Ep13. Tech Layoff

Eng Cafe

这一期我们几位硅谷程序员讨论各自对近期科技行业大规模裁员的观察，看法和个人的应对措施。

Notes

• [00:00] Guest intro.
• [02:00] Layoff stories.
• [16:45] Reasons, patterns, signals of a layoff.
  • https://news.shopify.com/changes-to-shopifys-team: We bet that the channel mix - the share of dollars that travel through ecommerce rather than physical retail - would permanently leap ahead by 5 or even 10 years. It’s now clear that bet didn’t pay off.
  • https://blog.google/inside-google/message-ceo/january-update/: Ensure that our people and roles are aligned with our highest priorities as a company.
  • https://techcrunch.com/2022/12/08/airtable-layoffs/: We’ve identified the teams best positioned to capture the opportunity in enterprise in order to bring complete focus, alignment and accountability in our execution.
• [23:28] What explains recent tech layoffs, and why should we be worried? - Research says layoff does not reduce cost.
• [24:10] Reason for layoff and hiring at the same time.
• [25:40] Cash reserve != lower layoff probability
• [27:00] Prioritize growth when money is cheap; prioritize “rule of 40” in today’s world.
• [28:35] Layoff patterns at team level. You don’t know the truth of the “algorithm”. Decisions happen at Director+, even SVP level. Line managers and skip managers don’t have the layoff list. Data collection before executing the layoff.
• [33:25] Meta vs Google layoff strategy difference.
• [36:05] Avoid taking on risky projects.
• [37:20] Survival tips for individual contributors
  • Layoffs are random. Always have a backup plan.
  • Business critical team; performance evaluation.
  • Importance of organizational visibility.
  • Be mentally prepared.
  • Do enough people work.
  • Follow the trend.
• [48:00] Macro tech industry trend.
• [52:08] Ending words.

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