6 ms·

A Twitter engineer who created cartoons poking fun at his own company was fired

76 points by jmuk 4y ago

yrgulation 4y ago
Twitter will be gone within a few years, or a shell of its former self.
- nly 4y ago
  I doubt it will take even that long. Gone by autumn 2023, and good riddance
- landemva 4y ago
  I will put some money on a wager that they increase revenue and profits and take it public again in a few years.
- Gigachad 4y ago
  That might be the greatest gift Elon could give to the world. We can only hope it triggers the collapse of social media as we know it.
  - midoridensha 4y ago
    I wish Elon could somehow buy TikTok and then fly that straight into the ground.
- hcarvalhoalves 4y ago
  Yes, please.
- smrtinsert 4y ago
  Only if it gets rid of bots
jleyank 4y ago
This is to be expected. Elon wants to say whatever he wants. He wants his friends and associates to be able to say what they want. The rest of you all... No, do as you're told. Note that he bought Twitter, not you.
- willcipriano 4y ago
  So business as usual at Twitter then? I still recall the chorus of the "private platform" folks, you can even go into my comments, I warned them this would be the outcome.
- shswkna 4y ago
  As an employer I expect, at the very least, that employees act in the interest of the company - 100% - while they are employed and at work. (Provided that they are healthy and take care of their own fundamental needs first) If they act in a way that is not in the company’s best interest repeatedly, then that is not a foundation for continuing the relationship. Would you stay in a relationship where your partner keeps doing things that irk you repeatedly at a fundamental level, just out of goodwill for your partner? No, you would separate because it is your choice to make. The employer-employee relationship is slightly different though in an important way: The employer has to set the direction and priorities for the company, not the employee.
  - nitwit005 4y ago
    If your partner is repeatedly doing something annoying, you'd tell them to stop, not immediately break up. Most companies seem to solicit feedback or suggestions from employees. Ignoring employees means ignoring everyone that actually knows what's going on.
fasthands9 4y ago
>He wrote that after he tweeted a cartoon last year, Twitter HR asked him to take it down, along with one he had posted internally. I do not understand the perceived right some people think they have to publicly harm the entity that is paying them. A private company is paying you to make them money and you accepted the role because you thought it was the most money you could make. If they decide that you have gone out of their way to create PR/money problems for them then of course they will/should let you go.
- landemva 4y ago
  > you thought it was the most money you could make. Maximum income is not my goal. Livable income, much free time, and minimal taxes is closer to where I would be if I was looking to work at all.
  - iLoveOncall 4y ago
    > Livable income, much free time, and minimal taxes This and "most money you can make" are synonymous. The most disposable income you can have per hour worked. That's it. That's what "maximum income" means.
    - landemva 4y ago
      According to your definition, my money number is zero. Also, many hourly workers refuse overtime due to the ramp on taxation after 40 hours.
      - mlyle 4y ago
        There's no ramp on taxation after 40 hours in any jurisdiction I'm aware of-- just a ramp on income tax based on amount earned. If you're making $800/week ($20/hour) and seeing withholding at 10%, the marginal withholding might be 20% on a step up to $950; on the other hand, you're getting time-and-a-half, so you still go from taking home $18/hour to $24/hour. (And, of course, for occasional overtime work, you're going to get a lot of the additional tax withholding back, since your uneven income causes you to be overwithheld).
deleted 4y ago
[deleted]
realgeniushere 4y ago
Self test for whether you’re full of it or not: if you think this was unjust, do you feel the same way about Google firing Damore? If not, why?
- bitmunk 4y ago
  Damore was (with a lot of benefit of the doubt) totally clueless. Sure, he'll talk about how he thinks that discrimination is bad, and how he doesn't approve of sexism. He turns around and says that women are just neurotic and "more people focused", based on suspect evidence. Of course you will point out that he was juts talking about the population, and reducing people top that is very bad mkay. He is totally not talking about the fine gals at Google! I could believe that he believes this, but the end result is that the 20% of Blind that is just misogynist assholes get more brazen. Manu (lightly!) criticized his company with lighthearted cartoons. Demore in practice called 30% of his coworkers neurotic weaklings.
