this post was submitted on 25 Oct 2024
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2024 has seen two mass layoffs at Microsoft, with 1900 staff laid off in January, before a further 650 Xbox employees were shown the door in September.

Regardless, Microsoft's shares are up and the company's market value is now higher than $3tn, as it works to capitalise on the rise of AI.

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[–] Default_Defect@midwest.social 11 points 1 hour ago

Because of layoffs, not despite them.

[–] interurbain1er@sh.itjust.works 1 points 6 minutes ago

In case you missed it, in our broken model of civilization a CEO's only responsibility is to increase value for shareholder. Not to clients, not to employees, not to the biosphere.

Market cap increased, job's done successfully.

[–] independantiste@sh.itjust.works 1 points 31 minutes ago* (last edited 26 minutes ago)

The entire point of AI as it stands right now is to allow more of those layoffs. Anyone telling otherwise is a liar.

Also I hate how currently, AI is used to remove the fun parts of creating things at a computer. Take coding for example, I think I can speak for many people when I say that the fun part of their job, is not the planning or the meetings, it's the actual coding and stumbling upon a hard problem to solve. Now with AI you the human will only keep the boring parts of the job!

[–] FlashMobOfOne@lemmy.world 43 points 3 hours ago (2 children)

When I entered the work force in 2005, it was with a company that had never had a layoff in its thirty-year history.

Then, in 2009, they had their first layoff, and I learned later our CEO had taken an 80% pay raise that year.

Taxes aren't theft. Literally firing people and taking their salaries is theft.

[–] FlashMobOfOne@lemmy.world 17 points 3 hours ago

Also that CEO has an eminently punchable face.

[–] HotsauceHurricane@lemmy.one 4 points 2 hours ago

“Look timmy, it’s a man made entirely of bullshit”

[–] card797@champserver.net 9 points 3 hours ago

They should be paying 90% tax over 1 million.

[–] ShaggySnacks@lemmy.myserv.one 7 points 3 hours ago* (last edited 3 hours ago)

Thank god, all these employees lost their jobs so Satya Nadella can pad out their already insanely high salary.

We don't want Satya to starve like the rest us of plebs!

[–] Gammelfisch@lemmy.world 20 points 5 hours ago (1 children)

Typical and most people in the US view CEO's as heroes. US income distribution is on the same level as fucking Russia.

[–] rottingleaf@lemmy.world 9 points 3 hours ago

As someone from fucking Russia, people with biggest income in your country are usually first businessmen, second - something else, while in Russia those would be cockroaches from MFA, PA and other thieves, plus a few oligarchs who at some point were among those cockroaches.

So it may not be as bad yet, but frankly yes, you are giving out vibes of going in the same direction.

[–] Etterra@lemmy.world 11 points 5 hours ago

Pretty standard issue corporate psychopath.

[–] bamfic@lemmy.world 11 points 5 hours ago

An old friend was one of the people who got laid off in January. Fuck MSFT.

[–] ysjet@lemmy.world 52 points 9 hours ago (1 children)

He made $12000 off each fired employee.

[–] P1nkman@lemmy.world 31 points 9 hours ago

Per year. And lets not talk about his stock options and other benefits... Fucking disgusting.

[–] scarabic@lemmy.world 21 points 8 hours ago

CEO = SIC: Shareholder in Chief

[–] sunbeam60@lemmy.one 31 points 10 hours ago (2 children)

The board doesn’t care about the number of people employed. They care about the current profitability and future profitability.

Of course that’s their job; to look after shareholder interests. And the money would move to a better investment if they didn’t.

It’s the whole system you need to change, if you seek change, not moan about an individual CEO.

[–] theacharnian@lemmy.ca 13 points 7 hours ago (3 children)

That's why Mitbestimmungsgesetz can be goddamn fucking awesome.

[–] rottingleaf@lemmy.world 1 points 2 hours ago

That would be awesome, but would have limited results if there are still a few enormous companies with patent and IP laws preventing competition.

You can't have that eternal fight between democratic egalitarian monopoly and competitive jungle. The whole point of civilization is to have both representation and competition.

[–] InverseParallax@lemmy.world 4 points 5 hours ago

That would literally change everything for the better.

[–] Lizardking13@lemmy.world 4 points 7 hours ago

I've never heard of that. That's a cool idea.

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[–] octopus_ink@lemmy.ml 133 points 13 hours ago
[–] RagingHungryPanda@lemm.ee 58 points 12 hours ago* (last edited 12 hours ago) (1 children)

Headline confused "despite" and "due to"

[–] pyre@lemmy.world 4 points 9 hours ago

yeah lol what do they think is happening here

[–] AshMan85@lemmy.world 18 points 10 hours ago

Regulate monopolies. Eat the rich.

[–] NOT_RICK@lemmy.world 76 points 13 hours ago (4 children)

That’s roughly 30k for every employee laid off

[–] theneverfox@pawb.social 1 points 1 hour ago

So the CEO gets less than half their salary for the year?

Sounds like a great deal for the company. Until, you know, the whole thing collapses because they laid off the workers who kept the whole thing running

[–] NRay7882@lemmy.world 1 points 3 hours ago

That's some real bald-headed behavior if you ask me.

[–] Telodzrum@lemmy.world 26 points 13 hours ago

Sounds like an easy sell to the board, then. It it's that much of a net positive in economics.

[–] weew@lemmy.ca 10 points 11 hours ago* (last edited 11 hours ago)

If they were software engineers, they saved $200,000+ per person laid off

That's how he makes dem big bux, by telling other people to fuck off

[–] unmagical@lemmy.ml 46 points 13 hours ago (9 children)

When was the last time you got a 63% raise?

[–] eager_eagle@lemmy.world 6 points 5 hours ago

70% workload raise

[–] scarabic@lemmy.world 6 points 8 hours ago (1 children)

Well his compensation is tied to the stock price so it’s not exactly a “raise.” My employer’s stock is near an all time high right now so I’m not complaining about how much I made from the shares I sold, but neither do I consider it a “raise” because it’s not guaranteed to be the same next year.

[–] ChickenLadyLovesLife@lemmy.world 6 points 8 hours ago (1 children)

At my last company, they usually gave end-of-the-year bonuses instead of raises. They were pretty generous, usually amounting to about half of our annual salaries, but it of course prevented us from being guaranteed that level of compensation the following year. That's why I always describe bonuses as raises followed by pay cuts.

[–] scarabic@lemmy.world 2 points 7 hours ago

Yeah pretty much. Everything about it is a hedge. They can pay less if their numbers tell them to. They can lay you off and not give you anything. They can make more cash disappear if they have to. It’s the squirrelliest shit yet they cast it like a gift from god.

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[–] YurkshireLad@lemmy.ca 15 points 11 hours ago (2 children)

His salary increase must be inversely proportional to the quality increase in Windows 11.

[–] lando55@lemmy.world 2 points 6 hours ago

You're saying he deserves more?!

[–] pressanykeynow@lemmy.world 1 points 6 hours ago

Well Windows wasn't an important Microsoft product for like 15 years now. It's been like 7 years when Microsoft is a company mostly selling cloud Linux services. Ridiculous I know, but that's from their yearly financial reports. It seems their plan is to cash out Windows as fast as possible before dropping it.

[–] sgibson5150 29 points 13 hours ago
[–] Diplomjodler3@lemmy.world 22 points 12 hours ago (1 children)
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