• Zoidberg@lemm.ee
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    75
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    10 months ago

    Unity, Google, Discord. All within a day or two of each other.

    For every number of employees laid off, a VP level employee must be fired. Those employees didn’t hire themselves. Someone came up with the idea.

    If companies don’t do this they’re not attacking the root of the problem.

    • interdimensionalmeme@lemmy.ml
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      23
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      10 months ago

      They coordinate to create a glut and push all their wages down. Computer touching wagies and so socially stunted they’ll never form effective union. If they did, they would jusy defect out of greed.

      • UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        2
        arrow-down
        1
        ·
        10 months ago

        Computer touching wagies and so socially stunted they’ll never form effective union.

        The industry is so niche, the technology is so heavily customized, and the people so idiosyncratic that I think forming a union shouldn’t be that hard. The real dampener is that the pay for these jobs is always far above the median. Five years of experience and you’re reaching towards six figures. Ten years and you’re well over the line. And in Silicon Valley, the sky is the limit. A master’s or phd in your field means you’re looking at $200k, $300k, $400k…

        If there’s a big drop in wages (and considering the real estate prices in the neighborhoods where these businesses exist) something’s got to give. Maybe you get unions. Maybe you just get a bunch of businesses collapsing on themselves Twitter-style and forcing people back into the “indie company-in-my-garage” model. Maybe everyone becomes contractors.

        But this isn’t sustainable in any serious sense.

        • interdimensionalmeme@lemmy.ml
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          1
          ·
          10 months ago

          and considering the real estate prices in the neighborhoods where these businesses exist) something’s got to give. M

          I work in aerospace, we got unions back in the 70s and never let them go. For what the job actually is, it pays pretty good.

          • UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            1
            arrow-down
            1
            ·
            10 months ago

            Aerospace pay is good, but it used to be a whole lot better. The salaries definitely haven’t kept up with executive pay, even if they’re multiples of the regional average. I’ve got a friend who went into aerospace and bemoans how he’s living solidly middle class in a field that used to put you squarely into the top 5% income bracket. Funny to see someone complain about earning a quarter million a year, but when buying a starter home costs twice that…

    • Cosmic Cleric@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      8
      ·
      edit-2
      10 months ago

      For every number of employees laid off, a VP level employee must be fired.

      You’re expecting Morlocks to feast on each other, instead of feasting on the Eloi.

    • ipkpjersi@lemmy.ml
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      1
      ·
      10 months ago

      Bold of you to think that the VP level employees don’t get big raises in exchange for laying empoyees off.

      • Copernican@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        5
        arrow-down
        1
        ·
        edit-2
        10 months ago

        I think it’s an unfair and naive assumption to think VPs all keep their jobs. I’ve seen some pretty nasty game of thrones plays by executive leadership during layoffs due to consolidation of teams and remits. Someone might get a bonus that doesn’t deserve it, but someone is going to get let go at a high level (albeit with a generous severance not offered to the rest of the employees.

        Also, when new senior leadership comes in, it’s not uncommon for them to let heads roll at the leadership level to fill out the team with folks they know or trust. I’m not shedding a tear about where those folks will go on to find similar employment, but I think there’s a misconception about how safe those positions actually are.

        • ipkpjersi@lemmy.ml
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          2
          ·
          10 months ago

          I guess I’m jaded because I’ve seen far too many times where it’s the worker bees, the people who actually put the work in and get things done, getting the sharp end of the stick. I would be surprised if the 17% of employees Discord laid off actually included VPs.

          • Copernican@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            1
            ·
            10 months ago

            I hear you. You are going to see a lot more worker bees than VPs laid off in part because there’s a lot more worker bees than VPs.

            per https://www.sfgate.com/tech/article/discord-layoffs-citron-overhiring-gaming-18603308.php

            The notice, required when companies perform mass layoffs, said the employees would officially leave Discord on Feb. 2. Dozens of engineers are among the casualties, as are several trust and safety employees, product managers and data scientists, according to the notice.

            Depending on how the structure is laid out and what product areas were cut, I’m guessing up to the director level would be impacted.