Shopify will be smaller by about 20% and Flexport will buy Shopify Logistics • Hacker News Board

Re: Shopify will be smaller by about 20% and Flexport will buy Shopify Logistics

#481

Post by annexrichmond » Thu, May 04, 2023, 10:58 PM UTC

s1artibartfast wrote: post #476

annexrichmond wrote: post #472

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So it wasn't the questions themselves, but when you start asking about why you moved from this city to that, or why did you choose this school, etc. Maybe it's because your SO got a job there, or some other personal reason. I get that it's totally an innocent intent, but there are much better ways to assess a candidate's soft skills, that is strictly related to their professional experience.

Okay, my Original Point was that maybe one of the soft skills the test is assessing is the ability and willingness to share their personal self in a positive and constructive manner. Many if not most people find us a desirable attribute in coworkers and workplaces. I get that it's not for everyone, but not every workplace is a good fit for everyone. I think you're getting some rude comments because of exactly this fa…

honestly that is something I value as well, but I think that's when a lot of bias can come into play. Perhaps that bias is desired for culture fitting, but you still have to be careful if protected-class stuff comes up and you want to reject the person.

fwiw, when I interview candidates in a technical interview, I still attempt at some small talk to get a sense of "can I have a normal conversation with this person"

(appreciate the sensible responses btw!)

Re: Shopify will be smaller by about 20% and Flexport will buy Shopify Logistics

#482

Post by cde-v » Thu, May 04, 2023, 11:07 PM UTC

kodah wrote: post #296

cde-v wrote: post #121

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There, fixed. And what’s the elevator pitch for your killer app written in elixerust?

Why are you even here? It sounds like you have contempt for almost everyone here. This place was made for entrepreneurs and hackers, hence it focuses on curiosity. You seem to have none of that.

I have contempt for the shortsighted fools that are deluded enough to fuck over everyone and themselves for a .000000000001% chance of making it big. Go play the lottery loser.

Re: Shopify will be smaller by about 20% and Flexport will buy Shopify Logistics

#483

Post by waboremo » Thu, May 04, 2023, 11:18 PM UTC

teg4n_ wrote: post #463

aeze wrote: post #192

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And play it at a professional level for years.

What does playing a video game good have to do with Software Engineering?

Competitive esports is a bit different from mindlessly playing video games, it has far more to do with consistency, reliability, and marketing. Additionally, the person was being quite dismissive, this dude was already studying CS at a university.

Re: Shopify will be smaller by about 20% and Flexport will buy Shopify Logistics

#484

Post by gregors » Thu, May 04, 2023, 11:37 PM UTC

mabbo wrote: post #436

I'm impacted. And it sucks. It sucks because I really liked the company. I liked the culture. I liked the leadership style. I liked the mission. I genuinely think that company is doing good for the world, and making money in the process. The challenge now is that the leadership have burned a lot of trust with the employees. They repeatedly said no more layoffs were coming, but with this move they all benefitted finan…

>>> I hope Tobi has a plan

This is a cut throat game of capitalism, you do know that right? He's going to be rewarded for making these cuts. There is no downside for the winners.

Hope.....unfortunately that's not how the game is played. Unions, worker protections, and taxes on the wealthy those are real actionable goals.

Re: Shopify will be smaller by about 20% and Flexport will buy Shopify Logistics

#485

Post by rglover » Fri, May 05, 2023, 12:06 AM UTC

thegginthesky wrote: post #68

I'll tell you a personal anecdote about Shopify and why I dislike the company. Back in 2019, I was contacted by Shopify for a job opportunity. After acing multiple remote interviews, their recruiter couldn't contain their excitement. They promised me an onsite interview to simply meet the team and potentially secure an offer. Imagine my surprise when, after enduring a 15-hour economy class flight with barely any time…

> a whiteboard session

Whenever I hear this, I immediately think "dick measuring contest" and take the team far less seriously. A lot of these companies think they're training astronauts for the dregs of space when really they're just trying to build efficient database apps.

