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209 points htrp | 4 comments | | HN request time: 0.001s | source
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idkwhattocallme ◴[] No.44444622[source]
For the most part, I'm indifferent to layoffs. Companies over hire and then course correct. It's part of the game. But for MSFT, it rubs me the wrong way. In the past 5 years, their stock has soared (150% on stock and doubled in valuation). They are insanely profitable ($82B profit). They are diverse (no existential business risk). The fact that they are unceremoniously laying off 30K of the people that helped them get there drives home it's just a paycheck, do your job, but know it can and will end when convenient for the company. I know folks will argue, low performers, but really. This "productivity apps" company hired them, onboarded them, made $82B in profit, surely they can figure out how to uplevel folks. Also how do you have a layoff every couple of months for 3 years. Thinking about the middle class in the previous generation, it was unions that effectively ensured a labor job meant a secure future. I wonder if that's the solution (again).
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wonderwonder ◴[] No.44445705[source]
The issue is they are laying off US workers and then importing Indian workers to replace them via 3rd party contractors. I saw a post on X today which essentially said "Ai will not replace your job, an Indian with Ai will replace your job" - this was posted by an Indian and he was completely right. Microsoft is actively laying off people with 150k salaries and replacing them with offshore workers earning a 10th of the salary.

At the same time our politicians appear to be looking everywhere for a solution to increasing US jobs except for right where the issue is. Everyone else sees it but our politicians are willfully blind.

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1. darth_avocado ◴[] No.44446734[source]
> Microsoft is actively laying off people with 150k salaries and replacing them with offshore workers earning a 10th of the salary.

I know the talking points on HN like to portray Indian developers as cheap, low quality labor, but contrary to popular belief, they aren’t getting workers for $15k. A Median senior developer earns almost $90k in India in Microsoft.

https://www.levels.fyi/companies/microsoft/salaries/software...

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2. wonderwonder ◴[] No.44447674[source]
To be clear, I never painted indian devs as low quality. Many of the ones I work with are very smart, skilled people
3. WillPostForFood ◴[] No.44450236[source]
You can see the Microsoft H1B Software Engineer salaries at the HQ in Redmond.

https://h1bdata.info/index.php?em=microsoft&job=software+eng...

What do you think the salary would be for a US employee that those $101k H1B Software Engineers replaced? They obviously aren't saving 90%, but maybe 50% 33%?

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4. timtom123 ◴[] No.44451205[source]
It isn't just the $ savings. It is indentured servitude. I have more than one friend that quit the day they got their green card.