(no subject)

[chipotle]

When I got back from lunch today, I was told four people had been laid off from NetPoodles, including the remaining technical writer, sales person and product manager. (There's a product management team, of sorts, still there, and there's a sales manager, even though now he's not managing anyone.) About an hour after that, I learned there were at least five. Whee!

Even though I've been expecting this, I'm still surprised, somehow. I guess whatever new investment they've gotten wasn't enough to keep going at their existing burn rate. From a business standpoint, the layoffs are probably a rational decision--NetPoodles is in the ironic position of running out of capital just as they're finally in a position to have revenue in their near future. So they have to start jettisoning whatever (and whoever) they can in the hopes of surviving.

I've applied for unemployment online and am now proceeding to have a strong beer, one of a few that a friend gave me at Anthrocon.

More to be written eventually. Maybe a lot more, since I'll have the time for it.

Comments

[chipotle.livejournal.com]

For NetWolves, two weeks' severance pay is reasonable. I was faintly surprised that I got any, given both the company's finances and their past practices in dealing with employees who were let go. Of course, I think nearly all previous times, they found excuses to treat terminations as being 'with cause'--this is the first time they've had layoffs that were really called that.

Three months' pay definitely sounds nice, but not something I can imagine given my relatively short tenure (17 months). If I recall right, Intermedia's severance package was something like a month for every full year of service.