Watching Elon gaslight current and former Twitter employees in the public square, I couldn’t help but wonder if any engineers would actually work for this guy going forward and why?
It's crazy to me that our profession fights unionization despite repeated, predictable and consistent anti-worker, antisocial, narcissistic, ego driven companies that grind us up and spit us out
Giving someone unvested RSUs with no voting rights, in third class stock isn't meaningful.
Being employee 10 of $tartup doesn't matter anymore, because the company raised their D round in a down round which wiped out every Angel Investor and any common stock holders. Luckily the new Saudi backed VC fund that did the round is going to make sure that the CEO is doing their "most important job" of serving the Board and protecting investors over the expendable employees
The capital class couldn't care less about you the person writing code or managing a team or building pipelines or maintaining dbs.
Am I the only one that remembers Office Space?
If all the legends about him were true (superhuman BS detector, genius level IQ, laser sharp focus) I'd be happy to be part of the team.
Unfortunately, I think his main talent is the uncanny ability to overhype himself.
He is lucky that a side effect of this ability helped him hire and motivate really good engineers.
Thay might not be sufficient in the long run, the vaporware bubble will pop at some point.
I find a lot of joy in working on challenging problems without having to deal with bureaucracy bullshit. I have a feeling that Elon likes to foster this kind of environment in his places of employment.
On the other hand, I don't know if I'm good enough for such standards. But if Elon wanted to hire me, I'd definitely say yes.
This happened last night:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/11/16/musk-tw...
At this point he’s just actively looking to surround himself with fawning fans and yes men exclusively.
But if he did I would have no problem. I see employment as a transactional situation and don’t make it my life or a political crusade. I’ve also heard Elon overpays high performers which keeps them loyal.
I also agree with firing people who are posting messages about hating their job / boss / strategy. Why do you want toxic people around your org? If they don’t quit voluntarily then you have to get rid of them.
Long answer: fuck, no.
Longer answer: Even if he wasn't the big douche he is, I don't like his work philosophy and the kind of workplace that he seems to build, and I don't share his beliefs that they are necessary to build great things.
Isn’t it pretty clear that he’s super unstable and spiraling quickly? He was forced to buy Twitter because his history of stock market manipulation blew a 420 joke out of proportion, and now he’s worrying about bankruptcy and rolling out features that crash and burn within 24h. Not to mention the many, many reports of the toxic culture at Twitter rn. I mean… as a software engineer one of the things I value most is working for a company that isn’t going to implode and make my stock compensation worthless
And while he finds criticism from his employees unacceptable [1], he has no reservations against casually disparaging his entire team in public: "Starlink is rebuilding the Internet in space, so maybe I know slightly more than some guy who wrote code for a website" [2] Remember, he's referring to his own website here, and suggesting that he understands Twitter's infrastructure better than its own engineers because he owns Starlink. The narcissism on display is astounding.
There is nothing I would learn under Musk that I wouldn't be able to learn elsewhere without the toxic environment and the burden of having to walk on eggshells around a fragile CEO.
[1] https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2022/11/musk-fires-twitt...
[2] https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1592564281698299904
[3] https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2022/11/musk-ignored-twi...
He's fired half the team, he's making radical changes very quickly, he's requiring long hours, and likely any new employee needs to figure out how to do their job on their own because it seems he fired people without much thought and so it's very possible that the people who know how stuff works are gone or too busy to help.
Meanwhile, revenue seems to be going down, and the perception is that it may all go down the drain.
That seems a very un-fun situation to be in, with very little to gain or learn from it.
Now, if he somehow left or sold the company to somebody else, then trying to pick up the pieces afterwards might be an interesting challenge, assuming the new management is supportive.
I’m finding Elon’s style to lack any unique quality aside from being horribly extractive, relying on a toxic relationship with his workers that primarily benefits him.
Also he has a value system that seems horribly dated and more the result of his upbringing as a child of a massively wealthy family who never had to struggled with basic needs.
Overall, I don’t buy into why anyone would look to work for Elon unless they buy into the propaganda about how his latest personal investment will “save the planet.”
