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Microsoft Freezes Salaries for 2023

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Re: Microsoft Freezes Salaries for 2023

#411

$18.3B in profit is pretty amazing by anyone’s standard. Especially with no pay bumps following. 20-30 years from now this will be used as a reference in history as an indication of how completely fucked up the world’s economy was at this time in history. It’s a signal. It’s a warning. It’s a sign of where we are heading. Only time will allow it to unfold. The typical naysayers can only be proven wrong with time and…

This is literally what everyone else has been living outside of silicon valley for decades. Shitty raises, no raises, pay cuts or raises that don't keep up with inflation. This has literally always been the reply reality of the average American worker.

Re: Microsoft Freezes Salaries for 2023

#412

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> This decision is unethical to full-time employees seeing the tidy profit they made. Profit itself is unethical.

Alright, I’ll bite. How is profit unethical? If I sell my neighbour something and make a profit, are we not both better off?

If you are puzzled by weird economic positions of people don't read the threads about SVB's collapse.

Re: Microsoft Freezes Salaries for 2023

#413

Man oh man. Microsoft really just has no interest in keeping motivated and talented people around. The brain drain is going to ramp up even more from here If you're still at MSFT: do yourself a favor and jump ship. It's a good job, but there are even better jobs out there. Just tell the recruiter when you get your new job offer that you've been drinking $5,000 a year's worth of free soda, and you'll need them to matc…

Yes and go where? Google, Facebook and Amazon are laying off people and it would be crazy to work for one of the many non profitable private or public tech compabies.

There's literally thousands of other employers out there desperate for good tech people.

Re: Microsoft Freezes Salaries for 2023

#414

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not really. If the CEO was in charge of the direction of the company, and that direction was so bad that they have to make major layoffs and cuts, then they shouldn't be rewarded for this. This isn't a fucking game. These are human lives. Microsoft laid off 10,000 humans [1] because their idiotic CEO decided it would be a really good idea to overhire like crazy in 2021 and 2022. This was the wrong decision and now th…

It’s kind of odd to think it’s NEVER correct for a company to do layoffs. The CEOs job is to run the company - if the company is more efficient why shouldn’t the CEO be rewarded? Their job is to run the company not never fire anyone.

I am afraid that I cannot find the spot where I said they should never do layoffs.

I just don’t think they should be gambling with human lives.

Re: Microsoft Freezes Salaries for 2023

#415

With the rate of inflation and interest rates going up, salaried workers need a cost of living adjustment at the very least, even if we forget about a bonus or a big pay hike. This decision is unethical to full-time employees seeing the tidy profit they made. It's a clear signal to the employees not to expect any practical reward for hard work, what a great way to motivate people. This is yet another large and powerf…

> This decision is unethical to full-time employees seeing the tidy profit they made. Profit itself is unethical.

Losses are unethical

Re: Microsoft Freezes Salaries for 2023

#416

For the quarter that ended on March 31, Microsoft posted revenue of $52.9 billion (up 7%) and a profit of $18.3 billion (up 9%). Microsoft had $26.5 billion in cash and equivalents as of March 31. Despite the rosy results, Microsoft employees are not getting pay increases. Nadella's own pay increased 10% from 2021 to 2022, rising to $55 million. This comes off as shortsighted. If I wanted to optimize value, I would o…

They also spent $4.973B on stock buybacks this quarter, and slightly more last quarter.

Re: Microsoft Freezes Salaries for 2023

#417

With the rate of inflation and interest rates going up, salaried workers need a cost of living adjustment at the very least, even if we forget about a bonus or a big pay hike. This decision is unethical to full-time employees seeing the tidy profit they made. It's a clear signal to the employees not to expect any practical reward for hard work, what a great way to motivate people. This is yet another large and powerf…

Wages are a function of the supply and demand for labor. If the business loses money the employees don't have to chip in money to make up the loss, but on the flip side they don't share in profits.

Re: Microsoft Freezes Salaries for 2023

#418
post #391

I don't understand the framing here; isn't salary dependent on job competition in the market (one which is currently full of layoffs) and has little to do with company profts? Bonuses are what are usually tied to company performance. I'm simplifying, of course, but trying to understand the issue.

There is nothing to understand. There are two classes: Shareholders and Employees. Always been. One take the risk and reward and one take a fixed salary. Some people want to have their cake and eat it too (ie: take a fixed/stable salary while also a slice of the profit).

I don't know that's a fair characterization of risk profiles.

As an employee you're still taking a risk at the company. It falls over you are out 100% of your pay + your health benefits. As an employee I absolutely take this risk into account when evaluating an employer.

Shareholders sometimes take a similar risk, but are often reasonably insulated from major downside via financial mechanisms of varying complexity, from index funds to complex options contracts.

Re: Microsoft Freezes Salaries for 2023

#419
post #377

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I really have no idea what communism has to do with anything so I'll ignore that part. I'm sure a good percentage of these people quit jobs specifically to work at Microsoft. When they quit those jobs, their employer probably filled that position. Then Microsoft fired those people, and it's likely that a lot of people were unable to go back to their previous positions. This isn't even taking to account people who mov…

You're really downplaying the agency of people who accepted these jobs and their own risk analyses. Selling your house and moving for a job in a clearly ridiculous job market is going all in on a gamble. Much moreso than nadella did

Most of these people are not lauded as business geniuses and are not in charge of 2 trillion dollar companies.

ETA:

I would like to point out that I feel like your point would be more valid if Microsoft were a startup or something. However, I think a lot of people joining assumed that it was a stable company and as such their job would likely be more stable than where they were coming from.

Re: Microsoft Freezes Salaries for 2023

#420

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes and go where? Google, Facebook and Amazon are laying off people and it would be crazy to work for one of the many non profitable private or public tech compabies.

There's literally thousands of other employers out there desperate for good tech people.

And do these “thousand of employees” pay what Microsoft is paying?
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