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I haven't done a survey, but at a previous startup it was 24 months, though you could get a new one after 12 months with approval from a manager that would basi

I haven't done a survey, but at a previous startup it was 24 months, though you could get a new one after 12 months with approval from a manager that would basically always be approved if you asked. At my current company there's no policy, but every new hire is given a new MacBook Pro. Given the normal costs of employing someone, a new laptop every year is a tiny fraction of the overall compensation so in general, it should be a non issue.

smackfu 11y ago
Of course startups are a special case, since they often do not last long enough to require a laptop refresh policy at all.
mikekchar 11y ago
The main problem in my experience is on the bean counter side. Depending on the company, when you buy equipment it is an expense for the company (i.e., you don't have to pay taxes on the money used for buying the equipment). However, you usually can't (depending on the country/state/province/whatever) declare the entire expense in the first year. You often get it as the value of the item depreciates. Some countries have bizarre rules for depreciation. For example, in Japan, you might get stuck on a 20 year straight line depreciation for a telephone (even if it is a mobile one). So you get 5% of the value as an expense in the first year (tax law is complicated, so I'm just giving you the worst case example -- there are cases where you can get 100% depreciation in the first year as well). Anyway, each thing you buy, you have to track the depreciation of. You can sell the used item for a loss which means more paper work. Or you can pile the items up until they have fully depreciated. But, basically, it is a huge pain in the back end. If you have an accountant on staff who is already up to their eyeballs, it is not unusual for them to grumble very loudly about having to deal with the developers' obsession for new shiny toys. If you have a company who is willing to throw money at problems to make them go away (don't try to track the equipment as an expense if you don't have the capacity to do so), then it won't be a problem. But as always, the people problem is far more difficult to solve than the technical problem. Personally, I cut startups some slack if they haven't got all their ducks in a row on small issues like this. YMMV.

smackfu 11y ago

Of course startups are a special case, since they often do not last long enough to require a laptop refresh policy at all.

mikekchar 11y ago

The main problem in my experience is on the bean counter side. Depending on the company, when you buy equipment it is an expense for the company (i.e., you don't have to pay taxes on the money used for buying the equipment). However, you usually can't (depending on the country/state/province/whatever) declare the entire expense in the first year. You often get it as the value of the item depreciates. Some countries have bizarre rules for depreciation. For example, in Japan, you might get stuck on a 20 year straight line depreciation for a telephone (even if it is a mobile one). So you get 5% of the value as an expense in the first year (tax law is complicated, so I'm just giving you the worst case example -- there are cases where you can get 100% depreciation in the first year as well). Anyway, each thing you buy, you have to track the depreciation of. You can sell the used item for a loss which means more paper work. Or you can pile the items up until they have fully depreciated. But, basically, it is a huge pain in the back end. If you have an accountant on staff who is already up to their eyeballs, it is not unusual for them to grumble very loudly about having to deal with the developers' obsession for new shiny toys. If you have a company who is willing to throw money at problems to make them go away (don't try to track the equipment as an expense if you don't have the capacity to do so), then it won't be a problem. But as always, the people problem is far more difficult to solve than the technical problem. Personally, I cut startups some slack if they haven't got all their ducks in a row on small issues like this. YMMV.