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A layoff fundamentally changed how I perceive work

(mertbulan.com)
1041 points mertbio | 8 comments | 27 Jan 25 08:22 UTC | HN request time: 0.887s | source | bottom
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lm28469 ◴[27 Jan 25 09:30 UTC] No.42839108[source]▶
That's what happened during my first job almost 10 years ago. "we're different than other companies, we're family", "business is always personal", yadda yadda

Then one day out of nowhere "hey btw we're not going to renew your contract, we're nice so we give you an extra 10 days of vacation don't bother coming back tomorrow, oh and all your accesses have been revoked". At least I got the reality check right away, some people get that way down the line when their whole persona has already been built around their job

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1. zwnow ◴[27 Jan 25 10:28 UTC] No.42839472[source]▶
I dont get it, everyone wants to work for big tech or big corporations in general and then wonder why they do stuff like this.

Go to small companies, yes they pay less but also yes: you will have real impact and they actually need you.

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2. n_ary ◴[27 Jan 25 11:15 UTC] No.42839787[source]▶
Nah, small companies are burnout mills. Early in my career, I had explicitly worked on small companies and 4/4 times screwed over. Immediately when the big work is done and investments(or major profits) are in, suddenly the management starts replacing everyone with expensive consultants or their best chums from some failed business somewhere and starts strategic push out by stagnating.

While my experience can be rare/unique, at least at Medium/BigCo, my soul burning gets compensated, small ones are just “we are like family right?” and then push out once technical/financial growth starts rearing its head.

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3. JTyQZSnP3cQGa8B ◴[27 Jan 25 11:27 UTC] No.42839877[source]▶
I’ve worked for the smallest startups (2 employees) to the biggest company (100k employees).

Everything can bring you burnout if the management is toxic. It’s independent on the size of the company. I’m now working for a small company that feels like a family even if they don’t say it.

4. ghaff ◴[27 Jan 25 12:58 UTC] No.42840655[source]▶
Small companies can have their own problems. They may only somewhat overlap with the problems at big companies--although both need to make money at the end of the day. But they're far from a panacea.
5. klooney ◴[27 Jan 25 13:29 UTC] No.42840925[source]▶
Big companies can double your compensation though, it's a tradeoff.
6. caseyy ◴[27 Jan 25 14:08 UTC] No.42841271[source]▶
I also thought that small companies are better in that regard. But no, they often have their own toxic idiosyncrasies, like when a little power goes too much to the management’s heads. A small company that’s YOURS is better and actually needs you.
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7. zwnow ◴[27 Jan 25 14:43 UTC] No.42841605[source]▶
Maybe its different in Europe due to workers rights? Never had bad experience in small companies but plenty in corps.
8. scarface_74 ◴[27 Jan 25 23:08 UTC] No.42846866[source]▶
I worked at mostly small companies and had one 3.5 year stint at BigTech.

“pay less” is an understatement. Top of band for most Big enterprise companies or smaller companies is about the same that a new college grad gets at BigTech.

While I would rather get a daily anal probe with a cactus than go back to BigTech at 50, if I were young and unencumbered instead of a 50 year old empty nester, I would make the trade off in a heart beat