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> I know two people at Google who were slotted for T (transformative) and O (outstanding) GRAD ratings who were laid off, along with their entire teams. There's

by mjr00 4y ago

> I know two people at Google who were slotted for T (transformative) and O (outstanding) GRAD ratings who were laid off, along with their entire teams. There's only so much you can do. There's only so much you can do, but developers and other ICs often turn a blind eye to the actual wider business. Sometimes it's exceedingly obvious that the business unit, company, or even wider industry as a whole that you're working in is on a downward spiral, but people won't or can't recognize it. The writing was on the wall for Twitter for many years. Alexa and Echo were clearly massive busts for many years. If you're still at a crypto company in 2023, you pretty much have to have resigned to just coasting until the inevitable layoff or company bankruptcy. If you're at Meta working on Metaverse/VR, don't say I didn't warn you when you get your layoff notice in a year or two. If you want to avoid being laid off, join a company that makes money, and make sure you're in the part of the company that actually makes money. The crazy new tech and R&D groups might be the most fun, but they're also going to be the first to get slashed.

scarmig 4y ago
For the concrete situation I mentioned above, they were in a part of Google that was profitable, but just not profitable enough. (The Google graveyard is going to have a lot more tombstones over the next couple months.) But, yeah: all other factors being equal, it's always better to join a company that's making money in the org that makes the most money.
- mjr00 4y ago
  for sure. If I were at Google or Meta right now and not part of something that directly impacts ad sales, I would start looking for a new job.
brailsafe 4y ago
As an ancillary point, I think ICs and anyone who isn't empowered to influence things should turn a blind eye to them, and do the absolute least you can to get your work done. Obviously exaggerating a bit here, but you should absolutely not try very hard at a bigger company. Distance yourself emotionally from the political powers at play, and just do the things that are asked of you, no more. The idea that hard work == more reward is a fantasy that boomers' retirement depends on. Your last example is the opposite of this, if there's a clear path between work and outcome, either for the company and/or yourself, then make a call that works for you.

by mjr00 4y ago

scarmig 4y ago

For the concrete situation I mentioned above, they were in a part of Google that was profitable, but just not profitable enough. (The Google graveyard is going to have a lot more tombstones over the next couple months.) But, yeah: all other factors being equal, it's always better to join a company that's making money in the org that makes the most money.

mjr00 4y ago
for sure. If I were at Google or Meta right now and not part of something that directly impacts ad sales, I would start looking for a new job.

brailsafe 4y ago

As an ancillary point, I think ICs and anyone who isn't empowered to influence things should turn a blind eye to them, and do the absolute least you can to get your work done. Obviously exaggerating a bit here, but you should absolutely not try very hard at a bigger company. Distance yourself emotionally from the political powers at play, and just do the things that are asked of you, no more. The idea that hard work == more reward is a fantasy that boomers' retirement depends on. Your last example is the opposite of this, if there's a clear path between work and outcome, either for the company and/or yourself, then make a call that works for you.