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Prisma laying off 28% staff

prisma.io

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Re: Prisma laying off 28% staff

#31

Post by phoe-krk »

danjac wrote: post #21

"I take full responsibility" is the new "our incredible journey" of failing tech company cliches.

How is this responsibility defined? How is this responsibility measured? What aspects of the ex-Prisma people does this responsibility cover? What measurable and practical effects does this responsibility have when measured in one week, one month, three months, one year from now? If these targets are not met, what are the consequences of that? What are the means of enforcing that responsibility?

I seriously think we need to start asking these sorts of questions and defining some sorts of standards for this "responsibility" this sentence mentions. In all other contexts, responsibility has its very tangible practical grounding and means of enforcing that grounding. In announcements like these, it reads just like a random and inconsequential "I'm sorry".

Re: Prisma laying off 28% staff

#33

Post by OJFord »

pigtailgirl wrote: post #9
drstewart wrote: post #2

Wait let me guess, the CEO is taking full responsibility but with no actual consequences?

-- linkedin: "Søren Bramer Schmidt CEO - We're hiring! Join us @Prisma" - "take full responsibility PS, We're hiring!!!!" --

It's not at all uncommon in restructuring to be both (doing a lot of) hiring & firing - the current filled roles are out of whack with where you want to be, and not things you can transition people between because the skills/qualifications are different or whatever.

E.g. if Microsoft decided to sunset its incredible GitHub journey, it would probably find itself with too many web developers. If it got out of Xboxes, too many embedded. If it went full remote, too many office managers and IT.

Re: Prisma laying off 28% staff

#34

Post by ushakov »

rightbyte wrote: post #26

So I read their website and to my understanding, they make a DB interface layer, and have 100+ staff? How is this not a company of like 10 people.

Obviously they have a bigger vision for the tool and needed people to make it happen

In all honesty, 100 people is not a big number, you need people like accountants, lawyers, office staff and so on

Re: Prisma laying off 28% staff

#35

Post by ushakov »

hsn915 wrote: post #28
OJFord wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hosted database SaaS, with the (free) library somehow integrated.

What is the unique thing they offer that no other company can offer?

Prisma, being the most popular ORM at the moment, gives you a lot of leverage and opportunities for vertical integration

Re: Prisma laying off 28% staff

#36

Post by jzb »

mritchie712 wrote: post #12
Redsquare wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"I must do better, and I will."....why does he get a second chance

you don't believe in 2nd chances? people make mistakes, you usually have to make them before you learn from them.

His mistake cost 28% of the company their jobs. Usually mistakes of that magnitude get you fired. Unless you’re the CEO. Then other people get fired and have to deal with the consequences, you play sad for a few days then go play with piles of cash.

Re: Prisma laying off 28% staff

#38

Post by atdrummond »

If I ever had to layoff a double digit number of employees, I would also layoff myself. I couldn’t in good conscience externalize the impact of my bad decisions on employees whilst leaving myself unaffected.

Re: Prisma laying off 28% staff

#39

Post by shepik »

Retric wrote: post #23
charcircuit wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

One miscalculation can result in them over hiring. Are you suggesting they should have instead every month lay off a few people depending on how the current environment looks instead of 28% at once?

Natural attrition can cut headcount. Large layoffs are a sign of incompetence.

FANGM all did layoffs. And many other companies as well. That they are all incompetent can't be the explanation.

Re: Prisma laying off 28% staff

#40

Post by sklargh »

hsn915 wrote: post #30
rightbyte wrote: post #26

So I read their website and to my understanding, they make a DB interface layer, and have 100+ staff? How is this not a company of like 10 people.

Probably sales/marketing/design.

They say GTM and it sounds like mid-market/enterprise sales. Scaling these teams requires a lot of support staff and if they’re ineffective things go sideways fast.
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