  - ackfoobar 4y ago
    > are just neurotic His claim was that women on average score higher in neuroticism of the Big Five personality traits. Very different from "just neurotic". > suspect evidence The psychometric stuff seems pretty solid to me. Are you a science denier?
    - realgeniushere 4y ago
      There’s no reasoning with these people. They’re buck broken to the core.
comprev 4y ago
"Don't bite the hand which feeds you" It's not rocket science.
- pvaldes 4y ago
  I think that the work of this employee was to bite this hand. A company can have good reasons to allow it internally as a social control measure. Kings used jesters as a way out to break tense moments and fights between their subjects; also to read the social undercurrents and detect hits against them. The jester was also uniquely allowed a free card pass to transgress and jump over the rules. The fool jumping over the rules and providing comical relief reduces the desire to the rest of employees to break the same rules. They can fantasize about doing it, without actually doing it or suffering consequences. They can be also educated about the consequences as a moral of the history. The cons of the job is that if the king is demoted, the king's personal buffon became useless, and first candidate to exemplary beheading or, in this case, being fired.
- uni_rule 4y ago
  That's stupid. A blind lack of dissent can easily run a company willingly and enthusiastically off a cliff.
kakali 4y ago
This is the same person who did comics at Google. Their work was a highlight during my time there. Google even used their comics for basic employee training. I’m surprised folks say that we can’t be critical of own employer. Our employers are not lords or kings. We choose to work for them and can replace them.
- tssva 4y ago
  > I’m surprised folks say that we can’t be critical of own employer. Our employers are not lords or kings. No one is saying you can't be critical of your own employer. They are saying there are repercussions to being critical and loss of employment is a common one which should be expected. > We choose to work for them and can replace them. They choose to employ us and can replace us.
  - wildrhythms 4y ago
    I think it was clear the person you're replying to is saying that the repercussions for being critical toward your employer is what makes it effectively 'not allowed'.
  - chrisco255 4y ago
    > They choose to employ us and can replace us. It's really a mutual agreement, innit? The relative power in the situation is merely a supply / demand equation, for talent / jobs.
  - simplotek 4y ago
    > No one is saying you can't be critical of your own employer. They are saying there are repercussions to being critical and loss of employment is a common one which should be expected. Why do you feel that the expected outcome of being critical is being punished instead of addressing the root causes of these issues? I mean how do you expect problems to be pointed out and addressed?
    - metadat 4y ago
      Is the status quo today akin to the story of The Emperor's New Clothes?
sn0w_crash 4y ago
Publicly insulting the company you work for will lead to immediate termination almost anywhere. Not sure what the news is here.
hoono 4y ago
- PicassoCTs 4y ago
  If one got no skills, social ones may keep you afloat in any more complex hierarchical organization. And its part of the village psyche since the dawn of time. Having two plans, two bosses, two options or opinions, steers some deep dread instinctive fear of infighting and the tribe breaking apart in some. Its a retardation, but a understandable one, though those suffering from it, do subtract from whatever they are part.
- Jerrrry 4y ago
  youre so predictable, markov would be overkill.
mrlonglong 4y ago
Looks bad for Musk, firing someone like that.
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
aaron695 4y ago
manv1 4y ago
Do what you want, and your employer can do what they want. In some ideal dream world the management would just grin and move on. In another ideal dream world the employee would be part of the solution instead of taking potshots at management. In real life this person could be considered a toxic employee that sucks the life out of everyone. Fire them fast. If they don't like their environment they can find another one.
iLoveOncall 4y ago
> As Musk visited Twitter's San Francisco headquarters last week, Cornet handed him a cartoon with a note that read: "I hope you don't mind a 'court jester' at Twitter or you'll have to get me fired," signed with an emoji sticking his tongue out. Well, it wouldn't be much of a stretch to say he basically fired himself.
fragmede 4y ago
Memegen ftw

