3 ms·

Meta note... The HN title perfectly matches the articles title but the first line of the article actually says: "Barnes & Noble laid off its Nook hardware eng

Meta note... The HN title perfectly matches the articles title but the first line of the article actually says: "Barnes & Noble laid off its Nook hardware engineers, according to a source that tipped Business Insider." I only point this out because in North America, fired and laid off have two very different connotations.

MBCook 13y ago
I think in this situation it's pretty clear that it means "will no longer employ" without the with/without cause distinction.
justin66 13y ago
> I only point this out because in North America, fired and laid off have two very different connotations. ... to almost no one who does not work at a state unemployment office. I kid. More accurate snark would be to say "to everyone except the person just fired/laid off." A friend who was just laid off mentioned the way certain people feel the need to correct her when she mentions she was fired, and how hugely annoying that is. I experienced a similar thing years ago amongst my former coworkers after a large firing-I-mean-lay off. It all seems to have something to do with making everyone except the person just fired/laid off maintain a certain level of comfort, even though everyone understands that the effect of the thing is exactly the same. (back in the day it was probably all about whether the factory was going to call you back in eventually or not)
- gutnor 13y ago
  Remember after getting laid off at my first job in London. I didn't know about the difference, my boss kept reminding me that I was not getting fired, but "terminated" As a foreigner, I only knew the lethal meaning of the term.
- pavedwalden 13y ago
  To me, "laid off" means it was structural, whereas "fired" implies that the specific individual was deliberately gotten rid of. Also, I think "fired" carries a connotation of blame. You don't get laid off for calling your boss an asshole, you get fired.
  - gaius 13y ago
    Agreed. You would not want to say "I was fired" in your next job interview.

MBCook 13y ago

I think in this situation it's pretty clear that it means "will no longer employ" without the with/without cause distinction.

justin66 13y ago

> I only point this out because in North America, fired and laid off have two very different connotations. ... to almost no one who does not work at a state unemployment office. I kid. More accurate snark would be to say "to everyone except the person just fired/laid off." A friend who was just laid off mentioned the way certain people feel the need to correct her when she mentions she was fired, and how hugely annoying that is. I experienced a similar thing years ago amongst my former coworkers after a large firing-I-mean-lay off. It all seems to have something to do with making everyone except the person just fired/laid off maintain a certain level of comfort, even though everyone understands that the effect of the thing is exactly the same. (back in the day it was probably all about whether the factory was going to call you back in eventually or not)

gutnor 13y ago
Remember after getting laid off at my first job in London. I didn't know about the difference, my boss kept reminding me that I was not getting fired, but "terminated" As a foreigner, I only knew the lethal meaning of the term.
pavedwalden 13y ago
To me, "laid off" means it was structural, whereas "fired" implies that the specific individual was deliberately gotten rid of. Also, I think "fired" carries a connotation of blame. You don't get laid off for calling your boss an asshole, you get fired.
- gaius 13y ago
  Agreed. You would not want to say "I was fired" in your next job interview.