Fyi, the CEO claims[0] they fired very few engineers. The prime target were allegedly salespeople 0: https://x.com/eastdakota/status/2052560831909433554
makes sense, their revenue is atrocious
Cloudflare to cut about 20% of its workforce
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Re: Cloudflare to cut about 20% of its workforce
#842There was an recent article on X with an interesting take - it could be that companies are doing layoffs not because AI is making them more productive but because it hasn't . Their costs have gone up paying for expensive AI but haven't seen any revenue benefits to offset it. Article https://x.com/championswimmer/status/2051807284691612099
This genuinely wouldn't surprise me, and I need to go back to looking at balance sheets to see if I can sus out the validity of that narrative. As AI subsidization ends prematurely and costs skyrocket, we should expect to see those costs reflected in the operation statements of major customers. Since I had Coinbase up for review already, I decided to peek there first for any sort of correlation. In 2023, their "Techn…
This is pretty interesting. I'd read your blog if you write a thing about it.
Re: Cloudflare to cut about 20% of its workforce
#843Earlier quoted context omitted.
I know of 4 teams in Cloudflare One, who lost EMs, PMs and engineers in really critical connectivity systems. Our list of things we need to do is years long. Many of those are needed for reliability and scaling. They quietly stopped hiring months ago and I figured things were not good. My mistake was thinking my group would be a little safer being profit drivers and big deals...
Is it possible that the line of thinking really is that "agentic AI" will up for the capability shortfall? It seems to be the stated expectation, but I find it incredulous that management really would believe that?
Do you really think management would come out and say "Hey we actually fucked up and don't really know what to do. Please don't punish us, here is a ritual sacrifice instead."?
Of course they're going to downplay their own stupidity and use LLMs as a means to suppress terrible news.
Re: Cloudflare to cut about 20% of its workforce
#844Earlier quoted context omitted.
Which is a F500 company.
> Which is a F500 company. And used to be an F5 company.
The easiest way to become a F500 company is to start as an F5 company, then financialize your whole business, stop innovating, fire anyone effective, and give the executives huge bonuses.
Re: Cloudflare to cut about 20% of its workforce
#845Re: Cloudflare to cut about 20% of its workforce
#846Earlier quoted context omitted.
Workers as cattle. This is utterly disgusting and the way it’s normalized is even more revolting
> This is utterly disgusting This is effective. Therefore, normalization of this plays into the workers' hands, gives them information, and gives economic advantage to honest agents. I mean, you could compare it to any non-capitalist society, where such treatment of workers is declared unacceptable. But what does this translate into in reality? Such strategies are still effective and provide an advantage to those act…
so you're saying its not the evil that's the problem its the hypocrisy?
Re: Cloudflare to cut about 20% of its workforce
#847Earlier quoted context omitted.
>This reads to me almost like saying “Why are pigs not avoiding the most problematic slaughterhouses?” I don't think that's a fair comparison. Pigs are literally reared for slaughter and have no autonomy. Employees can and do choose these companies completely of their own volition.
> Employees can and do choose What criteria would you use? Companies that don't do mass layoffs excludes all big-tech. What makes you think that "seriously inquiring about such practices in interviews or at the application stage" will get an honest answer?
Maybe the answer is that choosing 'big tech' implicitly prioritizes salary over stability. Many people (even on HN) work at places other than FAANG (or whatever counts as big tech these days).
Re: Cloudflare to cut about 20% of its workforce
#848How about the company just up and dies?
I am getting fucking sick and tired of a “service” that behaves so much like hostile malware and spyware that it gratuitously trips the protections I have added to my browsers and refuses to let me proceed.
Cloudflare is the CP of the Internet: almost no-one wants it, yet it persists like maggots eating the eyes of children.
Re: Cloudflare to cut about 20% of its workforce
#849[flagged]
Re: Cloudflare to cut about 20% of its workforce
#850Earlier quoted context omitted.
Damn. I got two weeks notice and then got shown the door with nothing. And now I get to compete with all these people who are going to be so much less stressed
Proper layoffs require at least 60 days of notice or 60 days of pay. Maybe you weren't part of a proper layoff, but if you think you were, check out the WARN act.
huh? That sounds like California?