Hard pass
My priorities shifted to creating a more stable environment at home while my kids are growing up though. Consistent hours, not missing their activities and events, etc.
I don't have any issues with working long hours towards a big challenge, I just value my time with my kids more.
Back in the 90's, it was exhilarating, and he made you feel like you were an important person working on important things for an important company.
To give you an idea of what this company was like, the employee sexual harassment manual came in a huge white three-ring binder. The binder contained a single page, with a single sentence: "Use your common sense." Each employee had to sign the bottom of the page and return it to HR.
The CEO's personal stationery had a monogram of a butt on it.
Looking back, that feeling of invincibility and righteousness was probably just the CEO exploiting the youthful optimism of employees like me.
I wouldn't do it again. It's exhausting, and hollow. I'm a better person today than I was then.
However tf I was critically motivated by a subject (think some device that would save my life or a relative) and I was ready to put in the hours, and he was CEO of a compagny contributing to this project, yes of course. He has a track record of building companies who succeed in crazy projects. (SpaceX would be a sufficient example of it).
And no, I would not mind working for a super authoritarian guy considering, precisely, that he's unapologetic of it. At least it's the "devil you know". It's better that compagnies that pretend to care for you but will fire you without a second thought if they feel they need it.
All that said, yes, I would if the pay was right XD
Project a future where his operational style is normalized, and if you can't see the dystopian hellscape that results, then most likely you think you'd be one of the elites in that world so you're ignoring it, or you don't care so are part of that particular problem.
Uh, "No".
As for the hardcore long-hour expectations, who’s supposed to be raising the employees’ children? A nanny plus occasional weekend facetime?
If my manager started shit-talking my colleagues in a public forum, I would resign in solidarity. That behaviour isn't acceptable and as the labor force that enables it, we shouldn't encourage it by not participating.
Sure, it's a free market. He's gonna get the people who want to work in that environment. I'd rather stick pins in my eyes.
Everybody draws their lines in different places, but he's far on the other side of mine.
Here's a identical Poll : https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33623212
For ethers: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21231804
Not due to any political or moral stance, or even because I don't particularly like the turn his personality seems to have taken over the last few years. But just because the man seems to expect tireless 80 hour a week workers, and I'm not interested.
I'll take my 36-40 hour weeks for half the pay and smile all the way to the bank.
As for the public firings of Twitter employees - I think it's a bad look for both sides. Elon comes off as an insecure and vindictive douche, and the employees who seem surprised when their public dissing of the company they work for results in firing come off as naive and vaguely stupid.
No win situation really. It should not be a surprise to people that public criticism of your employer can and does get you fired. I won't take a stance on whether that's right or wrong, but it's the game we're all playing.
As an employee you are not a samouraï ready to die for your daimyo.
If you don't have a life beyond your job, you are basically ready for your next burn out.
These Billionaires might commit 100% of their time to their company, but it is for their personal gain. On the other hand, as an employee, you will never really earn more than what was contractually signed on your contract, when they will tremendously benefit from your work, your creativity and your intelligence.
You state that he is gaslighting as if it is a fact. I'm no Elon Stan. What I see is someone walking into an incredibly disorganized organization and creating the necessary chaos needed to shake out the entrenched grifters and groupthink. He may very well fail, but it's a breath of fresh air to see someone shaking up the status quo in a very public manner.
1. You're typically working on small teams with some wickedly smart people around you. Very, very few dummies or under performers at his companies. Definitely a community feel where you know everyone in the spheres around you. Also, everyone wants to help you, and so you tend to respond in the same way back to others.
2. You get to question everything, and the first answer is often not the right answer but you have to actually use your brain to get to the right answer. No inactive listening, even when you're getting feedback or asks from execs.
3. You know what the North Star is, and you're laser focused on it. If what you're working on doesn't build toward that mission, you're encouraged to speak up and question it, no matter where you are in the company. There are generally no rules for who you can and can't talk to.
