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The market in tech still seems pretty hot to me. All my news is "layoffs" but all my unsolicited emails are invitations to interview... Also, it's not clear t

The market in tech still seems pretty hot to me. All my news is "layoffs" but all my unsolicited emails are invitations to interview... Also, it's not clear to me how a union would assist. If your startup is shutting down because it cannot get funded because interest rate rises mean there is no more cheap cash, what will a Union do? Convince the FED to slash interest rates to save your company?

wildrhythms 4y ago
I think most workers in tech and in most industries can recognize many areas of waste and inefficiency at their employer that have nothing to do with interest rates.
Apocryphon 4y ago
> All my news is "layoffs" but all my unsolicited emails are invitations to interview... What kind of firms are there? Saw a comment on HN last week saying that recently-funded startups are still hiring, which means they might have a year or two of runway before they get into trouble. We're not actually in a recession yet, and hopefully there won't be, but the smoke we're seeing before the fire is not great. > If your startup is shutting down because it cannot get funded because interest rate rises mean there is no more cheap cash, what will a Union do? Convince the FED to slash interest rates to save your company? It's less that a union could have prevented this situation, and more that a union could protect whatever benefits SWE in tech are taking for granted right now, that might be removed later on. Pushing back against involuntary RTO, for instance, which may or may not happen regardless if there is a recession. Perhaps it could be argued that unions could have cautioned against management from overhiring during the last two years, but given that would be seen as gatekeeping, which is a common accusation against not only unions but professional orgs such as the AMA, I'm not sure if tech unions would have affected the current industry predicament. They might have even agreed with managements' actions during the gravy train years.
- LatteLazy 4y ago
  I am in FinTech in London. Everyone from Tier 1 banks down to startups seem to be recruiting here. I work at a crypto company, about 200 employees now so not a start-up anymore really. We've had plenty of bad news this year :). But we're actively hiring and revenue is ok. I think it's important to remember that a recession is a whole-economy event. A 20% drop in one half of the economy and 10% growth in the other half is still a 5% drop over all. But if you work in that growing part then you, your company etc don't have a problem... I am not fundamentally opposed to unions, but I am also not convinced they will improve things either (either for me or my colleagues or the company). Like you say, maybe a union would have reduced hiring and put companies in a better place? Or maybe they would have increased it and made things worse? Who knows? We could go back and forth and be right or wrong. But I don't think and of those factors change significantly in a (possible) recession that may or may not affect tech...
  - Apocryphon 4y ago
    Maybe the tech scene in the U.K. and Europe is different, perhaps companies there have not overhired as zealously as the American tech industry thanks to Fed money. And as far as banks go, they're hiring on this side of the pond too, other industries do not seem to have made the same mistake as tech has. > I am not fundamentally opposed to unions, but I am also not convinced they will improve things either (either for me or my colleagues or the company). [...] But I don't think and of those factors change significantly in a (possible) recession that may or may not affect tech... My overall point that when the boom times end and employee leverage goes away, who knows what benefits will disappear as well. A union could help maintain that leverage even in bad times.
  - Nextgrid 4y ago
    > Everyone from Tier 1 banks down to startups seem to be recruiting here In my experience, everyone seems to be recruiting but with salaries that no longer correspond to the cost of living (and especially housing) nor will allow you to save anything meaningful to eventually get on the property ladder. Actually good roles that allow you build a future (in London at least) are far and far between.

wildrhythms 4y ago

I think most workers in tech and in most industries can recognize many areas of waste and inefficiency at their employer that have nothing to do with interest rates.

Apocryphon 4y ago

> All my news is "layoffs" but all my unsolicited emails are invitations to interview... What kind of firms are there? Saw a comment on HN last week saying that recently-funded startups are still hiring, which means they might have a year or two of runway before they get into trouble. We're not actually in a recession yet, and hopefully there won't be, but the smoke we're seeing before the fire is not great. > If your startup is shutting down because it cannot get funded because interest rate rises mean there is no more cheap cash, what will a Union do? Convince the FED to slash interest rates to save your company? It's less that a union could have prevented this situation, and more that a union could protect whatever benefits SWE in tech are taking for granted right now, that might be removed later on. Pushing back against involuntary RTO, for instance, which may or may not happen regardless if there is a recession. Perhaps it could be argued that unions could have cautioned against management from overhiring during the last two years, but given that would be seen as gatekeeping, which is a common accusation against not only unions but professional orgs such as the AMA, I'm not sure if tech unions would have affected the current industry predicament. They might have even agreed with managements' actions during the gravy train years.

LatteLazy 4y ago
I am in FinTech in London. Everyone from Tier 1 banks down to startups seem to be recruiting here. I work at a crypto company, about 200 employees now so not a start-up anymore really. We've had plenty of bad news this year :). But we're actively hiring and revenue is ok. I think it's important to remember that a recession is a whole-economy event. A 20% drop in one half of the economy and 10% growth in the other half is still a 5% drop over all. But if you work in that growing part then you, your company etc don't have a problem... I am not fundamentally opposed to unions, but I am also not convinced they will improve things either (either for me or my colleagues or the company). Like you say, maybe a union would have reduced hiring and put companies in a better place? Or maybe they would have increased it and made things worse? Who knows? We could go back and forth and be right or wrong. But I don't think and of those factors change significantly in a (possible) recession that may or may not affect tech...
- Apocryphon 4y ago
  Maybe the tech scene in the U.K. and Europe is different, perhaps companies there have not overhired as zealously as the American tech industry thanks to Fed money. And as far as banks go, they're hiring on this side of the pond too, other industries do not seem to have made the same mistake as tech has. > I am not fundamentally opposed to unions, but I am also not convinced they will improve things either (either for me or my colleagues or the company). [...] But I don't think and of those factors change significantly in a (possible) recession that may or may not affect tech... My overall point that when the boom times end and employee leverage goes away, who knows what benefits will disappear as well. A union could help maintain that leverage even in bad times.
- Nextgrid 4y ago
  > Everyone from Tier 1 banks down to startups seem to be recruiting here In my experience, everyone seems to be recruiting but with salaries that no longer correspond to the cost of living (and especially housing) nor will allow you to save anything meaningful to eventually get on the property ladder. Actually good roles that allow you build a future (in London at least) are far and far between.