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Intentional or not, worker power has been crushed by these layoffs.
by Clent 4y ago
Intentional or not, worker power has been crushed by these layoffs.
- ianbutler 4y agoReally? It's like not even 10% of the swe workforce. If this crushes you, you had no power to begin with. It's more like a reminder of that fact. It's all BS though, stocks are back to 2019 levels, one of the highest periods ever, in a field where there's still not enough bodies for all the jobs. I'm pretty sure that leverage hasn't changed. Fundamentally however, the success of this role will not last. It's just a matter of time, I just don't think this is that time. Edit: From what numbers I could find layoffs in tech, in 2022 and 2023 so far slightly above 5% of the US SWE workforce, not even worldwide, and since not all of these people laid off were developers It's probably even less. This was two things, a way to shed cheap heads paid for when money was free, now that it's not so free and those heads are not so cheap and a way to induce fear to keep heads in line, but like, that second part is bullshit.
- 0x457 4y agoIt doesn't need to be a large chunk. It generates headlines like "XXk laid-off in big name tech company that is has plenty of cash" That creates the idea of job-insecurity in others.
- ianbutler 4y agoNo offense, but if that's all it takes to cow someone, again, they never had real power, so nothing to crush. My point is, this shouldn't be all it takes to make people insecure about their position.
- Apocryphon 4y agoThe power was never there. What was there was the prospect of being able to head to greener shores. It's not just about layoffs (which are still ongoing, so your numbers are preliminary and not the final tally), but also hiring freezes. For someone who loses their job now, not only are they competing with everyone else from all of these companies let go, there's far fewer positions open than there were before. So the prospect that existed in lieu of power is now gone.
- ianbutler 4y agoI know for a fact Google for instance is actively filling roles and they just laid people off. This is theatre with unfortunate consequences for the little guy. Same with the other acronym cos.
- zuminator 4y agoUnder usual circumstances a laid off tech worker might be able to line up multiple offers elsewhere. But with companies contracting everywhere, suddenly there's the scary prospect that it might not be so easy to land a new position, and just knowing there's uncertainty ahead could make someone feel a lot more powerless, especially if they haven't been entirely diligent in upgrading their skills.
- vehemenz 4y agoWhich worker power? I'd still rather be an ex-FAANG employee with 5 years of coasting money in the bank than practically anyone else.