4. He pays the most attention when things aren't going so well. If you and your team keep a tight ship, keep up with the (fun) timelines, communicate out well, and grow and learn appropriately, things will tend to go smoothly. Not always true, but it tends to be.
--
The Twitter situation totally sucks, and I empathize with everyone impacted, but I think Elon is working to bring the style that is proven to work for SpaceX and Tesla over to Twitter. There are definitely growing pains to switch to this model.
If you believe in the stated missions of each company, and think your work will do a net good for yourself and others, then it's a no brainer to want to work there.
One of the most important parts of being an engineer of any kind is being able to discuss the pros and cons of solutions. Working for a man that seems like he'd get angry and fire you if you challenged whatever idea comes off the top of his head sounds miserable.
I know from experience that working long hours solves problems in short term only and it only creates more problems at all levels in the long term.
If I was a fresh graduate with a chance to work for him, then perhaps ’Yes’ but then again I will convince my younger self to work for myself instead; start a youtube channel or company just like he did.
But get back to his Tesla days when he was small and meaningless. The guy hustled and had everyone else hustle like they were still in college trying to make a big name for themselves.
I think back then he actually listened to his employees and they listened to him. That is not so much the case now. He fires first and asks questions later.
If Elon is getting rid of those people, more power to him.
Kind of like Milton from Office Space (but not a complete deadbeat) doing something barely useful like "I make sure all printers have paper and help organize the yearly company getaway".
Oh boy, imagine actually retiring from a job like this, :).
But yeah they’d need to pay at least twice as much as the company across the street.
And I end my work day at 5pm sharp every day, and work from home.
I also understand why someone might not want to work for Elon. Work isn't everything and if you want to prioritize family/hobbies over work, there's nothing wrong with it.
If you are compensated in shares, then the strategic direction of the company is a valid thing to look at. I'm not sure this applies to Twitter anymore as I don't think employees are still paid with shares.
You also have to factor in the corporate culture - it should be fun. It seems pretty unhealthy at Twitter at the moment. The current drama will blow over, of course, but I think you can get a good idea of toxicity in the specific group you'll work in if you ask the right questions during the interview.
...but bottom line is, if you're obsessed with either loving or hating Elon Musk personally, then no, don't go work for Twitter. If you cannot keep your emotions out of your work, then don't put yourself in a workplace that will constantly trigger you.
On the other hand, if the role is a good opportunity (salary/career), the group you're going to work for is also full of adults, and you can separate your emotional twelve-year-old self from company drama, then go for it.
As I am right now with more responsibilities on my the shoulders and need for stability in my life absolutely not.
edit: oh, and if you have stock appreciation that Elon deems to be too much he fires you
- Most companies are deceptive.
- Musk is truly a visionary.
- When the dust settles, Musk's companies will probably be professional environments and highly profitable.
If I were to work for Elon, twitter would be his company that I’m least interested in.
I actually looked up to him before he started going downhill in the last few years. I thought, “Maybe I would work for SpaceX for a few year as long as I had a plan to get out.” I knew it would be hard but possibly rewarding enough. But after it seems like he sort of crystallized (at least publicly) on work culture (no WFH, people must be hardcore), frankly toxic personality (lashing out on Twitter, etc), and seemingly not knowing what the hell he is doing (incredibly naive views on running a social media platform and moderation, managing Twitter via fear and his own paranoia — firing people who disagree), I would not touch a job with him anywhere in chain or close to it.
I have to wonder if something happened to the guy or if he was always like this. Like, we’ve seen a few famous people go from themselves to essentially an evil caricature of themselves recently. Not that they weren’t somewhat objectionable (to me) before, but the objectionable bits got cranked up 100x. Trump, Kanye come to mind. Kanye obviously has some health issues. Is it mental health? Just getting older? Some sort of conservative/paranoia-fueled “mind virus”? That sounds silly, but there’s such a pattern and resemblance to “having your parents get stuck on conservative news” which is so common.
