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It's only "dumb" from the perspective that you and I think that the work we and others do requires some special magic and that companies like this really need t

It's only "dumb" from the perspective that you and I think that the work we and others do requires some special magic and that companies like this really need the A/B players. I think Musk "showed" that it's "possible" (in the short term) to just purge and get by with C or D players -- plus the occasional True Believer -- and still survive. Let's be honest that most companies... what they're doing... is not magic. And their CEOs are likely aware that following a Google-like "hiring the smartest people" strategy along with the $$ that goes with that may not be what they need. And during economic contractions, short-termist thinking takes often over. So here we are. But I do think in the long run, yes, it's poisonous. But out of the ashes of that come the next A-player companies.

ProjectArcturis 3y ago
Musk showed that if you fire a lot of your engineers, you very quickly start accumulating tech problems. In his case, it led to the absurd "tweet throttling" policy which opened the door for strategic competitors like Threads.
- cmrdporcupine 3y ago
  Like I said, in the long term, it's poisonous.
  - ProjectArcturis 3y ago
    Long term? It took 9 months!
    - cmrdporcupine 3y ago
      Frankly, I keep waiting for the big bang implosion there, but it seems like it's just going to be a long pathetic whimper.
      - rchaud 3y ago
        The implosion has already occurred. Over 80pct of their pre-takeover headcount is gone. Pricing their API in five-figure sums tells you their ad business is dead. And they're on the hook for $1.2 billion in interest payments annually. Are they even making that in revenue now? We won't know because they're privately held.
area51org 3y ago
The thing with C and D players is that while things can appear like they're going just fine, in fact, they tend to slowly and surely inject damage (badly written code, badly designed systems, ad nauseam) that will likely cost the company tons of money. In other words, penny-wise, pound foolish.

ProjectArcturis 3y ago

Musk showed that if you fire a lot of your engineers, you very quickly start accumulating tech problems. In his case, it led to the absurd "tweet throttling" policy which opened the door for strategic competitors like Threads.

cmrdporcupine 3y ago
Like I said, in the long term, it's poisonous.
- ProjectArcturis 3y ago
  Long term? It took 9 months!
  - cmrdporcupine 3y ago
    Frankly, I keep waiting for the big bang implosion there, but it seems like it's just going to be a long pathetic whimper.
    - rchaud 3y ago
      The implosion has already occurred. Over 80pct of their pre-takeover headcount is gone. Pricing their API in five-figure sums tells you their ad business is dead. And they're on the hook for $1.2 billion in interest payments annually. Are they even making that in revenue now? We won't know because they're privately held.

area51org 3y ago

The thing with C and D players is that while things can appear like they're going just fine, in fact, they tend to slowly and surely inject damage (badly written code, badly designed systems, ad nauseam) that will likely cost the company tons of money. In other words, penny-wise, pound foolish.