76 points by jmuk 4y ago

yrgulation 4y ago

Twitter will be gone within a few years, or a shell of its former self.

nly 4y ago
I doubt it will take even that long. Gone by autumn 2023, and good riddance
landemva 4y ago
I will put some money on a wager that they increase revenue and profits and take it public again in a few years.
Gigachad 4y ago
That might be the greatest gift Elon could give to the world. We can only hope it triggers the collapse of social media as we know it.
- midoridensha 4y ago
  I wish Elon could somehow buy TikTok and then fly that straight into the ground.
hcarvalhoalves 4y ago
Yes, please.
smrtinsert 4y ago
Only if it gets rid of bots

jleyank 4y ago

This is to be expected. Elon wants to say whatever he wants. He wants his friends and associates to be able to say what they want. The rest of you all... No, do as you're told. Note that he bought Twitter, not you.

willcipriano 4y ago
So business as usual at Twitter then? I still recall the chorus of the "private platform" folks, you can even go into my comments, I warned them this would be the outcome.
shswkna 4y ago
As an employer I expect, at the very least, that employees act in the interest of the company - 100% - while they are employed and at work. (Provided that they are healthy and take care of their own fundamental needs first) If they act in a way that is not in the company’s best interest repeatedly, then that is not a foundation for continuing the relationship. Would you stay in a relationship where your partner keeps doing things that irk you repeatedly at a fundamental level, just out of goodwill for your partner? No, you would separate because it is your choice to make. The employer-employee relationship is slightly different though in an important way: The employer has to set the direction and priorities for the company, not the employee.
- nitwit005 4y ago
  If your partner is repeatedly doing something annoying, you'd tell them to stop, not immediately break up. Most companies seem to solicit feedback or suggestions from employees. Ignoring employees means ignoring everyone that actually knows what's going on.

fasthands9 4y ago

>He wrote that after he tweeted a cartoon last year, Twitter HR asked him to take it down, along with one he had posted internally. I do not understand the perceived right some people think they have to publicly harm the entity that is paying them. A private company is paying you to make them money and you accepted the role because you thought it was the most money you could make. If they decide that you have gone out of their way to create PR/money problems for them then of course they will/should let you go.

landemva 4y ago
> you thought it was the most money you could make. Maximum income is not my goal. Livable income, much free time, and minimal taxes is closer to where I would be if I was looking to work at all.
- iLoveOncall 4y ago
  > Livable income, much free time, and minimal taxes This and "most money you can make" are synonymous. The most disposable income you can have per hour worked. That's it. That's what "maximum income" means.
  - landemva 4y ago
    According to your definition, my money number is zero. Also, many hourly workers refuse overtime due to the ramp on taxation after 40 hours.
    - mlyle 4y ago
      There's no ramp on taxation after 40 hours in any jurisdiction I'm aware of-- just a ramp on income tax based on amount earned. If you're making $800/week ($20/hour) and seeing withholding at 10%, the marginal withholding might be 20% on a step up to $950; on the other hand, you're getting time-and-a-half, so you still go from taking home $18/hour to $24/hour. (And, of course, for occasional overtime work, you're going to get a lot of the additional tax withholding back, since your uneven income causes you to be overwithheld).

deleted 4y ago

[deleted]

realgeniushere 4y ago

Self test for whether you’re full of it or not: if you think this was unjust, do you feel the same way about Google firing Damore? If not, why?

bitmunk 4y ago
Damore was (with a lot of benefit of the doubt) totally clueless. Sure, he'll talk about how he thinks that discrimination is bad, and how he doesn't approve of sexism. He turns around and says that women are just neurotic and "more people focused", based on suspect evidence. Of course you will point out that he was juts talking about the population, and reducing people top that is very bad mkay. He is totally not talking about the fine gals at Google! I could believe that he believes this, but the end result is that the 20% of Blind that is just misogynist assholes get more brazen. Manu (lightly!) criticized his company with lighthearted cartoons. Demore in practice called 30% of his coworkers neurotic weaklings.
- ackfoobar 4y ago
  > are just neurotic His claim was that women on average score higher in neuroticism of the Big Five personality traits. Very different from "just neurotic". > suspect evidence The psychometric stuff seems pretty solid to me. Are you a science denier?
  - realgeniushere 4y ago
    There’s no reasoning with these people. They’re buck broken to the core.

