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AI note takers are flooding Zoom calls as workers opt to skip meetings

washingtonpost.com

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Re: AI note takers are flooding Zoom calls as workers opt to skip meetings

#31

Post by jjj123 »

asabla wrote: post #14
andy99 wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Lol I've seen this happen, people feeling they're too important to attend meetings and then complaining when something happens in them. Skipping meetings because they aren't organized the way you like is pretty passive aggressive. I agree with all the criticism about poorly organized meetings, but I think the non prima Donna thing to do is push back on their existence or format, not just skip them. That's part of why…

It's not about being a prima Donna. It's about business value. Too many meetings over the years should either be better planned, not taken place at all or could have been an email/chat message. Business value first

You’re both in agreement that most meetings are unnecessary and that it would be better if meetings had a set agenda.

But the other poster was saying it’s prima donna behavior to skip a meeting without asking the organizer if they can add an agenda first.

Re: AI note takers are flooding Zoom calls as workers opt to skip meetings

#32

Post by bee_rider »

Scarblac wrote: post #7
asabla wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> no agenda, no attenda I've been using this mentality for the last three years. Some responds with hostility and some see the benefits, but most are just indifferent to it sadly. I've also been observing people just throw in a short sentence or some AI generated shit list which is then not followed during the meeting. But those who take this seriously usually have pretty darn good meetings (e.g not book the full hou…

What do you do if you skip such a meeting and a decision you don't like but that you can't weigh in on anymore is taken there?

Maybe “make a decision about X” should be on the agenda? I bet he’d show up in that case, if he cared about X.

Re: AI note takers are flooding Zoom calls as workers opt to skip meetings

#34

Post by theamk »

pj_mukh wrote: post #16
jawns wrote: post #4

I bet there are a bunch of people in upper management who hear about this phenomenon and think that employees are skipping meetings to slack off (appearing to do work but they're actually playing Mario Kart). In reality, it's more likely that they're being judged on their attendance of BS meetings, but if they attend the BS meetings, they won't be able to make the BS deadlines they're responsible for hitting. So they…

Having had been on both sides of this coin, I agree a lot of managers mis-manage meetings. But then there's those engineers who don't show up to meetings and then a month later come to you with a "I don't know how we're deciding on some of these critical product features" and I don't know how to tell them its because they skipped some meetings where they could've been part of that discussion.

I'd tell them directly.. "You were invited to the meeting on 2025-MM-DD to discuss this, but you did not show up, nor did you follow up with organizers later. Sorry, you've missed your opportunity to comment"

Seems direct and uncontroversial, and IMHO most people react well at this.

Re: AI note takers are flooding Zoom calls as workers opt to skip meetings

#35

Post by theamk »

bee_rider wrote: post #32
Scarblac wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What do you do if you skip such a meeting and a decision you don't like but that you can't weigh in on anymore is taken there?

Maybe “make a decision about X” should be on the agenda? I bet he’d show up in that case, if he cared about X.

In this context, I don't see an incentive for meeting organizer to create an agenda. They don't care at all about op's opinion about X.

Re: AI note takers are flooding Zoom calls as workers opt to skip meetings

#36

Post by theamk »

mystifyingpoi wrote: post #10
jawns wrote: post #4

I bet there are a bunch of people in upper management who hear about this phenomenon and think that employees are skipping meetings to slack off (appearing to do work but they're actually playing Mario Kart). In reality, it's more likely that they're being judged on their attendance of BS meetings, but if they attend the BS meetings, they won't be able to make the BS deadlines they're responsible for hitting. So they…

> while still attempting to meet unrealistic expectations around meeting attendance I've routinely seen people attending a meeting from the office on Zoom camera, all gathered in a single big conference room, all looking and typing on their laptops for the entirety of the meeting, saying something maybe once or twice. I suppose they were simply working on their assigned tasks, listening to others in the background. H…

Many meetings I've been on only require my attention for a small part. So I've been doing my work and listening in background; once they start talking about part I care about I stop my work and start to actually participate.

Re: AI note takers are flooding Zoom calls as workers opt to skip meetings

#37

Post by pk-protect-ai »

pj_mukh wrote: post #16
jawns wrote: post #4

I bet there are a bunch of people in upper management who hear about this phenomenon and think that employees are skipping meetings to slack off (appearing to do work but they're actually playing Mario Kart). In reality, it's more likely that they're being judged on their attendance of BS meetings, but if they attend the BS meetings, they won't be able to make the BS deadlines they're responsible for hitting. So they…

Having had been on both sides of this coin, I agree a lot of managers mis-manage meetings. But then there's those engineers who don't show up to meetings and then a month later come to you with a "I don't know how we're deciding on some of these critical product features" and I don't know how to tell them its because they skipped some meetings where they could've been part of that discussion.

That's the thing, these meetings are B.S. Engineers need a task, time to think, and write about the solution and its cost. Period. Talking in a room full of people who love to hear their own voices and love to stroke their egos does not actually help engineers do their job. When engineers need to communicate, they communicate with their colleagues. There are tools for such communications that do not require talking and immediate responses. Being reactive (which is what meetings enforce you to do) costs more, as reactive and forced responses will be far more technically unsound.

Re: AI note takers are flooding Zoom calls as workers opt to skip meetings

#38

Post by jsiepkes »

> He counted six people on the call including himself, Sellers recounted in an interview. The 10 others attending were note-taking apps powered by artificial intelligence that had joined to record, transcribe and summarize the meeting.

Why do you even have a call with 16 people in it?

Re: AI note takers are flooding Zoom calls as workers opt to skip meetings

#40

Post by Scarblac »

asabla wrote: post #14
andy99 wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Lol I've seen this happen, people feeling they're too important to attend meetings and then complaining when something happens in them. Skipping meetings because they aren't organized the way you like is pretty passive aggressive. I agree with all the criticism about poorly organized meetings, but I think the non prima Donna thing to do is push back on their existence or format, not just skip them. That's part of why…

It's not about being a prima Donna. It's about business value. Too many meetings over the years should either be better planned, not taken place at all or could have been an email/chat message. Business value first

Meetings with an agenda are generally better, but that doesn't mean meetings without one can't have any business value. If you skip it, you make sure you at least don't contribute to anything decided in it.
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