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Atlassian says it had right to fire engineer for suggesting CEO is 'rich jerk'

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61–70 of 163 posts

Re: Atlassian says it had right to fire engineer for suggesting CEO is 'rich jerk'

#61

There’s no reason a company should put up with enemies within. In rare instances a disgruntled employee might be able to make a positive contribution. In most cases, even if the employee has valid reasons, by the time they are disgruntled there’s no coming back. It’s best for everyone to move on.

Yes, why surround yourself with people who are critical of you, when you can surround yourself with yes-men who will loyally toe the line? Positive contributions comes from loyal subjects who agree with their betters.

Re: Atlassian says it had right to fire engineer for suggesting CEO is 'rich jerk'

#62
post #50
post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The NLRB alleges that “the consequences” she faced are illegal under Federal law.

That doesn't mean they are, in fact, illegal. The NLRB alleges a lot of things - the courts will decide.

You sure seem to hate workers

Re: Atlassian says it had right to fire engineer for suggesting CEO is 'rich jerk'

#64
post #11

“What’s up Outragers, just dialing in from my NBA team’s headquarters to yell at the people whose careers I’ve just pummeled,” Unterwurzacher wrote. Atlassian fired her a few days later, saying she had “engaged in acrimonious communications and ad hominem attacks against teammates and colleagues.” Unterwurzacher replied, “I think it’s difficult to point out the power imbalance in a way that is not potentially describ…

She’s satirizing the irony of a wealthy ceo’s tone deafness while communicating decisions that adversely affect workers while preserving their own lavish lifestyles. Sounds like she was living out the no BS culture.

Re: Atlassian says it had right to fire engineer for suggesting CEO is 'rich jerk'

#65
post #34

Is it really surprising she was fired? It's completely okay to say whatever you want and stand up for yourself, but you are not a child, own the consequences rather than whine

Being an adult is realizing you shouldn't fire people for saying you made a poor decision

Re: Atlassian says it had right to fire engineer for suggesting CEO is 'rich jerk'

#66

The best email I ever received was a notification my company was moving off Jira. Atlassian’s own stated philosophy is “Open Company, No Bullshit”. I wish that was true. Maybe they would have better products.

Tell me a sad story in three words: We Use Jira.

I’m literally using a flat file to track one of my personal projects right now and I like it more than JIRA.

Re: Atlassian says it had right to fire engineer for suggesting CEO is 'rich jerk'

#67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No using the legal process if you think your company is violating the law is also part of "stand up for yourself". If a rich guy can't take some minor criticism maybe he's the whiner.

This assumes that you think people operate on principles. As the years go on, it feels that people in the top seem to mostly operate on money. The CEO has money and the power to fire that person if the employee is disliked. Maybe that shouldn't be a thing, maybe it should be illegal, but they'll find a way around it. Just because they can means that they will. I wish it wasn't like that but that's how I see things ar…

Every CEO technically has the power to fire anyone they dislike. I assume they usually don't out of some form of noblesse oblige, and aversion to PR problems. But mostly just because they're too busy to get involved in minor, petty shit like this.

For most normal CEOs criticism from a low-level employee would just not be worth thinking about.

Re: Atlassian says it had right to fire engineer for suggesting CEO is 'rich jerk'

#68
post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am not the CEO. I am not a leader of a company. Leaders should expect for their behavior, which has far far far more reaching effects than mine, to be criticized. CEOs shouldn't be little babies who can fire everyone but not take a little heat themselves.

If you emailed something like this about a coworker to everyone in the company, it would also be inappropriate for the workplace. Just because it was the CEO doesn't make it acceptable.

Yes it is acceptable because it is the CEO. CEOs and lowly coworkers are not the same people and do not deserve the same level of interpersonal communication. CEOs shouldn't make evil decisions and then think they can not have mild criticism laid against them.

Re: Atlassian says it had right to fire engineer for suggesting CEO is 'rich jerk'

#69
post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>There's no reality where that is acceptable... Except the reality in which the criticism is well-deserved, obviously. That's subjective, of course, and I'm not commenting on whether it applies here, but "zero public outcry allowed, no matter what's happening" is an absurd position. Of course that doesn't mean you shouldn't expect consequences, even up to being fired by the tyrant in question, but that's not the same…

If this was said on a private, non-official channel there would be no issue. She's allowed to have that opinion, and even say it. But doing so on an official internal channel is where it crossed the line. Again, what she did was akin to printing out the statement and stapling it to a bulletin board - or, mass emailing it to everyone in the company. It was an official internal channel everyone in the company can acces…

The company has an internal policy of “open company, no bullshit” and an internal channel for venting called literally “outrage”. I don’t see an “official internal” and “unofficial internal” distinction here.

Re: Atlassian says it had right to fire engineer for suggesting CEO is 'rich jerk'

#70
post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am not the CEO. I am not a leader of a company. Leaders should expect for their behavior, which has far far far more reaching effects than mine, to be criticized. CEOs shouldn't be little babies who can fire everyone but not take a little heat themselves.

If you emailed something like this about a coworker to everyone in the company, it would also be inappropriate for the workplace. Just because it was the CEO doesn't make it acceptable.

Not always, but it does make it more acceptable, in terms of tone. That's how the power dynamic works.
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