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

Silicon Valley's "Pronatalists" Killed WFH. The Strait of Hormuz Brought It Back

governance.fyi

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

311–316 of 316 posts

Re: Silicon Valley's "Pronatalists" Killed WFH. The Strait of Hormuz Brought It Back

#311

Post by Corrado »

softwaredoug wrote: post #51

If I could afford to live 15 minutes from the office I 100% would go to an office. But housing, transportation, daycare costs make that impractical. If they really want me in the office, companies need to engage on these issues in the metros they live in. They need to clear NIMBY barriers to urban housing, support transit, and good parental leave.

> If I could afford to live 15 minutes from the office I 100% would go to an office.

This is a really good point. At one point in my career I lived close enough to the office that I could ride my bike to work. It was actually pretty nice to work that close to home and I didn't really mind going into the office.

Re: Silicon Valley's "Pronatalists" Killed WFH. The Strait of Hormuz Brought It Back

#312

Post by shdudns »

jmyeet wrote: post #278
shdudns wrote: post #126

If you can WFH you've demonstrated to your employer that one impediment to offshoring your job is gone. Thats not to say there aren't other impediments. Maybe your job is legally protected onshore (military) Nor is this a value judgement, or a prescription of a solution. Maybe lowered tech wages are the best solution for this problem. I work in a lab, I'd love for these coders to make less money and not have to compe…

If this were true, every tech job would've been offshored already. The idea that offshoring is strictly better and cheaper is a myth that's yet to be realized since the 1990s. Just like RTO mandates and layoffs, it's just another tool to suppress wages.

Which is why I stressed that successful WFH is one of many enablers of off-shoring.

Re: Silicon Valley's "Pronatalists" Killed WFH. The Strait of Hormuz Brought It Back

#313

Post by cassianoleal »

shimman wrote: post #306
cassianoleal wrote: post #104

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In this case you either live in the middle of an industrial hub or you can’t change jobs, so I’m not sure what it actually solves. Hiring by catchment area does seem very appealing for anyone - neither the companies nor the candidates.

You do realize the vast majority of jobs are not in industrial hubs but urban cities right? Urban cities tend to have more than one employer too. Before I moved across the country, there were maybe a dozen or so companies that were hiring devs where I lived; now after moving there are around 800 companies that hire devs. In this new, for me, city, Boston, it's quite hard to build housing for reasons that seem to only…

> not in industrial hubs but urban cities

An urban city can be or have an industrial hub. By industrial I don't necessarily mean manufacture.

> Urban cities tend to have more than one employer too

They can also have those employers at a couple hours commute (not walking) from each other. That helps my point, not hinders it.

> there were maybe a dozen or so companies that were hiring devs where I lived

Assuming those were all within 15 minutes walking distance, then it would qualify as the kind of industrial hub I mentioned - although a dozen or so may not be good enough for an employee to shop around and get good deals.

> now after moving there are around 800 companies that hire devs

Again, within 15 min walk of each other? I find that hard to believe, but assuming so, that is an industrial hub.

Re: Silicon Valley's "Pronatalists" Killed WFH. The Strait of Hormuz Brought It Back

#314

Post by lucyjojo »

mikkupikku wrote: post #252
rennokki wrote: post #241

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Nail guns are tools, just like hammers. However, you have to know how to use it and to know how to adjust the pressure for the depth you need. It also costs money, much more than a hammer. And you can't use normal nails, you have to have a specific cartridge of nails, and you must know how to adjust it, and ultimately to not die. Now compare it again.

I think it's a fair comparison; experienced carpenters who've learned to work fast with a hammer, now asked to be 10x more productive while using a new tool they don't have experience with. It probably got more than a few a bit bothered.

get your carpenter a circular saw, a drill, a router, a hand planner and an orbital. on many jobs you ll get your 10x.

you don't need much experience. the tools make you insanely faster with much much less physical strain and maintenance time. they're simple, predictable, reliable, and obscenely powerful.

an experimented carpenter would take a few minutes to be decent at using then.

- stable and "slow" is best - don't ever let the blade get pinched (by wood) - be mindful of the cords - keep the flesh out of the way - goggles up and don't breathe the dust

you got 95% of it there

Re: Silicon Valley's "Pronatalists" Killed WFH. The Strait of Hormuz Brought It Back

#315

Post by quantified »

Swizec wrote: post #164
cosmic_quanta wrote: post #52

I will die on this hill: tech firms that mandated 5 days in the office was about soft layoffs, rather than a principled stance on individual performance under WFH. My "evidence" is that trading firms that kept raking in the money, and that benefit from maximum productivity of their employees, still generally have a hybrid work culture.

> I will die on this hill: tech firms that mandated 5 days in the office was about soft layoffs, rather than a principled stance on individual performance under WFH “True work only happens in person with human collaboration! Everyone must come back” 2 years pass “Oh wow we can replace everyone with a chatbot this is amazing” narrator: It was the interest rates all along. Many of these tech businesses are fundamentall…

It was the 100% writeoff of R&D spending and software salaries mandated as R&D. As soon as that changed, very precisely, layoffs started.
Post reply on HN