4 ms·

As an employee I want to know that the board/execs/c suite are doing a good job and their decisions align with the companies stated goals. If they are not then

As an employee I want to know that the board/execs/c suite are doing a good job and their decisions align with the companies stated goals. If they are not then it is time to start looking for a new job so that I don't end up in a bad situation financially.

x86x87 3y ago
It depends. If you are seeing your job more than just a means to an ends maybe. If you see it as transactional and you need the company to stay in business while you work there why would you bother looking for a new job?
- cpncrunch 3y ago
  If the company is prepared to make up a BS reason to fire the CEO, do you really want to bet on them looking after you? I would guess that most of the people working at openai could get a job anywhere.
  - x86x87 3y ago
    most people working at openai are subject to the same harsh market conditions everyone is. also, do you really care that the CEO was fired as long as you are getting payed what it was agreed upon when you got hired and you are doing interesting work?
    - defrost 3y ago
      > do you really care that the CEO was fired as long as you are getting payed what it was agreed upon ... I can't speak to the mood of specific staff at OpenAI but as to the question in general; Hell yeah to the Nth degree. I'm 60, I've had a long career and have been through two instances of companies falling out at the board level. I've onboarded at various projects because I cared about the projects and work that'd I would be doing and because I was more or less in line with the direction being taken and the people I worked with and those setting the course. When the board and C level start having a messy relationship and divorce it matters very much which side of the split I go with or whether I just up stakes and move on elsewhere. Pay alone isn't worth putting up with dysfunction from above or falling in line with a faction you never especially aligned with.
      - tkgally 3y ago
        Thank you for that comment. There are many people here who seem to believe that the OpenAI employees--and nearly everyone else involved in this drama--are motivated only by money. While of course money matters, people are also motivated by pride, vanity, idealism, loyalty, companionship, interest in the work itself, and many other things. Explanations of this fascinating situation that don't reflect that complexity are not convincing to me. I'm 66, in case that matters.
        nopromisessir 3y ago
        I'm 36. Fully agree with your comment and the above as well. Resigned 6 years ago due to differences at the top after 10 yrs building. A bad guy was treating everyone poorly. Ranged from rage beratements to gross narcissistic manipulation aimed at gaining control over decent human beings. Tried to press top guys to allign and confront to protect my team and others. Made very obvious business sense as well ofc. They refused. Too risky... Too much trouble. Walked away from the best money I ever made. Would do it again. I'm not gonna watch people be mistreated. Also it's bad business, I was exhausted playing solo defense and after management failed to make moves I fully became convinced that every person should hit the job market for mental health reasons alone. 5 years on, the other guy besides me slated for c suite left as well. He helped at first then balked when the going got tough. Now the two partners have gotten in a dispute about succession planning and I expect everyone to be unemployed potentially within the next 3 months. There's no money I would take to work there again or anywhere else where that kind of toxicity is present. The only worthy cause there became to confront the toxicity. Without the right allies though... The biggest thing I could do was just resign. 6 years later one partner realized I was right and he should have backed me. After a certain point... Money doesn't matter. Given the 900k avg salary in that outfit... I have to assume they are overwhelmingly beyond that threshold. Furthermore all evidence to me indicates that Altman personally looks for folks who can get money, but care much more about other factors... He is wise to do that. Hard to find those folks, but worth it every time imo. I respect both of y'alls experiance btw. I saw this confused cynical misunderstanding re salary expressed all over the comments for this story as it's unfolded since Friday. I consider it a full misread built largely from folks getting mistreated/burned by the many fools throughout practically every industry who fail to realize before returning to the ground that money doesn't really buy happiness... Probably never will. I'm sure many others agree.

x86x87 3y ago

It depends. If you are seeing your job more than just a means to an ends maybe. If you see it as transactional and you need the company to stay in business while you work there why would you bother looking for a new job?

cpncrunch 3y ago
If the company is prepared to make up a BS reason to fire the CEO, do you really want to bet on them looking after you? I would guess that most of the people working at openai could get a job anywhere.
- x86x87 3y ago
  most people working at openai are subject to the same harsh market conditions everyone is. also, do you really care that the CEO was fired as long as you are getting payed what it was agreed upon when you got hired and you are doing interesting work?
  - defrost 3y ago
    > do you really care that the CEO was fired as long as you are getting payed what it was agreed upon ... I can't speak to the mood of specific staff at OpenAI but as to the question in general; Hell yeah to the Nth degree. I'm 60, I've had a long career and have been through two instances of companies falling out at the board level. I've onboarded at various projects because I cared about the projects and work that'd I would be doing and because I was more or less in line with the direction being taken and the people I worked with and those setting the course. When the board and C level start having a messy relationship and divorce it matters very much which side of the split I go with or whether I just up stakes and move on elsewhere. Pay alone isn't worth putting up with dysfunction from above or falling in line with a faction you never especially aligned with.
    - tkgally 3y ago
      Thank you for that comment. There are many people here who seem to believe that the OpenAI employees--and nearly everyone else involved in this drama--are motivated only by money. While of course money matters, people are also motivated by pride, vanity, idealism, loyalty, companionship, interest in the work itself, and many other things. Explanations of this fascinating situation that don't reflect that complexity are not convincing to me. I'm 66, in case that matters.
      - nopromisessir 3y ago
        I'm 36. Fully agree with your comment and the above as well. Resigned 6 years ago due to differences at the top after 10 yrs building. A bad guy was treating everyone poorly. Ranged from rage beratements to gross narcissistic manipulation aimed at gaining control over decent human beings. Tried to press top guys to allign and confront to protect my team and others. Made very obvious business sense as well ofc. They refused. Too risky... Too much trouble. Walked away from the best money I ever made. Would do it again. I'm not gonna watch people be mistreated. Also it's bad business, I was exhausted playing solo defense and after management failed to make moves I fully became convinced that every person should hit the job market for mental health reasons alone. 5 years on, the other guy besides me slated for c suite left as well. He helped at first then balked when the going got tough. Now the two partners have gotten in a dispute about succession planning and I expect everyone to be unemployed potentially within the next 3 months. There's no money I would take to work there again or anywhere else where that kind of toxicity is present. The only worthy cause there became to confront the toxicity. Without the right allies though... The biggest thing I could do was just resign. 6 years later one partner realized I was right and he should have backed me. After a certain point... Money doesn't matter. Given the 900k avg salary in that outfit... I have to assume they are overwhelmingly beyond that threshold. Furthermore all evidence to me indicates that Altman personally looks for folks who can get money, but care much more about other factors... He is wise to do that. Hard to find those folks, but worth it every time imo. I respect both of y'alls experiance btw. I saw this confused cynical misunderstanding re salary expressed all over the comments for this story as it's unfolded since Friday. I consider it a full misread built largely from folks getting mistreated/burned by the many fools throughout practically every industry who fail to realize before returning to the ground that money doesn't really buy happiness... Probably never will. I'm sure many others agree.