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Yes, tech companies are building an image of pop cultures, but they are not. For example, layoffs are never "mimicking" what other companies are doing. Pop cult
by lucaw 4y ago
Yes, tech companies are building an image of pop cultures, but they are not. For example, layoffs are never "mimicking" what other companies are doing. Pop culture people may think it is, but business people -- who tech CEOs really are -- always tries to make the right decisions.
- Zigurd 4y agoWhoa whoa whoa. Regarding "layoffs are never 'mimicking' what other companies are doing" layoffs are getting hyped like other trends in tech. Tech management is very trend-driven. Over-hiring to lock down talent, swinging to lean to the point of dysfunction, is characteristic of the tech industry. Entrepreneurs managing on the basis of pop management books and gurus is rife in tech.
- rcarmo 4y agoHaving a lot of exposure to early stage startups, I get that most founders have essentially zero management experience, but the Darwinian process of VCs and go-to-market doesn't seem to favor them actually going out and acquiring some.
- Zigurd 4y agoA lot of those VCs aren't really experienced trained managers themselves. The most visible ones tweet in ways that confirm this.
- SpicyLemonZest 4y agoLayoffs are in very large part about mimicking what other companies are doing. I have no doubt that most CEOs are honestly trying to make the right decision, but (just like in pop culture!) the mere fact of what everyone else is doing has a substantial impact on the right business decision for you. If layoffs are a big trend this year, that substantially reduces both the reputational cost of doing your own layoff and the number of high performers you can expect to jump ship afterwards.
- mempko 4y agoThen explain the over hiring during easy money after pandemic stimulus. Poor decision making, even if consistent, isn't 'right decision' making.
- SpicyLemonZest 4y agoThere was no straightforward way to tell in the post-pandemic environment which changes in the economy would be transient and which ones would be long-term. It's easy to tell a just-so story about how these companies' pandemic boom was obviously because of easy money and they should have known it wouldn't last. But back in 2020, I remember I used to go around telling a similar but wrong story about how remote work won't last.