6 ms·

I've noticed more uncertainty, less comradery, a general malaise, lack of motivation and a lot less trust in the organization. A very very different feeling to

I've noticed more uncertainty, less comradery, a general malaise, lack of motivation and a lot less trust in the organization. A very very different feeling to a year ago.

saiya-jin 4y ago
Sounds like faangs are becoming more like banking environment where few % layoffs are often happening few times a year. It still sucks to be the one affected and over time it sucks out a lot of positive energy
- Traubenfuchs 4y ago
  In my country, big national banks IT jobs are one of the last bastions of "potential forever job".
- chasd00 4y ago
  they're becoming like the IBMs and HPs of the world. Old dinosaurs set in their ways and they're not handling it very well.
Panini_Jones 4y ago
Have we seen this happen in the past? Did Microsoft go through a general sense of despondency when it cut people in 2009? Did it recover?
- oxfordmale 4y ago
  This was how Microsoft was seen in 2013 as Ballmer stepped down: "Slumping stock price and unimaginative vision has left Microsoft marooned between a fading past and an uncertain future" An unimaginative vision is a common result of mass lay-offs. The ones that stay behind do not dare to take risks and prefer to stick to the status quo. Only after Satya Nadella took over, did Microsoft start to recover.
  - prox 4y ago
    So FB / Meta needs a new CEO ?
    - wetpaws 4y ago
      The writing was on the wall since a long time ago.
    - mschuster91 4y ago
      I'm usually not one to say companies shouldn't take on risks to expand into new business areas, particularly not in times where the core product is bleeding lucrative users... but here it's the same shit as with Twitter prior to Parag Agrawal's term or with Elon Musk's dozens of ventures. It's one thing and bad enough if board members have sometimes dozens of posts... but Zuckerberg, Musk, Dorsey all show it's not a good idea when an actually active C-level exec has too many things on their table. And it's especially not good if they use company resources for their personal pet projects.
      - b112 4y ago
        And it's especially not good if they use company resources for their personal pet projects. Good grief. I guess if you are a CFO, or finance guy, sure. But a "pet project" is conjoined with passion. And R&D, and testing the waters in other markets, is what causes true motivation. People often complain that big corps can only innovate via acquisition. Yet, this comment is complaining that big corps are innovating by... startup methods! For what does a startup do, other than live as the pet project of its founders? We should encourage CEOs of large corps to go out on a limb, to R&D, to bring change to the market, to explore new growth streams.
        achenet 4y ago
        startups, while they can have funding, do not have near unlimited piles of cash allowing them to keep building something no one wants. At some point, they have to start being profitable, and this constraint is what forces them to be adaptable and listen to users. Billionaire pet projects do not have this constraint, and as such can become endless money sinks.
- djkivi 4y ago
  https://minimsft.blogspot.com/ https://minimsft.blogspot.com/
disgruntledphd2 4y ago
My old boss who's still a director there said that it's been horrible since the Apple ATT changes, but then she's in ads. I always used to say that it's easy to be nice in a growth company, and that appears to have been proven out by recent events.
- maayank 4y ago
  “It’s easy to be an angel in paradise”
  - edflsafoiewq 4y ago
    Tell that to Adam.

I've noticed more uncertainty, less comradery, a general malaise, lack of motivation and a lot less trust in the organization. A very very different feeling to a year ago.

saiya-jin 4y ago

Sounds like faangs are becoming more like banking environment where few % layoffs are often happening few times a year. It still sucks to be the one affected and over time it sucks out a lot of positive energy

Traubenfuchs 4y ago
In my country, big national banks IT jobs are one of the last bastions of "potential forever job".
chasd00 4y ago
they're becoming like the IBMs and HPs of the world. Old dinosaurs set in their ways and they're not handling it very well.

Panini_Jones 4y ago

Have we seen this happen in the past? Did Microsoft go through a general sense of despondency when it cut people in 2009? Did it recover?

oxfordmale 4y ago
This was how Microsoft was seen in 2013 as Ballmer stepped down: "Slumping stock price and unimaginative vision has left Microsoft marooned between a fading past and an uncertain future" An unimaginative vision is a common result of mass lay-offs. The ones that stay behind do not dare to take risks and prefer to stick to the status quo. Only after Satya Nadella took over, did Microsoft start to recover.
- prox 4y ago
  So FB / Meta needs a new CEO ?
  - wetpaws 4y ago
    The writing was on the wall since a long time ago.
  - mschuster91 4y ago
    I'm usually not one to say companies shouldn't take on risks to expand into new business areas, particularly not in times where the core product is bleeding lucrative users... but here it's the same shit as with Twitter prior to Parag Agrawal's term or with Elon Musk's dozens of ventures. It's one thing and bad enough if board members have sometimes dozens of posts... but Zuckerberg, Musk, Dorsey all show it's not a good idea when an actually active C-level exec has too many things on their table. And it's especially not good if they use company resources for their personal pet projects.
    - b112 4y ago
      And it's especially not good if they use company resources for their personal pet projects. Good grief. I guess if you are a CFO, or finance guy, sure. But a "pet project" is conjoined with passion. And R&D, and testing the waters in other markets, is what causes true motivation. People often complain that big corps can only innovate via acquisition. Yet, this comment is complaining that big corps are innovating by... startup methods! For what does a startup do, other than live as the pet project of its founders? We should encourage CEOs of large corps to go out on a limb, to R&D, to bring change to the market, to explore new growth streams.
      - achenet 4y ago
        startups, while they can have funding, do not have near unlimited piles of cash allowing them to keep building something no one wants. At some point, they have to start being profitable, and this constraint is what forces them to be adaptable and listen to users. Billionaire pet projects do not have this constraint, and as such can become endless money sinks.
djkivi 4y ago
https://minimsft.blogspot.com/ https://minimsft.blogspot.com/

disgruntledphd2 4y ago

My old boss who's still a director there said that it's been horrible since the Apple ATT changes, but then she's in ads. I always used to say that it's easy to be nice in a growth company, and that appears to have been proven out by recent events.

maayank 4y ago
“It’s easy to be an angel in paradise”
- edflsafoiewq 4y ago
  Tell that to Adam.