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Layoffs at Block

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Re: Layoffs at Block

#291

Post by torben-friis »

galkk wrote: post #230
torben-friis wrote: post #133

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Obviously so, yeah. Astroturfing? Or is there any other reason why this is becoming so common in HN?

I'm not a native speaker. Besides dash, what is the sign that it's AI?

I can’t point the exact signs because the message got removed, but a common sign is labeled paragraphs:

“My take: so and so.”

“The key idea: so and so.”

There are also some common sentence structures, like the format “it’s not A, it’s B”. For example, “this is not important; it is essential”.

Some words also tend to appear very frequently, like the verb pretend: “this is John no longer pretending he’s dumb”.

Any of those examples could appear in legitimate human text, but when you see many of those signs in a short text it’s very obvious.

Re: Layoffs at Block

#292

Post by stock_toaster »

ivanech wrote: post #103

This feels similar to March 2020 when COVID was in Seattle. “It’s in the US but maybe it’s just a one-off.” We’ll see, I guess.

Agreed. Now that one more company has announced a big (40%!) headcount cut, other CEOs will feel like it is ok to do so now too (someone else stuck their neck out first, safe to pile on, "every one else is doing it", etc).

I expect to start hearing about more big riffs soon. :/

Re: Layoffs at Block

#293

Post by softwaredoug »

daxfohl wrote: post #48

We'll see how much the AI aspect is true by whether they're thinning out teams equally, or just axing whole initiatives. My impression of Block was that it was mostly a one-trick pony (okay, two if you include CashApp) with a bunch of side initiatives that never seemed to pan out, so I'm expecting it to be more of the latter, with this being more of an admission that they're now in "maintenance mode". Either way, I t…

Before people jump into existential despair here about the software field, do we know the breakdown of roles? How many were tech vs support, operations, HR, and other roles?

Re: Layoffs at Block

#294

Post by _zagj »

MattGaiser wrote: post #219
skwirl wrote: post #57

We’re reaching “Don’t Look Up” levels of denial about the impact of AI on this site.

Even if they are right about quality, people on here vastly overstate the value of quality. From socks to dishwashers to airfares, slop is a valid product as long as it is cheap. Security from a business perspective has been proven not quite optional, but it is hardly catastrophic if it fails.

> Even if they are right about quality, people on here vastly overstate the value of quality

I always found the quality argument strange; what software are these people using that makes them think quality is a high priority?

Re: Layoffs at Block

#295

Post by atleastoptimal »

torben-friis wrote: post #120

>we're not making this decision because we're in trouble. our business is strong. gross profit continues to grow, we continue to serve more and more customers, and profitability is improving. In my country, this action would be literally illegal. Even in countries where it isn’t, it feels highly immoral. “I’m not in any kind of pressure to do this but I’m choosing to shed the people who created my wealth for greater…

This is part of the reason why American tech companies are so successful though. Being unable to lay off workers causes stagnation at companies where fast-development is paramount.

Re: Layoffs at Block

#296

Post by jwilber »

jcims wrote: post #60
t-writescode wrote: post #28

Nice severance; but in this job market, holy shit. Yeah, you get 5 months of severance and a bunch of devices and such; but, does this CEO really think these employees will find new work in that time? In this job market? If the profits are still up and growing, why on earth would you evict 40% of the company, to send them into this job market? Why not … try new industries, play around, try to become the next Mitsubis…

>If the profits are still up and growing, why on earth would you evict 40% of the company, to send them into this job market? To avoid laying them off in next year's job market. Dripping a 10% cut every year for the next four years when you *know* that you're going to do it is cowardice.

Or empathetic, especially when they throw money away à la $70M parties:

“General and administrative expenses increased by $68.1m ... The increase was primarily driven by … an in-person company event held in Q3 2025”

Re: Layoffs at Block

#298

Post by littlexsparkee »

Swizec wrote: post #36
t-writescode wrote: post #28

Nice severance; but in this job market, holy shit. Yeah, you get 5 months of severance and a bunch of devices and such; but, does this CEO really think these employees will find new work in that time? In this job market? If the profits are still up and growing, why on earth would you evict 40% of the company, to send them into this job market? Why not … try new industries, play around, try to become the next Mitsubis…

> Nice severance; but in this job market, holy shit. I just talked to a bunch of recruiters (we're hiring) and their main piece of advice was: The market is crazy. Move fast . We're seeing people getting jobs within days of starting to look, bailing on offers after signing because they got a better offer somewhere else, etc. 24 hours is the longest you can leave a candidate waiting. You have been warned edit: I am in…

Zumper says 15.6% on 1b, 21.3% on 2b - how did you get to 60? https://www.zumper.com/rent-research/national-rent-report

Re: Layoffs at Block

#300

Post by rgovostes »

My recent experience with Cash App made it apparent that something is really going awry at Block: My decade-old account was suspended, despite no suspicious activity and being in my full legal name and address and connected to the same checking account I've always used. I appealed, but of course they upheld their opaque decision, which is now permanent. I'm not surprised they're struggling if this is how they treat users who have plenty of alternative options.
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