4 ms·

worth keeping in mind that Yandex and russian technology companies in general are used to running lean and profitable operations so unfathomed in the land of 0%

worth keeping in mind that Yandex and russian technology companies in general are used to running lean and profitable operations so unfathomed in the land of 0% interest rates and VC money on tap. If they continue as they are now (15 people) and convert customers like Cloudflare into paying engagements, there is nothing stopping them from being profitable.

pm90 5y ago
How exactly do they get to operate that lean? It seems the most straightforward way is by paying employees less.
- spyspy 5y ago
  No scrum masters, no in-house chef, few or no dedicated product managers, no middle manager(s) between eng and C-Suite.
  - vxNsr 5y ago
    So theoretically really just more work per dev and less compensation. I guess that makes sense.
- hunterb123 5y ago
  Get out of the valley. One engineer can do a lot. Even in Texas we run slimmer. I'm the sole frontend dev. I created and maintain our iOS, Android, and Web app for a largish tech company. When you don't have VC money and you HAVE to profit, you really learn optimize the workflow.
  - ctvo 5y ago
    > One engineer can do a lot. Even in Texas we run slimmer. I'm the sole frontend dev. I created and maintain our iOS, Android, and Web app for a largish tech company. What do you mean by "do a lot". Can you deliver as quickly as a team? If so, do you work more hours or are you just better? If you're just better, why do you decide to stay with your largish tech company when we're acknowledging SV pays more? A remote role would increase your salary, no? Breaking this down: Russia has a great mathematics and engineering education system. Many graduates, unable to leave, take jobs with Russian tech companies. Russian tech companies pay less than US tech companies. That's why the situation may be as is with ClickHouse. You're not in Russia. Texas isn't particularly known for running lean. Every Big Tech has a presence in Austin. Dallas is filled with legacy financial companies burning money on IT.
    - hunterb123 5y ago
      Yeah, I use RN to do all the platforms. I spit out features pretty fast. They apply to all platforms since the codebase is 95% shared. I work normal 40 hours, never overtime. I could make more in SV possibly, but I like working where I'm at and I have a big influence (I decide the tech, style guide, some features etc.) Plus I don't like working with a team or too many meetings etc. I already work remote and I make a good salary. Cost of living would be much higher in SV and most companies would cut pay for remote work over there so it would be similar.
      - ctvo 5y ago
        > Cost of living would be much higher in SV and most companies would cut pay for remote work over there so it would be similar. I would validate this by getting an offer. Even adjusting for location, my guess is it's still significantly higher than what you're making locally. The adjustment isn't, say, you live in SF so you make 400k, you live in Houston you make 150k. It's ~15-20% for most places, at most. > Yeah, I use RN to do all the platforms. I want to point out those bloated teams that aren't lean from SV? They made ReactNative. They made Flutter too if you were thinking of swapping.
        hunterb123 5y ago
        400k is for FAANG, I doubt I'd get that nor do I really want to compete for it. Seems like a lot. I'm really happy where I am, even if I'm not making top dollar. Money isn't everything, I want to be comfortable, happy, and stress-free. I also just don't like California, I prefer small towns in Texas. I know Google and FB made Flutter and RN respectively, and I thank them for that. That doesn't mean other SV companies aren't bloated, FAANG has a lot of money from their spigots (Google & FB have their ad money streams) and live on another level, not VC funding. Cross platform has come a long way and enables small companies to do a lot more with less. Flutter is nice but has flaws, RN is the sweet spot. I could talk for days about the pros and cons of both. A previous comment of mine regarding of Flutter vs RN: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28394396 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28394396
- DevKoala 5y ago
  Eastern Europe talent probably. They are fantastic and their salaries are cheap thanks to conversion rates.
- stackedinserter 5y ago
  It's all about culture.
- ezekiel68 5y ago
  Not picking on your comment, per se, but it is a pet peeve of mine that lower pay in societies with much lower costs of living is often couched as either exploitation or (reverse) unfairness to those in high cost-of-living settings. Consider a metro area in Eastern Europe or Asia. Suppose there are very few jobs available paying the equivalent of US$12 per hour [0]. Now someone starts a software shop or consultancy and offers $13, $15, or $18 (equivalent) per hour. Within that society, such opportunities can easily represent anywhere from a 200% to infinity% (for the unemployed) wage advantage. tldr; Please consider contextual economic realities before applying reductive backhanded comments. [0] I'm shooting from the hip, here. Apologies if my example numbers are way off for part or most of the regions I'm mentioning. Even if so, there was a day -- not very long ago -- when they were quite close.