comprev 4y ago

"Don't bite the hand which feeds you" It's not rocket science.

pvaldes 4y ago
I think that the work of this employee was to bite this hand. A company can have good reasons to allow it internally as a social control measure. Kings used jesters as a way out to break tense moments and fights between their subjects; also to read the social undercurrents and detect hits against them. The jester was also uniquely allowed a free card pass to transgress and jump over the rules. The fool jumping over the rules and providing comical relief reduces the desire to the rest of employees to break the same rules. They can fantasize about doing it, without actually doing it or suffering consequences. They can be also educated about the consequences as a moral of the history. The cons of the job is that if the king is demoted, the king's personal buffon became useless, and first candidate to exemplary beheading or, in this case, being fired.
uni_rule 4y ago
That's stupid. A blind lack of dissent can easily run a company willingly and enthusiastically off a cliff.

kakali 4y ago

This is the same person who did comics at Google. Their work was a highlight during my time there. Google even used their comics for basic employee training. I’m surprised folks say that we can’t be critical of own employer. Our employers are not lords or kings. We choose to work for them and can replace them.

tssva 4y ago
> I’m surprised folks say that we can’t be critical of own employer. Our employers are not lords or kings. No one is saying you can't be critical of your own employer. They are saying there are repercussions to being critical and loss of employment is a common one which should be expected. > We choose to work for them and can replace them. They choose to employ us and can replace us.
- wildrhythms 4y ago
  I think it was clear the person you're replying to is saying that the repercussions for being critical toward your employer is what makes it effectively 'not allowed'.
- chrisco255 4y ago
  > They choose to employ us and can replace us. It's really a mutual agreement, innit? The relative power in the situation is merely a supply / demand equation, for talent / jobs.
- simplotek 4y ago
  > No one is saying you can't be critical of your own employer. They are saying there are repercussions to being critical and loss of employment is a common one which should be expected. Why do you feel that the expected outcome of being critical is being punished instead of addressing the root causes of these issues? I mean how do you expect problems to be pointed out and addressed?
  - metadat 4y ago
    Is the status quo today akin to the story of The Emperor's New Clothes?

sn0w_crash 4y ago

Publicly insulting the company you work for will lead to immediate termination almost anywhere. Not sure what the news is here.

hoono 4y ago

PicassoCTs 4y ago
If one got no skills, social ones may keep you afloat in any more complex hierarchical organization. And its part of the village psyche since the dawn of time. Having two plans, two bosses, two options or opinions, steers some deep dread instinctive fear of infighting and the tribe breaking apart in some. Its a retardation, but a understandable one, though those suffering from it, do subtract from whatever they are part.
Jerrrry 4y ago
youre so predictable, markov would be overkill.

mrlonglong 4y ago

Looks bad for Musk, firing someone like that.

deleted 4y ago
[deleted]

aaron695 4y ago

manv1 4y ago

Do what you want, and your employer can do what they want. In some ideal dream world the management would just grin and move on. In another ideal dream world the employee would be part of the solution instead of taking potshots at management. In real life this person could be considered a toxic employee that sucks the life out of everyone. Fire them fast. If they don't like their environment they can find another one.

iLoveOncall 4y ago

> As Musk visited Twitter's San Francisco headquarters last week, Cornet handed him a cartoon with a note that read: "I hope you don't mind a 'court jester' at Twitter or you'll have to get me fired," signed with an emoji sticking his tongue out. Well, it wouldn't be much of a stretch to say he basically fired himself.

fragmede 4y ago

Memegen ftw