With the alarming explosion of never-before realized security exploits, this really doesn't seem like the best time in history to turn the day-to-day running of a massive security platform like Cloudflare over to AI.
Cloudflare to cut about 20% of its workforce
991–1000 of 1001 posts
Re: Cloudflare to cut about 20% of its workforce
#992Earlier quoted context omitted.
Someone who knows the product deeply and has grown it into what it is today will always stay valuable. AI can replace people at a low level because they are seen as a cost. While people at the top are better connected. CEOs travel a lot, probably subscribing to 100 mastermind groups where CEOs of other companies also hang out, playing dozens of mind games and strategising all the time. Such people are hard to replace…
I was with you until the talk about risk. Low level employees are always taking far bigger risks in relative terms, the worse position a CEO will be in if all of his "risk" hits him is that they'll have to become a regular low level employee.
I believe the commenter above meant risk to the company, not the employee.
Re: Cloudflare to cut about 20% of its workforce
#993> The packages for departing employees will include the equivalent of their full base pay through the end of 2026. Healthcare coverage is different across the globe, and if you’re in the United States, we’ll continue to provide support through the end of the year. We are also vesting equity for departing team members through August 15th, so they receive stock beyond their departure date. And, if departing team member…
Almost as though they're conscious of how much of a dick move this layoff is...
Re: Cloudflare to cut about 20% of its workforce
#994Earlier quoted context omitted.
I promise you there are a ton of companies desperate to hire talent right now. It's hard on both sides of the market. Lots of noise, but there is demand for this supply. Unfortunately, that means personal connections are more valuable than they used to be, just to get the ball rolling.
Are you sure? Can you share some of those companies that are desperate to hire talent right now? I'd like serious teams as I need to find work. I do keep an eye on HN, Wellfound, Workatstartup, X, etc.
Like us :) We are not mandating AI tokens but asking people not to ship slop code. Naturally that means more people required; but in the age when everything is slop, imho having good taste becomes a competitive advantage. And that... requires good people.
https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/hinoki/bb798ffb-2427-460e-84ff-fe29...
Re: Cloudflare to cut about 20% of its workforce
#995Earlier quoted context omitted.
Cloudflare has never made a profit. Is your stance that shareholders should perpetually subsidize it out of the goodness of their hearts?
Cloudflare has never made a profit? The thread commentator said the product he maintained was 95% profit.
The comentator either wasn't talking about the company as a whole, or was mistaken.
This is public information. Their financial statements show clearly that they made a loss every single year since the data is available.
https://www.macrotrends.net/stocks/charts/NET/cloudflare/inc...
Re: Cloudflare to cut about 20% of its workforce
#996Earlier quoted context omitted.
> People have families, they have mortgages, bills to pay, and a powerful need to eat (Mal, Serenity?). The last thing I want is for someone to give up a stable job that allows them to do that to come and work for me only so I can fire them and leave them up the creek a few weeks or months down the line. Literally none of that is the employer’s responsibility. It’s just a business transaction. Having sufficient savin…
Its a business transaction with a MASSIVE power differential and as Spiderman taught us, with great power comes great responsibility. An employer has a responsibility to treat an employee with respect, not exploit them, and give them a fair part in the rewards when the company succeeds.
There isn’t that much power differential as long as there’s more than one employer.
Either party can walk away.
Re: Cloudflare to cut about 20% of its workforce
#997Earlier quoted context omitted.
> People have families, they have mortgages, bills to pay, and a powerful need to eat (Mal, Serenity?). The last thing I want is for someone to give up a stable job that allows them to do that to come and work for me only so I can fire them and leave them up the creek a few weeks or months down the line. Literally none of that is the employer’s responsibility. It’s just a business transaction. Having sufficient savin…
Only if they are being honest. Offer this as a 12 month temp contract with possibility of continuation. Offering a role as permanent but with unvoiced intent to let go, that's dishonest. Being honest is always a responsibility.
A job today does not imply a job next week.
Re: Cloudflare to cut about 20% of its workforce
#998Earlier quoted context omitted.
> People have families, they have mortgages, bills to pay, and a powerful need to eat (Mal, Serenity?). The last thing I want is for someone to give up a stable job that allows them to do that to come and work for me only so I can fire them and leave them up the creek a few weeks or months down the line. Literally none of that is the employer’s responsibility. It’s just a business transaction. Having sufficient savin…
In my country employers have a duty of care towards their employees: "hire to fire" very clearly violates that duty of care. Even ignoring that - let's say that duty of care didn't exist - are you telling me that you, as a human being, will not simply choose to do the right thing unless you are legislatively forced to do so? Pretty scummy when you think about it like that, isn't it? Your talk of "business transaction…
I think that such a duty of care does not exist ethically or morally, and that legislating it into existence is foolish.
Both parties can walk away from a deal they don’t like. It’s just a business transaction. There are other employers; the balance of power is not as one-sided as everyone pretends it is.
Re: Cloudflare to cut about 20% of its workforce
#999There 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
Personally, I think AI is just a convenient scapegoat for these mass layoffs. Also, these kinds of announcements contribute to sustaining the AI hype which all tech investors benefit from. And investors looove hearing about mass layoffs, stock goes up every time without fail.
> Personally, I think AI is just a convenient scapegoat for these mass layoffs.
Coincidentally, same day as your post, Forbes published an article stating the same: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48128765
Re: Cloudflare to cut about 20% of its workforce
#1000The CEO of this company is worth close to $7 billion. So I don't buy the lame limp-wristed argument about laying people off due to AI.
So if the CEO reads this? Put yourself in the shoes of all the people you laid off just now. Those people that have families, who all they were ever trying to do is maybe save up a million dollars so they could retire. In doing so despite the company making record profits. While you have enough money to buy yourself a damned cruise ship and then some. What are you going to do with all that money anyway?