pm90 5y ago

How exactly do they get to operate that lean? It seems the most straightforward way is by paying employees less.

spyspy 5y ago
No scrum masters, no in-house chef, few or no dedicated product managers, no middle manager(s) between eng and C-Suite.
- vxNsr 5y ago
  So theoretically really just more work per dev and less compensation. I guess that makes sense.
hunterb123 5y ago
Get out of the valley. One engineer can do a lot. Even in Texas we run slimmer. I'm the sole frontend dev. I created and maintain our iOS, Android, and Web app for a largish tech company. When you don't have VC money and you HAVE to profit, you really learn optimize the workflow.
- ctvo 5y ago
  > One engineer can do a lot. Even in Texas we run slimmer. I'm the sole frontend dev. I created and maintain our iOS, Android, and Web app for a largish tech company. What do you mean by "do a lot". Can you deliver as quickly as a team? If so, do you work more hours or are you just better? If you're just better, why do you decide to stay with your largish tech company when we're acknowledging SV pays more? A remote role would increase your salary, no? Breaking this down: Russia has a great mathematics and engineering education system. Many graduates, unable to leave, take jobs with Russian tech companies. Russian tech companies pay less than US tech companies. That's why the situation may be as is with ClickHouse. You're not in Russia. Texas isn't particularly known for running lean. Every Big Tech has a presence in Austin. Dallas is filled with legacy financial companies burning money on IT.
  - hunterb123 5y ago
    Yeah, I use RN to do all the platforms. I spit out features pretty fast. They apply to all platforms since the codebase is 95% shared. I work normal 40 hours, never overtime. I could make more in SV possibly, but I like working where I'm at and I have a big influence (I decide the tech, style guide, some features etc.) Plus I don't like working with a team or too many meetings etc. I already work remote and I make a good salary. Cost of living would be much higher in SV and most companies would cut pay for remote work over there so it would be similar.
    - ctvo 5y ago
      > Cost of living would be much higher in SV and most companies would cut pay for remote work over there so it would be similar. I would validate this by getting an offer. Even adjusting for location, my guess is it's still significantly higher than what you're making locally. The adjustment isn't, say, you live in SF so you make 400k, you live in Houston you make 150k. It's ~15-20% for most places, at most. > Yeah, I use RN to do all the platforms. I want to point out those bloated teams that aren't lean from SV? They made ReactNative. They made Flutter too if you were thinking of swapping.
      - hunterb123 5y ago
        400k is for FAANG, I doubt I'd get that nor do I really want to compete for it. Seems like a lot. I'm really happy where I am, even if I'm not making top dollar. Money isn't everything, I want to be comfortable, happy, and stress-free. I also just don't like California, I prefer small towns in Texas. I know Google and FB made Flutter and RN respectively, and I thank them for that. That doesn't mean other SV companies aren't bloated, FAANG has a lot of money from their spigots (Google & FB have their ad money streams) and live on another level, not VC funding. Cross platform has come a long way and enables small companies to do a lot more with less. Flutter is nice but has flaws, RN is the sweet spot. I could talk for days about the pros and cons of both. A previous comment of mine regarding of Flutter vs RN: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28394396 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28394396
DevKoala 5y ago
Eastern Europe talent probably. They are fantastic and their salaries are cheap thanks to conversion rates.
stackedinserter 5y ago
It's all about culture.
ezekiel68 5y ago
Not picking on your comment, per se, but it is a pet peeve of mine that lower pay in societies with much lower costs of living is often couched as either exploitation or (reverse) unfairness to those in high cost-of-living settings. Consider a metro area in Eastern Europe or Asia. Suppose there are very few jobs available paying the equivalent of US$12 per hour [0]. Now someone starts a software shop or consultancy and offers $13, $15, or $18 (equivalent) per hour. Within that society, such opportunities can easily represent anywhere from a 200% to infinity% (for the unemployed) wage advantage. tldr; Please consider contextual economic realities before applying reductive backhanded comments. [0] I'm shooting from the hip, here. Apologies if my example numbers are way off for part or most of the regions I'm mentioning. Even if so, there was a day -- not very long ago -- when they were quite close.