Just a day ago I was reading a comment from a - funnily, google - engineer gaslighting another engineer that had a hard time finding a job in this market.
Google Cuts Jobs in Engineering and Other Divisions
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Re: Google Cuts Jobs in Engineering and Other Divisions
#232> laid off employees who worked on ... the Pixel phone. That sounds weird to me. Pixel phones has grown very fast in the last years and I don't se how it can be seen as anything but a great success.
Google is increasingly treating Android as an iOS alternative for the developing world and outsourcing core Android development to its Indian offices. The reason they are doing this is probably because the non-tech management MBAs running Google are all using iPhones.
Were you like I have nothing useful to add, but while I'm driving by why don't I just fart on India...
The market share speaks for itself.
For what it's worth, India with over a billion people is a large market for Android.
Anyway, the iOS market share seems to be increasing rapidly in India. See https://telecom.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/devices/ip...).
Re: Google Cuts Jobs in Engineering and Other Divisions
#233Earlier quoted context omitted.
One reason is that in times of high growth, unions tend to be a limiting factor to innovation, growth and worker compensation, especially for top performers. Another is that during layoffs, unions may force the company to lay off people based on seniority instead of competency. If you compare salaries for developers between Germany and the US, I think this point becomes blatantly clear.
I never heard of an IT union in Germany.
Verdi and IG Metall represent developers. (IGM a bit more traditional, when IBM built machines here; verdi tries to take over as software development is a service of some kind)
Re: Google Cuts Jobs in Engineering and Other Divisions
#234My firm made billions last year too and just laid off hundreds of engineers (a decent %) Some of the best engineers, those that I respected the most, went. People who make no sense. After last year's layoffs they told us they were "done" and it was "all behind us". Last year then turned out to a better year financially than 2022 (we have access to the top line numbers) You can't trust anything anyone above you in the…
I see what you are saying. I am an engineer-turned-EM and you don't know me, so please take everything I say with a grain of salt: > Your job is NOT safe. Nothing will make execs happier than having this line of thought popularized amongst engineers. It will allow them to hire cheaper, and exploit existing engineers more. I think a better way to put it is: "A job is not your family, and a job is not your identity. Yo…
> Nothing will make execs happier than having this line of thought popularized amongst engineers. It will allow them to hire cheaper, and exploit existing engineers more.
Why? The lay-offs are so broad, not selective at all. You're just as likely to get cut if you're working hard or not, if you're overpaid or underpaid. It's completely out of the employee's control, so why would it change the employee's behavior?
Re: Google Cuts Jobs in Engineering and Other Divisions
#235Earlier quoted context omitted.
I don’t think you can generalize from one manager or even a team of management to all managers in every company. But still your point about the absurd uncertainty of big company roles, even under glowing performance gauntlets as you so aptly say is well taken. you highlight a paradox between the values the company espouses, and the ones they actually keep. In where it appears that, no loyalty is returned to the emplo…
Wait until your manager is laid off and you're talking to them afterward. This has happened to me twice in my career and both times its like you're talking to a whole different person. In my cynical opinion, being that different person is the number 1 trait companies look for when selecting managers
Nah, man: totally agree wif dat. But even that can express differently, there's a lot of boxes for that different person to fit into!
I mean, is this impostor syndrome or is it something else?
Re: Google Cuts Jobs in Engineering and Other Divisions
#236Earlier quoted context omitted.
You're both right. To be fair, it reads like he was saying > Your job is NOT safe. in service of > Take their fucking money, build a big emergency fund, save, invest, and focus on the rest of your life outside of work.
I understand this rationale, but personally I have an extremely hard time disconnecting from work. It sucks 40 hours a week, which is most of my "alive" time, also sucks my brain stamina. Finding life outside of work is not easy, and considering that your main "alive time" activity is something that shouldn't be a pleasure, and is a f*cking battle, feels bad.
A full time job is generally under 2,000 hours a year while you’re awake ~5,840 (16 * 365) hours a year.
Overtime, long commutes, and thinking about the job at home can make it seem like all you do is work, but it’s possible to spend 40 hours a week having fun while you also have a full time job. Remember use your vacation and sick days, and say no to excessive unpaid overtime.
Re: Google Cuts Jobs in Engineering and Other Divisions
#237Earlier quoted context omitted.
It's not blatantly clear that US's salaries are due to lack of developer unions.
Not that alone, but a lot of the factors that hold European companies back compared to American ones when it comes to innovation come from the same ideology, whether it appears as regulation, taxation or a number of other factors aimed at improving safety and comfort, even if it comes at the cost of liberty and incentive.
That "liberty and incentive" is extremely unevenly distributed, which is why this thread exists.
Besides - the US is clearly losing its reputation for tech competence.
Between some of the world's crappiest broadband (unevenly distributed again), NASA Moon missions failing to reach the Moon, Boeing blowing their own doors off, and Google's search enshitification and inability to understand what a stable product line is - among others - the US really isn't the powerhouse of progress it thinks it is.
Re: Google Cuts Jobs in Engineering and Other Divisions
#238Earlier quoted context omitted.
How is this comparable to Intel? Is Google struggling financially ?
Their profit has been declining rapidly the last two years, so they’re cutting costs to turn things around. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38949755
Compared to Covid boom years... let's normalize the Covid years to their past trend and add the 2022 and 2023 data points as regular years. I'm sure they'd look just fine.
Re: Google Cuts Jobs in Engineering and Other Divisions
#239Re: Google Cuts Jobs in Engineering and Other Divisions
#240Layoffs are always counter-productive as going forward employees take fewer risks, to evade being the one laid off. Layoffs kill innovation.
This is patently false. Tons of empirical evidence of organizations that have improved and innovated much more effectively. The world’s most valuable company comes to mind.
The world's most valuable company (Apple, I assume?) wasn't the world's fifth most profitable company in ANY field when they did that, though.