Re: Shopify will be smaller by about 20% and Flexport will buy Shopify Logistics

#486

Post by jpmoral » Fri, May 05, 2023, 12:27 AM UTC

deltree7 wrote: post #446

mabbo wrote: post #436

I'm impacted. And it sucks. It sucks because I really liked the company. I liked the culture. I liked the leadership style. I liked the mission. I genuinely think that company is doing good for the world, and making money in the process. The challenge now is that the leadership have burned a lot of trust with the employees. They repeatedly said no more layoffs were coming, but with this move they all benefitted finan…

I'm sorry for you. The CEOs / Executives are literally appointed by the board who in turn are voted in by shareholders. It is their job to increase the share price. The world is better of with efficient capital deployment. So, I don't understand how the smartest people in this world don't understand the fundamental working of capital markets. Note: it's the same shareholders that have allowed to get $200-$300k TCs wh…

> The CEOs / Executives are literally appointed by the board who in turn are voted in by shareholders. It is their job to increase the share price.

This is a meme that needs to die.

> The world is better of with efficient capital deployment.

Even if this were true, rising share prices don't necessarily indicate efficient deployment. Chasing short-term share price increases often incentivises behaviour detrimental to company in the long-term.

Re: Shopify will be smaller by about 20% and Flexport will buy Shopify Logistics

#487

Post by overrun11 » Fri, May 05, 2023, 1:00 AM UTC

monero-xmr wrote: post #413

overrun11 wrote: post #389

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I don't care one iota about craftsmen who can no longer conduct their craft in the way they want because a better technology came around. You'll care when they actively subvert the rollout of the new technology. If the technology truly benefits society more than it hurts the craftsman then you can share some of the gains with them so they too can benefit.

You are honestly arguing that if I create a better widget factory, I need to pay everyone else who owns the means of producing widgets in inferior ways some of my money?

No this article was about layoffs. The employee-employer relationship is very different the one between competing companies. If you have created a better widget factory and need 90% less staff, I do think you have some responsibility to those employees that are no longer needed.

Re: Shopify will be smaller by about 20% and Flexport will buy Shopify Logistics

#488

Post by s1artibartfast » Fri, May 05, 2023, 1:18 AM UTC

annexrichmond wrote: post #481

s1artibartfast wrote: post #476

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Okay, my Original Point was that maybe one of the soft skills the test is assessing is the ability and willingness to share their personal self in a positive and constructive manner. Many if not most people find us a desirable attribute in coworkers and workplaces. I get that it's not for everyone, but not every workplace is a good fit for everyone. I think you're getting some rude comments because of exactly this fa…

honestly that is something I value as well, but I think that's when a lot of bias can come into play. Perhaps that bias is desired for culture fitting, but you still have to be careful if protected-class stuff comes up and you want to reject the person. fwiw, when I interview candidates in a technical interview, I still attempt at some small talk to get a sense of "can I have a normal conversation with this person" (…

Sure, I think I agree that once you get into picking people based on cultural fit, you run some risk of discrimination suit, real or unreal. It is a tricky area.

Re: Shopify will be smaller by about 20% and Flexport will buy Shopify Logistics

#489

Post by osigurdson » Fri, May 05, 2023, 1:22 AM UTC

hotpotamus wrote: post #183

osigurdson wrote: post #113

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Economic growth would certainly suffer if we insisted that no one could ever be let go.

In context, I understand that you mean let go from jobs, but it doesn't seem like we have much trouble letting people go from society either.

What does it mean to let people go from society?

Re: Shopify will be smaller by about 20% and Flexport will buy Shopify Logistics

#490

Post by mabbo » Fri, May 05, 2023, 1:26 AM UTC

gregors wrote: post #484

mabbo wrote: post #436

I'm impacted. And it sucks. It sucks because I really liked the company. I liked the culture. I liked the leadership style. I liked the mission. I genuinely think that company is doing good for the world, and making money in the process. The challenge now is that the leadership have burned a lot of trust with the employees. They repeatedly said no more layoffs were coming, but with this move they all benefitted finan…

>>> I hope Tobi has a plan This is a cut throat game of capitalism, you do know that right? He's going to be rewarded for making these cuts. There is no downside for the winners. Hope.....unfortunately that's not how the game is played. Unions, worker protections, and taxes on the wealthy those are real actionable goals.

Look, I spent a decade at Amazon working for Jeff Bezos and the horde of sociopaths he enabled. I know how it goes.

Tobi has never given me the impression that he's a sociopath. It's part of why I wanted to work for Shopify. I used to joke that "'Shopify is the no assholes company.' 'But what about Kaz?' 'It's the no assholeS company- we're allowed one!'". But honestly, even my view on Kaz softened up over time.

Either the leadership at Shopify are genuinely nice people trying their best, or they are way better than the Amazon leadership at hiding their sociopathy. But either way, it felt nicer working for them.