Both Spacex and Tesla consistently rank as most desired workplaces for real engineers (as opposed to combucha drinking twitter employees w/e), fact is most of the readers here wouldn't even make it (me included)
Honestly speaking lots of bosses you would meet, are far worse than Elon Musk can even be. I've worked under all sorts. The kind of bosses who keep office pets(and give all the rewards/money to them), the kind of ones that run political cartels, the kind of ones that are bigoted and discriminate, the kind of one's that harass employees for all sorts of reasons, the kind of one's that are narcissistic, that kind one's that bully you, the kind of one's that resent your success, the kind of one's that hire-to-fire etc etc.
Working for somebody like Musk, who have a public face of zealousness towards their life's work, but can also be a little eccentric is really least of my worries and would be a best case scenario given the garden variety boss I could randomly work for.
That is, you should have something to gain from being seen and used as a tool and not care about the consequences of enabling the success of such leaders or businesses, respectively.
Working in small teams with talented people focused on a goal while always having the ear of someone in charge is not unique to Elon. He himself has just had the means both in talent and financially to recognize the needs of a market where the established supply was unwilling to give up its control.
The job better come with a premium for the foreseeable job instability though.
Musk also seems to demand his employee to devote their entire waking hour to the job and be constantly switching contexts to handle different tasks. Some people excel at that but not me, so I probably won't meet the bar.
I would love to work for him for a coupe years, had I trusted my mental fortitude more.
Consider the difference between...
"Would you actually support an addled-brained radical leftist like Joe Biden if he ran for President in 2024?"
"Would you support Joe Biden if he ran for President in 2024?"
The latter would elicit more honest answers than the former.
Elon Musk actually makes people excited for the future. He hasn't delivered on everything but he has delivered some pretty massive things that I don't think anyone else alive today could have. Or even would have.
He's an extreme optimist and working for a better future.
> Like Donald Trump, But For Nerds
A big part of being a business owner is that you fall on the spectrum of being an asshole. A little bit or a lot.
It takes being an asshole to do large things. And people end up hating you for it.
The bigger things you do, the bigger of an asshole you end up being.
Quick, name me the leader of a large company who is not an asshole…
And if they are not publicly one, privately they are.
The traits of a leader requires that at least half of the people you are leading will disagree with you.
So yes, why not? I would be an employee hired to do whatever would be needed.
Shift levers. Pound sand. Write code.
And since it is a free country, I would negotiate or accept a wage that I think is good for me and my family.
Or find another job.
There are _far_ worse people to work for. These people normally don't get any publicity, but there really are some absolutely terrible places to work. The worst people don't fire you, they make it impossible for you to leave and punish you every day.
People are looking at the Twitter employees and judging him by this, but it's not a secret that Twitter employees (old and current) are actively trying to sabotage him. Imagine shit-talking your own CEO on the platform you develop. I would fire these people on the spot too, and I wouldn't hire those people elsewhere. The proper way to correct your boss is through internal channels, politely, through management.
The people I would like to speak to is the Tesla or SpaceX engineers. He clearly has built out the teams he wants to see there that he trusts, and I would be interested to hear how they rate their work culture.
Twitter will continue to be an awful place to work for a while anyway, Musk is quickly trying to spin it to stop the extreme bleeding of cash. Twitter employees scaring advertisers signed their own firing. He is not lying that Twitter will die unless they can at least break even ASAP.
Twitter is unprofitable. People working there come off as lazy and entitled. They openly attack Elon, not contributing anything tangible except "rich man evil, worker good". Previous management wasted investor's money. Culture born in Twitter is awful, it's as if no one is proud of their work and low performers are loud and toxic.
I have no problem with Elon's stance, I don't even view him as narcissist like some have labelled him. I'd fire every single unproductive, toxic person I see and I'd want to work with people who are objective, who are there to be proud of their work and who genuinely like what they're doing.
I'm fed up with impostors posing as engineers, using the platform to blatantly attack and bear no responsibility of their own.
Elon's not someone who'll fire a person who is good at what they do.
Openly attacking the owner and boss, knowing it can only be net negative for both of you is downright STUPID and trusting people who were bad at their job (because money trail proves it) just to have a reason to hate on Elon is not even stupid, it's evil.