Ask HN: Anyone else lacking motivation during this time of layoffs?

3 points by throwarayes 3 years ago | 4 comments

I wonder if I'm the only one that feels this way. I suspect its a broadly felt phenomenon, based on the research on layoffs[1], of hurt trust, and demotivation among employees at large tech companies. Though nobody would publicly admit it (hence my throwaway account!). It's not exactly something you announce on slack when layoffs are afoot!

Before and early pandemic, I could at least suspend disbelief that I worked for a special place at my big tech company, who had a mission, or at least my group had a mission that someone cared about.

Now, I don't see any difference between a tech company, Exxon mobil, Coca Cola, or any other mega corp. It's all just capitalism. Yes, yes, I should have known all along.

It's hard to find motivation in such heartless times. When companies like Shopify layoff, even when performance is good[2]. Trust has been utterly destroyed. Even if probability is still pretty low I'll be impacted, I will know people impacted, it's simply hard to care about this company and what I'm building.

1 - https://hbr.org/2022/12/what-companies-still-get-wrong-about-layoffs

2 - https://www.cnbc.com/2023/05/04/shopify-cuts-20percent-of-its-workforce-shares-surge-on-earnings-beat.html

necovek 3 years ago |

It sounds mostly like a power grab from shareholders aimed at software engineers in particular.

Software engineers have started to dominate earnings, started to have an increasing say in work models (WFH, 4 day weeks...), and those in financial fields do not really love it.

I wonder what would happen if software engineers and developers started forming unions? We need collective bargaining agreements, we need to stand with one another, and threaten mass stoppage of work when we are threatened with measures not really coming out of a business need.

Our cushy jobs have never made it necessary to consider this, but current climate makes it obvious that change is coming.

What we can do about it is an open question, but all of these moves simply indicate to me of what power we DO have when companies want to rewrite the narrative how software engineers are expendable, right at the time when you can't get a toaster without some software in it. Basically, nothing to get unmotivated about, but rather a question of what action to take.

082349872349872 3 years ago | |

Having seen many of the recessions from the past half century, I suspect that the companies who currently believe software engineers are expendable will have no problem rediscovering the acquihire whenever their shareholders again wish to see growth.

necovek 3 years ago | | |

Sure, but today there's not even any recession going on, especially not at companies laying off thousands of employees. Basically, their financials are billions in the green for 2022.

throwawaysalome 3 years ago |

Try picking up the pieces after a massive hurricane when money can't buy a sudden scarcity of manual skill. Max Brooks captures this in World War Z when white collar workers become cannon fodder in the zombie apocalypse.

You spent your entire life training for a job that assumed a silicon goalpost. Don't be mad when society moves it.