4 ms·

You'd have to be pretty stubborn to remain at this company after all of the bad news it's been getting lately. The writing was on the wall like a year ago that

by jbob2000 9y ago

You'd have to be pretty stubborn to remain at this company after all of the bad news it's been getting lately. The writing was on the wall like a year ago that this ship was sinking, why would anyone stay?

vkou 9y ago
Because they need a paycheck. Searching for a new job is incredibly stressful and emotionally draining, and is not the best option for everyone, at any particular time.
- sbarre 9y ago
  Indeed.. I suspect the average HNer is much more employable than the average corporate/office worker, and it's something we all probably lose sight of from time to time (particularly when I see comments like "just get a different job!")
  - rmk 9y ago
    Not to mention the fact that healthcare is tied to your employer, so if you are the sole breadwinner for a large family, you pretty much have to have another job in hand before you can jump ship. The recession ended a while ago, but it was a relatively jobless recovery and non-tech sectors still haven't recovered fully.
    - ghaff 9y ago
      Well, there is COBRA but you'll have to cover whatever subsidy your employer was providing.
      - jcadam 9y ago
        I've always wondered how in the world an unemployed person could possibly afford COBRA...
        ghaff 9y ago
        Obviously it's hard absent having had a decent job but people can and do take time off between jobs or take some time to find new employment. Health insurance isn't cheap but, given some savings, it's not in the couldn't possibly afford range any more than rent/mortgage is. I've been between jobs, albeit not for very long, and it was an expense but never a particular issue.
    - HarryHirsch 9y ago
      Indeed. And this is how the absence of a social safety net enables fraud and waste.
    - protomyth 9y ago
      Having Theranos on your resume might not help things along either. HR is often risk adverse and might think staying clear is a good move even it is paranoid.
  - ghaff 9y ago
    Even for a lot of people in technology, getting a new job isn't something you do on your lunch break as some people seem to think. Yes, people who have popular skills, are younger, and live in areas with greater employment density may be able to get something relatively quickly but it's absolutely not the norm for most people who lose their job.
- hinkley 9y ago
  Or they have a thick skin. In every group I've been in where things went south, there's always one guy with a nest egg and a firm sense of self who shows up every day, puts in the work, brushes it off and goes home to hug his family and pursue outside interests. Typically the same guy, when I was somewhere between panic and burnout, would gently try to tell me that I take this stuff way too seriously. For a long while this horrified me. It can be hard to distinguish between letting go and giving up, and I often assumed the latter.
notjtrig 9y ago
Probably good food and no responsibilities, plus you can have all the copper wire you can pull from the building.
- analognoise 9y ago
  I laughed so hard at this I had to explain to my wife what was going on.
atonse 9y ago
You’d have zero work to do and get paid. Some probably would start a side business.
kevan 9y ago
I'm sure there's people that would take a few months of free paychecks while they work on side projects or just take a break from the grind. Also, chaos is a ladder. There's probably a huge vacuum of leadership within the company. That's an opportunity for lower-level employees to take on more responsibilities than they'd be given at a normal company. If staying for another few months gives you a good resume project then it might be worth it, even if that project is literally helping shut down the company.
- neaden 9y ago
  I don't know, I can't imagine Theranos looks good on your resume, especially if you worked there after all this came out. For your second point I feel like having a higher position makes you look more culpable.
  - ars 9y ago
    That depends a lot on what your position was. For most employees their day to day activities were probably full above board.

vkou 9y ago

Because they need a paycheck. Searching for a new job is incredibly stressful and emotionally draining, and is not the best option for everyone, at any particular time.

sbarre 9y ago
Indeed.. I suspect the average HNer is much more employable than the average corporate/office worker, and it's something we all probably lose sight of from time to time (particularly when I see comments like "just get a different job!")
- rmk 9y ago
  Not to mention the fact that healthcare is tied to your employer, so if you are the sole breadwinner for a large family, you pretty much have to have another job in hand before you can jump ship. The recession ended a while ago, but it was a relatively jobless recovery and non-tech sectors still haven't recovered fully.
  - ghaff 9y ago
    Well, there is COBRA but you'll have to cover whatever subsidy your employer was providing.
    - jcadam 9y ago
      I've always wondered how in the world an unemployed person could possibly afford COBRA...
      - ghaff 9y ago
        Obviously it's hard absent having had a decent job but people can and do take time off between jobs or take some time to find new employment. Health insurance isn't cheap but, given some savings, it's not in the couldn't possibly afford range any more than rent/mortgage is. I've been between jobs, albeit not for very long, and it was an expense but never a particular issue.
  - HarryHirsch 9y ago
    Indeed. And this is how the absence of a social safety net enables fraud and waste.
  - protomyth 9y ago
    Having Theranos on your resume might not help things along either. HR is often risk adverse and might think staying clear is a good move even it is paranoid.
- ghaff 9y ago
  Even for a lot of people in technology, getting a new job isn't something you do on your lunch break as some people seem to think. Yes, people who have popular skills, are younger, and live in areas with greater employment density may be able to get something relatively quickly but it's absolutely not the norm for most people who lose their job.
hinkley 9y ago
Or they have a thick skin. In every group I've been in where things went south, there's always one guy with a nest egg and a firm sense of self who shows up every day, puts in the work, brushes it off and goes home to hug his family and pursue outside interests. Typically the same guy, when I was somewhere between panic and burnout, would gently try to tell me that I take this stuff way too seriously. For a long while this horrified me. It can be hard to distinguish between letting go and giving up, and I often assumed the latter.

notjtrig 9y ago

Probably good food and no responsibilities, plus you can have all the copper wire you can pull from the building.

analognoise 9y ago
I laughed so hard at this I had to explain to my wife what was going on.

atonse 9y ago

You’d have zero work to do and get paid. Some probably would start a side business.

kevan 9y ago

I'm sure there's people that would take a few months of free paychecks while they work on side projects or just take a break from the grind. Also, chaos is a ladder. There's probably a huge vacuum of leadership within the company. That's an opportunity for lower-level employees to take on more responsibilities than they'd be given at a normal company. If staying for another few months gives you a good resume project then it might be worth it, even if that project is literally helping shut down the company.

neaden 9y ago
I don't know, I can't imagine Theranos looks good on your resume, especially if you worked there after all this came out. For your second point I feel like having a higher position makes you look more culpable.
- ars 9y ago
  That depends a lot on what your position was. For most employees their day to day activities were probably full above board.