Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Zoom lays off 15% of employees

blog.zoom.us

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

301–310 of 596 posts

Re: Zoom lays off 15% of employees

#301

Post by Thrymr »

oceliker wrote: post #85

I feel like Zoom is the Coca-Cola to Google and Microsoft's Pepsi. Zoom is the "OG" product (in the post-March-2020 remote working world), and probably most people's personal favorite. But their competitors have caught up, and they are getting a significant portion of corporate contracts now. And unlike with soda, I don't think there is a lot of direct-to-consumer opportunity in this field.

> I feel like Zoom is the Coca-Cola to Google and Microsoft's Pepsi.

I'm not sure I buy this, Microsoft and Google were into video conferencing well before Zoom existed. Zoom was well positioned to eat Microsoft's lunch with their product when the pandemic hit. But MS is catching up a bit, and the WFH pressure is easing a bit. This seems like a normal contraction after a Zoom boom.

Re: Zoom lays off 15% of employees

#302

Post by dymk »

givemeethekeys wrote: post #227
brk wrote: post #78

"Zoomies" Just fucking stop with this already. Quit pretending like your employees are so aligned with the company that some kind of special terminology is needed, or even logical. The recent tech layoffs have clearly demonstrated, again (again, as in we've seen this play out a few times in the 2000's), that employees are basically assets that are scaled up and down as needed, like all the rest of corporate infrastru…

"Zoomies", "Googlers", "Softies" As part of their compensation package, they receive a diminutive pet name, like a child would.

I'll let you call me a lot of things for $50k

Re: Zoom lays off 15% of employees

#303

Post by cycomanic »

oxfordmale wrote: post #242
credit_guy wrote: post #127

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Goalpost moving. The people who complain that CEO's don't show any accountability, will then complain that whatever consequences the CEO's face (or self impose) are insignificant. Would you like this guy to commit hara-kiri?

A pay cut of sorts is sufficient accountability in my eyes. It is worth noting that most previous tech CEOs financially gained from lay-offs, assuming that these layoffs would make the company more profitable in the long run.

It's likely he will also gain from layoffs, as most of his compensation is in stock (see somebody else's comment above).

Re: Zoom lays off 15% of employees

#304

Post by haswell »

s1artibartfast wrote: post #276
BurningFrog wrote: post #269

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> You were used, they got what they needed and now it is time to go. Both sides got what they needed. The company got work done, and the employee got paid. Calling either side "used" makes no sense to me. Employment is always a temporary relationship that can be ended by either side at will.

I think "used" is fine, but it doesn't imply any gross injustice. I use a worker to build my house, but that doesn't mean I am abusing them. They are using me too. no hard feelings.

> I think "used" is fine, but it doesn't imply any gross injustice.

One of the primary definitions of that word describes a scenario where one person exploits another person for their own gain.

Any time the word is used to describe the nature of one’s relationship with another person, that definition is going to come to mind.

I can’t agree that there is no implication of injustice.

Re: Zoom lays off 15% of employees

#305

Post by kjkjadksj »

neilv wrote: post #299

Is layoffs in the neighborhood of 15% right now because it's an amount that large companies think is safe to trim, in terms of work to be done or their capacity to get work done? Or is it a psychological number that's high but not too high for some party? Or something else?

If it was rooted in logical formula versus emotions it wouldn’t be exactly 15 percent

Re: Zoom lays off 15% of employees

#307

Post by kjkjadksj »

oceliker wrote: post #85

I feel like Zoom is the Coca-Cola to Google and Microsoft's Pepsi. Zoom is the "OG" product (in the post-March-2020 remote working world), and probably most people's personal favorite. But their competitors have caught up, and they are getting a significant portion of corporate contracts now. And unlike with soda, I don't think there is a lot of direct-to-consumer opportunity in this field.

We are at the point where every org is going to pay for zoom anyhow like they pay for both ms office and gsuite for the same set of workers. People send meeting links on zoom to clients and collaborators at other orgs. Its the standard now. Try sending a teams link and your clients will say “well we dont use teams can you send a zoom link?”

Re: Zoom lays off 15% of employees

#309

Post by s1artibartfast »

gedy wrote: post #15

Given how zoom took over the universe in past 3 years, seems like a serious leadership failing to now have to cut 1300 people.

I'm not sure how you get that conclusion. "taking over the universe" seems like successful leadership to me. I'm sure those 1300 people helped them do it. If they are no longer needed, letting them go also seems like successful leadership.

I don't pay the workers that built my house after the job is done.

Re: Zoom lays off 15% of employees

#310

Post by nickff »

SQueeeeeL wrote: post #277
nazka wrote: post #255

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Wow ok.. Your comment should be on the first node all the way up. That’s really different from what I was imagining!

I feel like this is a weird comment. There has basically never been a CEO taking meaningful accountability for a company failing. Taking a reasonable chunk of one's wealth and giving it to fired employees is actually remarkable, even if it's not as large as it could be

Laying off employees is not 'the company failing'; he reports to investors, not employees. The employees have very little on the line with respect to the company.
Post reply on HN