Signs that I've seen before leaving: * There are more VPs than there are restrooms. * The free coffee and soda is no more. * Engineers are co-opted as salespeople ("... and why is the project late?").
Signs that it's time to leave a company
81–90 of 354 posts
Re: Signs that it's time to leave a company
#82Definitely feeling this at another FAANG I think there’s something about post-pandemic work in software that just isn’t working. I don’t think it’s just interest rates or a hiring downturn, nor immediate causes like founders leaving (because I see this sickness at most big tech companies these days). Personally, I believe that hybrid work is not going well. Fully remote teams are good, fully onsite teams are good. Wi…
I agree, something about working hybrid just feels like “why are we doing this?” It’s like an awkward inbetween I also don’t get why companies seem unphased about paying for a giant office that is empty the majority of the week
It seems more like a frog boiling exercise on the way to full in-office (which imho will never return).
Re: Signs that it's time to leave a company
#83Re: Signs that it's time to leave a company
#84That so many people are so focused on things "having" to be in a constant state of exponential growth makes me feel uneasy. It's like so many people can't see the forest for the trees - we can't have infinite exponential growth forever. Like, little software shops which take on a stable number of projects / contracts / clients a year, focused on sustainability instead of pure profit, lose and gain people at a roughly…
I tried those and TBH they never worked for me. Small shops in my experience have not very good processes, rush to gain new projects and customers at all cost by sales/management always overpromising and burning out engineers in the process who strugle with the unrealistic deadlines, promotions are gained trough favoritism since there's no fixed clear and well documented promotion/career path but you're at the mercy of how your bnoss and his boss/CEO feel about you each day.
So no thanks from me, I'm going back to big old crusty established comapanies with established products and customers, established processes. YMMV of course, there' no one sized fits all for everyone and big companies have their own issues but I feel I can more easily manage and deal with those. Pick your poison.
Re: Signs that it's time to leave a company
#85Hit the nail in the head. A growing company has plenty of opportunity for learning, promotion, making new things, and retooling old ones to match the growth of business. This means there are very few zero sum games, either at the IC or management level. When growth stops, there's little chances to gain status by solving problems: Someone already has status, and really doesn't want to lose it. Those frustrated with th…
Can't a company reach an equilibrium where the right people are doing the right things, and everyone is happy with their role and compensation? Sure, people may leave and be replaced, and even a moderate amount of growth could be healthy, but why focus so much on constantly expanding teams, more products, more revenue, more, more, more...? It seems to boil down to basic human greed, at the end of the day.
I much prefer working for companies that don't have this growth obsession. IME they place more value and care into their product and customers, rather than chasing the next big thing, which often ruins the good thing they had.
So hyper growth is actually a signal for me to leave, not stay. With all these layoffs going on, how can we say that the growth/layoff cycle is a sign of a healthy company? It might not hurt their bottom line, but I sure wouldn't want to work in an environment where I'm worried I might be laid off at any moment.
Re: Signs that it's time to leave a company
#86Is is just me, this post and this [1] one are just people complaining about RTO? If you were hired during COVID lockdown with the promise of your career buing built on remote only, fine but lay yourself off and move on. Else it's not entirely justifiable to be mad at AWS for RTO policies. From an outside perspective AWS looks very healthy and ouputing great innovation. [1]. https://justingarrison.com/blog/2023-12-30-…
"Straight shooter with upper management written all over him."
Re: Signs that it's time to leave a company
#87Earlier quoted context omitted.
> If you do not get any promotion, perks or increase of benefits during that time, your not going to get any ever. SV bubble. Getting a promotion every 2.5 years is very rare in traditional engineering companies.
Yep. All this is telling me ie that there are still a bunch of sheltered HN users that are in for a rude shock when they see what it’s like to work long-term in an environment without free money keeping everything afloat. A lot of you have been living in a make-believe world.
Re: Signs that it's time to leave a company
#88That so many people are so focused on things "having" to be in a constant state of exponential growth makes me feel uneasy. It's like so many people can't see the forest for the trees - we can't have infinite exponential growth forever. Like, little software shops which take on a stable number of projects / contracts / clients a year, focused on sustainability instead of pure profit, lose and gain people at a roughly…
If you're OK with that, sure. But if you're aiming for promotions and personal growth, move.
Re: Signs that it's time to leave a company
#89That so many people are so focused on things "having" to be in a constant state of exponential growth makes me feel uneasy. It's like so many people can't see the forest for the trees - we can't have infinite exponential growth forever. Like, little software shops which take on a stable number of projects / contracts / clients a year, focused on sustainability instead of pure profit, lose and gain people at a roughly…
Re: Signs that it's time to leave a company
#90I don't understand this fascination with central offices. We live in the year 2024. We should be able to look at our workforce, find small offices, and have hub and spoke networks of offices - and work from home as a fallback. Rent a condo, do a communal office, if you want more close collaboration - shuffle your teams to colocate them - not force them into 1hr commutes into a fucking empty office. Our infrastructure…
I wish they would stop trying to force us into shared working spaces. They can make me work from home, a close office, a far office... I don't care. Just give me a private office and I will do my best work. At home, I don't have room for a private office, so they would need to relocate me and cover a portion of the rent for their office. I am not a contractor. I am an employee. I don't control any of my working condi…