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Frustrating, layoffs seem to be back in full swing. I posted this comment just yesterday, https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38945990 https://news.ycombinator

Frustrating, layoffs seem to be back in full swing. I posted this comment just yesterday, https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38945990 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38945990, and since then HN had articles about Google layoffs, now Discord, and I also saw that FullStory had a pretty big layoff. It really had felt like things had stabilized a bit (at least for software engineers) in the fall. Was that just the lull before the storm?

beretguy 3y ago
I started to bookmark all the layoff stories to see how many of them.
- pb7 3y ago
  No need. https://layoffs.fyi https://layoffs.fyi
- mrnaught 3y ago
  https://layoffs.fyi/ https://layoffs.fyi/
pb7 3y ago
Cruise, Spotify, VMWare, and Unity were among the companies that had sizable (15%+ of a large group) layoffs before the end of last year. I don’t think it ever really stabilized.
- alephnerd 3y ago
  VMWare's is because of M&A. I wouldn't classify it's layoffs for the same reason as Cruise, Spotify, and Unity.
- hn_throwaway_99 3y ago
  But Cruise, VMWare and Unity's layoffs were all very much company-specific execution issues - I'd expect to see some layoffs like that even during boom times. Of that list only Spotify is really in the "we hired too much and now we're downsizing due to economic conditions" boat. In fact, I remember thinking "That sucks, this is the first one of those I've heard in a while" when the Spotify layoff was announced.
ironlake 3y ago
I think many companies are anticipating a significant downturn in the economy and are trying to get ahead of it. Layoffs help stock prices almost immediately and management get bonuses for increasing the bottom line. Workers are defenseless. Save your money in case you're laid off. Work less if they keep you on. Let management be rewarded by nothing more than short term monetary gain. Don't give them extra productivity.

beretguy 3y ago

I started to bookmark all the layoff stories to see how many of them.

pb7 3y ago
No need. https://layoffs.fyi https://layoffs.fyi
mrnaught 3y ago
https://layoffs.fyi/ https://layoffs.fyi/

pb7 3y ago

Cruise, Spotify, VMWare, and Unity were among the companies that had sizable (15%+ of a large group) layoffs before the end of last year. I don’t think it ever really stabilized.

alephnerd 3y ago
VMWare's is because of M&A. I wouldn't classify it's layoffs for the same reason as Cruise, Spotify, and Unity.
hn_throwaway_99 3y ago
But Cruise, VMWare and Unity's layoffs were all very much company-specific execution issues - I'd expect to see some layoffs like that even during boom times. Of that list only Spotify is really in the "we hired too much and now we're downsizing due to economic conditions" boat. In fact, I remember thinking "That sucks, this is the first one of those I've heard in a while" when the Spotify layoff was announced.

ironlake 3y ago

I think many companies are anticipating a significant downturn in the economy and are trying to get ahead of it. Layoffs help stock prices almost immediately and management get bonuses for increasing the bottom line. Workers are defenseless. Save your money in case you're laid off. Work less if they keep you on. Let management be rewarded by nothing more than short term monetary gain. Don't give them extra productivity.