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The amount of remote worker angst in these comments is pretty ridiculous. Yishan has seemed reasonable enough and has come to terms with the fact that some part

The amount of remote worker angst in these comments is pretty ridiculous. Yishan has seemed reasonable enough and has come to terms with the fact that some parts of Reddit's operations aren't being run how they should be. Saying 'fuck reddit' for a reasonable business maneuver is pretty out of line. Reddit had remote people other than just developers, managing those relationships remotely may have been part of the issue.

schwap 12y ago
Sorry, but from personal experience relocation is, indeed, a "shit sandwich", no matter how "generous" the relocation package.
- FLUX-YOU 12y ago
  Unless you live alone and have nothing holding you down. I would take a relo package in a heartbeat at my current company, but I'm probably in the minority with my circumstances.
- fernandotakai 12y ago
  specially when we are talking about moving to SF, one of the most expensive cities in the US. even 20% more salary won't cover the cost of living there.
ryanSrich 12y ago
> reasonable enough Sorry but _how in the fuck_ is forcing your employees and their families to relocate to the most expensive city in the US reasonable enough? > a reasonable business maneuver is pretty out of line How? They haven't said a word in regards to how this move is going to improve their business.
- bhahn 12y ago
  Huh? Reddit isn't forcing anyone to move to sf. Remote workers have the option to stay where they are and receive 3 months severance on top of that, which is awfully generous. If any side is losing out, it's Reddit because they're shrinking their talent pool.
  - ryanSrich 12y ago
    That's a pretty pedantic comment. Are you saying that "move to sf or gtfo" isn't forcing? Of course they're not tying people up and trucking them off to SOMA.
    - bhahn 12y ago
      The way in which you were using "force" implied there was a good option and a bad option. My point was that the implied "bad option" you are implying is relatively good -- 4 months of time to decide + 3 months of severance. Obviously not having to make the choice in the first place would have been the best, but it could have been a lot worse.
  - mikeash 12y ago
    It's kind of amazing what a good spin people are able to put on "move or you're fired." Yeah, three months' severance is pretty nice, but it's still ultimately "move or you're fired." These people probably thought they had job security yesterday, and today they have to find a new job. It's basically a big round of layoffs. Sometimes that's necessary, but angst is standard and expected when it happens.
jnbiche 12y ago
Sorry, it's not the lack of remote work, it's the way that Reddit's current employees are being treated. First, given 2 weeks to up and move to SF with an effective pay cut, and only bending that when there was an uproar. It's pretty shitty behavior, and pretty clear that this was part of the VC deal. I'm pretty disgusted. EDIT: I see below that sama says he didn't require it, and I believe him. My apologies to sama for jumping to conclusions. At the same time, I still think it's a shitty move by yishan, particularly the 2-week thing.
- icelancer 12y ago
  There is a HUGE difference between sama and VCs saying "We didn't require it" and the reality which is almost CERTAINLY this: "We strongly preferred it."
briandear 12y ago
The problem isn't geography, it's management. And the question becomes, why San Fran? Why burn through that $50mil in a week? It's an arrogance move. San Francisco isn't the center of the world. Why not relocate to a low tax state, perhaps Austin? It's just nonsense to suggest that 'remote isn't working;' it's obviously working well enough that Reddit was able to raise 50 mil.

schwap 12y ago

Sorry, but from personal experience relocation is, indeed, a "shit sandwich", no matter how "generous" the relocation package.

FLUX-YOU 12y ago
Unless you live alone and have nothing holding you down. I would take a relo package in a heartbeat at my current company, but I'm probably in the minority with my circumstances.
fernandotakai 12y ago
specially when we are talking about moving to SF, one of the most expensive cities in the US. even 20% more salary won't cover the cost of living there.

ryanSrich 12y ago

> reasonable enough Sorry but _how in the fuck_ is forcing your employees and their families to relocate to the most expensive city in the US reasonable enough? > a reasonable business maneuver is pretty out of line How? They haven't said a word in regards to how this move is going to improve their business.

bhahn 12y ago
Huh? Reddit isn't forcing anyone to move to sf. Remote workers have the option to stay where they are and receive 3 months severance on top of that, which is awfully generous. If any side is losing out, it's Reddit because they're shrinking their talent pool.
- ryanSrich 12y ago
  That's a pretty pedantic comment. Are you saying that "move to sf or gtfo" isn't forcing? Of course they're not tying people up and trucking them off to SOMA.
  - bhahn 12y ago
    The way in which you were using "force" implied there was a good option and a bad option. My point was that the implied "bad option" you are implying is relatively good -- 4 months of time to decide + 3 months of severance. Obviously not having to make the choice in the first place would have been the best, but it could have been a lot worse.
- mikeash 12y ago
  It's kind of amazing what a good spin people are able to put on "move or you're fired." Yeah, three months' severance is pretty nice, but it's still ultimately "move or you're fired." These people probably thought they had job security yesterday, and today they have to find a new job. It's basically a big round of layoffs. Sometimes that's necessary, but angst is standard and expected when it happens.

jnbiche 12y ago

Sorry, it's not the lack of remote work, it's the way that Reddit's current employees are being treated. First, given 2 weeks to up and move to SF with an effective pay cut, and only bending that when there was an uproar. It's pretty shitty behavior, and pretty clear that this was part of the VC deal. I'm pretty disgusted. EDIT: I see below that sama says he didn't require it, and I believe him. My apologies to sama for jumping to conclusions. At the same time, I still think it's a shitty move by yishan, particularly the 2-week thing.

icelancer 12y ago
There is a HUGE difference between sama and VCs saying "We didn't require it" and the reality which is almost CERTAINLY this: "We strongly preferred it."

briandear 12y ago

The problem isn't geography, it's management. And the question becomes, why San Fran? Why burn through that $50mil in a week? It's an arrogance move. San Francisco isn't the center of the world. Why not relocate to a low tax state, perhaps Austin? It's just nonsense to suggest that 'remote isn't working;' it's obviously working well enough that Reddit was able to raise 50 mil.