitely a way to reset the culture and get rid of people who don't fit what Mark is trying to achieve.

It can't be that difficult to contribute to the achievement of absolutely tanking the company's value by investing in a dead-end VR-for-work platform that was always just a distraction to avoid responding in any way to Congress pressing him about election interference.

Re: Meta to ask many managers to become individual contributors or leave

#22

Post by pbalau »

disgruntledphd2 wrote: post #5
nh23423fefe wrote: post #2

This actually sounds like a meaningful change, unlike proposals from the peanut gallery "to fire the CEO for layoffs," instead demand more output from those you keep in exchange for a job.

And to be fair, until about 2015 or so, all managers at FB were expected to be able to do their reports job. This is definitely a good move, as I've heard some horror stories of management bloat at FB since I left in 2018.

My then manager, that become a director after he grew the team large enough, was writing code after 12 hours of meetings.

Re: Meta to ask many managers to become individual contributors or leave

#24

Post by serpix »

bennysonething wrote: post #3

I want my career path as a developer to never be anything but individual contributor. I like teaching newer Devs but I don't want to manage them. Maybe I'm being naive?

my advice is to keep doors open. You will age and your needs and expectations may change. You can always start a transition to take on more managerial duties while doing individual contribution.

Re: Meta to ask many managers to become individual contributors or leave

#25

Post by cmrdporcupine »

irrational wrote: post #10
disgruntledphd2 wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And to be fair, until about 2015 or so, all managers at FB were expected to be able to do their reports job. This is definitely a good move, as I've heard some horror stories of management bloat at FB since I left in 2018.

That is interesting. I've been working in the field professionally for 22+ years and I've never had a manager that had any technical skills. None of them could even begin to do my job.

Pretty much all my Google managers were ex-ICs who would have been fully capable of jumping into the codebase if they had to. Some of them still did, if they could squeeze it in.

Re: Meta to ask many managers to become individual contributors or leave

#26

Post by stronglikedan »

bennysonething wrote: post #3

I want my career path as a developer to never be anything but individual contributor. I like teaching newer Devs but I don't want to manage them. Maybe I'm being naive?

You're only naive in thinking that you will never want to be anything else.

Re: Meta to ask many managers to become individual contributors or leave

#27

Post by cheeze »

pbalau wrote: post #22
disgruntledphd2 wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And to be fair, until about 2015 or so, all managers at FB were expected to be able to do their reports job. This is definitely a good move, as I've heard some horror stories of management bloat at FB since I left in 2018.

My then manager, that become a director after he grew the team large enough, was writing code after 12 hours of meetings.

That's just sad.

Re: Meta to ask many managers to become individual contributors or leave

#29

Post by cheeze »

irrational wrote: post #10
disgruntledphd2 wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And to be fair, until about 2015 or so, all managers at FB were expected to be able to do their reports job. This is definitely a good move, as I've heard some horror stories of management bloat at FB since I left in 2018.

That is interesting. I've been working in the field professionally for 22+ years and I've never had a manager that had any technical skills. None of them could even begin to do my job.

Most FAANG companies grow managers from within, with many managers starting as ICs.

Anecdotally, I've never had a manager that wasn't super technical. They wouldn't last.

Re: Meta to ask many managers to become individual contributors or leave

#30

Post by xxpor »

irrational wrote: post #10
disgruntledphd2 wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And to be fair, until about 2015 or so, all managers at FB were expected to be able to do their reports job. This is definitely a good move, as I've heard some horror stories of management bloat at FB since I left in 2018.

That is interesting. I've been working in the field professionally for 22+ years and I've never had a manager that had any technical skills. None of them could even begin to do my job.

OTOH, if I tried to be a manager, even if I could do it, I'd be incredibly bad at it.
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