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Sources from the company told us the layoffs had been planned for months, but SoundCloud still recklessly hired employees up until the last minute, with some be

Sources from the company told us the layoffs had been planned for months, but SoundCloud still recklessly hired employees up until the last minute, with some being let go within weeks of starting. Employees told TechCrunch that the company was “a shitshow” with inconsistent It's sad that the execs get free pass on ethics violations like these. And there are no consequences for these execs. And I don't understand why after such violations people still stay with the company.

TallGuyShort 9y ago
Reminds me of something I was taught by one of the best execs I've worked for: 1 round of layoffs, if it has to happen, is a good thing. Better to do it when needed than not do it and the whole company dies soon afterward. Multiple rounds of layoffs means they still haven't addressed the problem and probably don't even know what it is. Hiring right up until the last minute sounds like a similar situation. It's an emergency move - if they don't make their hiring smarter it's going to repeat itself.
twunde 9y ago
Well mostly free of consequences. The exec team has basically been replaced and SoundCloud may still die as the result of these actions. As for why people stay with the company, there are a couple reasons. For many people, especially non-engineers it can be difficult to find another job. Many people are probably helping to try and get ex-coworkers jobs. Some may believe in the new direction. Others may be for various personal reasons, semi-stuck in the job. My guess is that you'll see a decent number of people (20-30%) leaving over the next 6 months, but that the majority will stay and help reshape SoundCloud as long as it looks like the company can still succeed.
- hobofan 9y ago
  I'm really questioning if they can really do much reshaping with the small amount of engineers remaining. Soundcloud has probably one of the most complex architectures and just lost a significant part of the people that know the system.
  - Dylan16807 9y ago
    Then that brings up the important question of how many millions it would take to replace most of the infrastructure with something simpler.
  - twunde 9y ago
    That's the $170M question. I definitely would be concerned about the lack of engineering. That said, the people left will find that they're able to complete significantly more work since there is less communication overhead. They will also certainly will be working on very focused projects that will affect profitability.

TallGuyShort 9y ago

Reminds me of something I was taught by one of the best execs I've worked for: 1 round of layoffs, if it has to happen, is a good thing. Better to do it when needed than not do it and the whole company dies soon afterward. Multiple rounds of layoffs means they still haven't addressed the problem and probably don't even know what it is. Hiring right up until the last minute sounds like a similar situation. It's an emergency move - if they don't make their hiring smarter it's going to repeat itself.

twunde 9y ago

Well mostly free of consequences. The exec team has basically been replaced and SoundCloud may still die as the result of these actions. As for why people stay with the company, there are a couple reasons. For many people, especially non-engineers it can be difficult to find another job. Many people are probably helping to try and get ex-coworkers jobs. Some may believe in the new direction. Others may be for various personal reasons, semi-stuck in the job. My guess is that you'll see a decent number of people (20-30%) leaving over the next 6 months, but that the majority will stay and help reshape SoundCloud as long as it looks like the company can still succeed.

hobofan 9y ago
I'm really questioning if they can really do much reshaping with the small amount of engineers remaining. Soundcloud has probably one of the most complex architectures and just lost a significant part of the people that know the system.
- Dylan16807 9y ago
  Then that brings up the important question of how many millions it would take to replace most of the infrastructure with something simpler.
- twunde 9y ago
  That's the $170M question. I definitely would be concerned about the lack of engineering. That said, the people left will find that they're able to complete significantly more work since there is less communication overhead. They will also certainly will be working on very focused projects that will affect profitability.