economic poopfest

[Eric is God]

I think the most significant part of MSFT laying off 5,000 people is the 3,000 new openings they're now hiring for. They're increasing the value of their work-force. They have fat they would be better off trimming recession or not. If they were worried they'd be letting go probably 10 times that many people. 2,000 net layoffs is a joke. Let's assume an average salary w/ benefits of $60k, that's $120 million worth of salaries. We'll say those people on average were worth $30k to the company per year, so that's $60 million we can subtract. Add on whatever MSFT was paying in insurance and taxes on those 2,000 employees, and we're still only talking like $100 million with those generous numbers. That's half of a percent. Let's also say the 3,000 they hire are on average 1.5 times as productive as those who left on the same pay scale (or you could assume they are just as valuable at 75% pay). That would bring their not loss to around $50 million (1/4 of a percent). Not news.

The layoffs are not biggest news, it's what the layoffs signal. Microsoft, and other companies, have experienced declining or negative growth in the last quarter and they realize the economic downturn has just started to impact them. Quarter ending Dec 31 2008 Net Income of $4.17 billion was down $500 million from the prior year, which is a horrible sign. Vista was a disaster, the Zune is all but dead, sales of Windows Mobile devices are on the decline and revenue from their professional services division will be tanking in 2009. The Xbox 360 is probably the only bright spot for them along with Windows 7 if they don't completely screw it up. It's all about signals and Microsoft announcing a massive layoff for the first time EVER is a huge one.

[Foreign]

what are you talking about?

CAT declared record revenue for the final quarter in 2008 (results came on Jan 26 2009)

then they continued to lay off more people and the grand total is well over 20,000

big profit one year does not translate to the same outlook the next. they see trouble coming so they trim the fat, just like everyone else.



in big business there is one thing to remember, stockholders always win.

I think the most significant part of MSFT laying off 5,000 people is the 3,000 new openings they're now hiring for. They're increasing the value of their work-force. They have fat they would be better off trimming recession or not. If they were worried they'd be letting go probably 10 times that many people. 2,000 net layoffs is a joke. Let's assume an average salary w/ benefits of $60k, that's $120 million worth of salaries. We'll say those people on average were worth $30k to the company per year, so that's $60 million we can subtract. Add on whatever MSFT was paying in insurance and taxes on those 2,000 employees, and we're still only talking like $100 million with those generous numbers. That's half of a percent. Let's also say the 3,000 they hire are on average 1.5 times as productive as those who left on the same pay scale (or you could assume they are just as valuable at 75% pay). That would bring their not loss to around $50 million (1/4 of a percent). Not news.

[Zeebu]

If you think the net 2,000 Microsoft layoffs were directly related to the economic downturn, think again. In a "down" year they just banked $20,000,000,000

what are you talking about?

CAT declared record revenue for the final quarter in 2008 (results came on Jan 26 2009)

then they continued to lay off more people and the grand total is well over 20,000

big profit one year does not translate to the same outlook the next. they see trouble coming so they trim the fat, just like everyone else.



in big business there is one thing to remember, stockholders always win.

[Kolar]

if that wasn't a set-up, i don't know what one is

It's sort of a joke in IT/Business world up here.

I actually would love to work for Research in Motion but Waterloo is too far to commute.

[Foreign]

Research In Motion is still going strong. At a time when AT&T, Sprint, Apple, Microsoft and other big tech companies are laying off thousands, I haven't heard of a single layoff and still over 1,000 open job postings on our website. After 2 years here my team has gone from 2 people to 12, with 4 job recs still open for subscriber and churn analysts.

If you think the net 2,000 Microsoft layoffs were directly related to the economic downturn, think again. In a "down" year they just banked $20,000,000,000

[PaulOakenfold]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVUXFFIoQic

[DankNuggets]

Hey Eric *give* me a RIM job.

if that wasn't a set-up, i don't know what one is

[raizin]

UPDATE:

Memo from boss today. Due to tightening financial matters there will no longer be free pizza.

So clearly Pure_Luck was fired.

[Money]

government job=i don't care about this "economic crisis"

count me in, LOL.

[Kolar]

Hey Eric get me a RIM job.

Seriously though, ITT (the rest of it) get Kolar employed.

[Eric is God]

sounds like you don't have to work those 80-100 hr weeks now, with the 6000% increase in manpower !

Funny that you should mention this because I'm currently on a medical leave of absence because I burnt out. The team grew 600%, but the workload grew 1000% (2 experienced members also transferred elsewhere internally). Also, it takes 2-3 months for new hires to start paying dividends from all the training time.

[Eric is God]

whats the job requirement?

Subscriber Analyst Posting:

POSITION SUMMARY

The Subscriber Analytics team produces key performance indicators that are used widely throughout RIM by Sales, Marketing, Finance and Product Management. The candidate's responsibilities will include report design and production, assessing data integrity, training other users, explaining results and identifying opportunities to improve our processes. Beyond these core responsibilities, the analyst will be asked to perform ad-hoc analyses and contribute to cross functional projects.

ESSENTIAL SKILLS AND QUALIFICATIONS

* Must have a passion for the integration of quantitative analysis with business insight
* University Degree in Statistics, Economics, Engineering or Business
* CMA, MBA, MA or other post-graduate studies would be an asset
* 3+ years of full-time work experience
* Excellent verbal and written communication skills
* Demonstrated ability to prioritize work and cope with a fast-paced environment
* Strong Microsoft Excel skills are required (macros, pivot tables)
* Knowledge of SQL, Cognos or Microsoft Access would be an asset


That's a pretty vague/general description because we analyze very unusual data (devices & subscribers, not dollars and cents). Ironically enough I barely meet those requirements, but I got lucky and joined the team on the ground floor.

[Stompa]

UPDATE:

Memo from boss today. Due to tightening financial matters there will no longer be free pizza.

[DankNuggets]

Research In Motion is still going strong. At a time when AT&T, Sprint, Apple, Microsoft and other big tech companies are laying off thousands, I haven't heard of a single layoff and still over 1,000 open job postings on our website. After 2 years here my team has gone from 2 people to 12, with 4 job recs still open for subscriber and churn analysts.

sounds like you don't have to work those 80-100 hr weeks now, with the 6000% increase in manpower !

[gran guerrero]

Research In Motion is still going strong. At a time when AT&T, Sprint, Apple, Microsoft and other big tech companies are laying off thousands, I haven't heard of a single layoff and still over 1,000 open job postings on our website. After 2 years here my team has gone from 2 people to 12, with 4 job recs still open for subscriber and churn analysts.

whats the job requirement?