5 ms·

> We will deliver success through a flatter organization that is built around makers (individual contributors focused on building), player-coaches (leaders who

by taurath 3mo ago

> We will deliver success through a flatter organization that is built around makers (individual contributors focused on building), player-coaches (leaders who remain deeply involved in the work while developing their teams), and directly responsible individuals (DRIs) who own key decisions and outcomes. This is the new trendy management style - a few executive owners and then everyone else are expendable ICs, with almost no movement opportunity upwards. Only those on the Peter Thiel list or the equivilent among your private equity owners will be considered for key executive positions.

johnnyanmac 3mo ago
Sounds like an awful model for making a game if I understand the model correctly . Forget tight-knit, multidisplinary teams. Everyone's just a special cog to switch in and out from project to project, and laid off when we need a little bit better of an earnings call. Add in micromanagers and directors who need to have their fingers and every project (instead of focusing on the individual needs of a team and game), and you truly embrace the Microslop.
- beezlebroxxxxxx 3mo ago
  The only benefit is, long-term, hopefulyy, the people ejected from this model can often end up forming their own indie teams and creating their own games. Indie games are at an incredible place right now (I am aware it's crazy cut-throat, though). It would be nice to see what quality comes out in response to this disaster.
- taurath 3mo ago
  "I deal with the goddamn customers so the engineers don't have to. I have people skills, can't you understand that?? What the hell is wrong with you people!?"
- madeofpalk 3mo ago
  I'm sceptical of Hacker New's fascination with all managers being worthless, but I don't follow your logic here. Why is "lets have more people who do things" a move away from multidisplinary teams? Unless you count being a middle manager a valuable discipline in game making?
  - johnnyanmac 3mo ago
    >Why is "lets have more people who do things" a move away from multidisplinary teams? It's not even because all management is bad (I'm skeptical of management, but not necessarily a "flat hierarchy" guy). But this move here sounds like homogenization of development. Having managers that need to manage a dozen projects at once will mean that development will fall into one style. Having all your IC's potentially needing to be shuffled around in projects both ruins team cohesion (because you're not focused on one project) and drives the design to be towards specific types of games. Ditto for directors on projects. I won't say it's an unprofitable means of management, but it sure is a way to suck all the creative juices out of the room. Because you're spending more time appeasing a committee who wants to feel like they are "doing something" than finding the fun. And then kicked out when the project is done, because a revolving door is more profitable than fostering a team who's proven they can ship a success. This can be an uncharitable interpretation of that statement. But that's simply a foregone conclusion when you have a 13 year long track record of decisions that end up harming creatives at the end of the day.
catigula 3mo ago
Paying people less and replacing them with AI is the literal explicit strategy; I get that this was supposed to be a cynical comment but it's basically just factual.
mrcwinn 3mo ago
Give me a break. How many times has an IC complained about all the management layers to get something done? You can't have it both ways -- plenty of upward mobility, but no layers to the org.
matchbok3 3mo ago
[flagged]
- LunaSea 3mo ago
  Source please?
- taurath 3mo ago
  You must not have ever worked for a company owned by one. The statement is not what I’ve heard, it’s what I’ve experienced, and it matches the experience of others in my large developer network. It’s great for concentrating ownership and mass applying ruthless management tactics at scale, and for using IP as leverage to hollow out a company.
  - matchbok3 3mo ago
    [flagged]
groundzeros2015 3mo ago
What does Peter Thiel have to do with Xbox? Are we just saying things we don’t like?
- schnitzelstoat 3mo ago
  He's referring to this list of invited guests: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jun/24/peter-thiel-secret-club-leak https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jun/24/peter-...
  - groundzeros2015 3mo ago
    What does it have to do with Xbox? Should I be worried that people are holding conferences?
    - Hikikomori 3mo ago
      Not much to do with xbox unless their execs attends Thiels thing. Should be worried that Thiel doesn't believe we should have democracy and we should replace the government with tech CEO god kings instead.
    - schnitzelstoat 3mo ago
      The new Xbox CEO was on the guest list. But yeah, I agree it's a bit like a conspiracy theory.

by taurath 3mo ago

johnnyanmac 3mo ago

Sounds like an awful model for making a game if I understand the model correctly . Forget tight-knit, multidisplinary teams. Everyone's just a special cog to switch in and out from project to project, and laid off when we need a little bit better of an earnings call. Add in micromanagers and directors who need to have their fingers and every project (instead of focusing on the individual needs of a team and game), and you truly embrace the Microslop.

beezlebroxxxxxx 3mo ago
The only benefit is, long-term, hopefulyy, the people ejected from this model can often end up forming their own indie teams and creating their own games. Indie games are at an incredible place right now (I am aware it's crazy cut-throat, though). It would be nice to see what quality comes out in response to this disaster.
taurath 3mo ago
"I deal with the goddamn customers so the engineers don't have to. I have people skills, can't you understand that?? What the hell is wrong with you people!?"
madeofpalk 3mo ago
I'm sceptical of Hacker New's fascination with all managers being worthless, but I don't follow your logic here. Why is "lets have more people who do things" a move away from multidisplinary teams? Unless you count being a middle manager a valuable discipline in game making?
- johnnyanmac 3mo ago
  >Why is "lets have more people who do things" a move away from multidisplinary teams? It's not even because all management is bad (I'm skeptical of management, but not necessarily a "flat hierarchy" guy). But this move here sounds like homogenization of development. Having managers that need to manage a dozen projects at once will mean that development will fall into one style. Having all your IC's potentially needing to be shuffled around in projects both ruins team cohesion (because you're not focused on one project) and drives the design to be towards specific types of games. Ditto for directors on projects. I won't say it's an unprofitable means of management, but it sure is a way to suck all the creative juices out of the room. Because you're spending more time appeasing a committee who wants to feel like they are "doing something" than finding the fun. And then kicked out when the project is done, because a revolving door is more profitable than fostering a team who's proven they can ship a success. This can be an uncharitable interpretation of that statement. But that's simply a foregone conclusion when you have a 13 year long track record of decisions that end up harming creatives at the end of the day.

catigula 3mo ago

Paying people less and replacing them with AI is the literal explicit strategy; I get that this was supposed to be a cynical comment but it's basically just factual.

mrcwinn 3mo ago

Give me a break. How many times has an IC complained about all the management layers to get something done? You can't have it both ways -- plenty of upward mobility, but no layers to the org.

matchbok3 3mo ago

[flagged]

LunaSea 3mo ago
Source please?
taurath 3mo ago
You must not have ever worked for a company owned by one. The statement is not what I’ve heard, it’s what I’ve experienced, and it matches the experience of others in my large developer network. It’s great for concentrating ownership and mass applying ruthless management tactics at scale, and for using IP as leverage to hollow out a company.
- matchbok3 3mo ago
  [flagged]

groundzeros2015 3mo ago

What does Peter Thiel have to do with Xbox? Are we just saying things we don’t like?

schnitzelstoat 3mo ago
He's referring to this list of invited guests: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jun/24/peter-thiel-secret-club-leak https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jun/24/peter-...
- groundzeros2015 3mo ago
  What does it have to do with Xbox? Should I be worried that people are holding conferences?
  - Hikikomori 3mo ago
    Not much to do with xbox unless their execs attends Thiels thing. Should be worried that Thiel doesn't believe we should have democracy and we should replace the government with tech CEO god kings instead.
  - schnitzelstoat 3mo ago
    The new Xbox CEO was on the guest list. But yeah, I agree it's a bit like a conspiracy theory.