The last three years of my work will be permanently abandoned (ericlippert.com)

Article summary

Eric Lippert, a former Facebook employee, shares his experience of being laid off along with his entire team, despite their work saving the company millions of dollars. The team's mission was to apply academic research to real-world problems, and they were successful in reducing costs. However, the company decided to cut the team as a cost-cutting measure, which Lippert finds illogical. He is now taking a break from the corporate world to focus on his personal interests.

Main themes

• Corporate layoffs
• Data science and statistics
• Cost-cutting measures
• Investor pressure
• Bottom-line efficiency
• Top-line growth

What commenters say

• The decision to lay off the team was likely driven by a desire to cut costs and appease investors, rather than a rational assessment of the team's value.
• The team's work, although successful in saving the company money, was not visible or directly impactful on the company's bottom line, making it an easy target for cuts.
• The layoffs may have been a result of the company's prioritization of top-line growth over bottom-line efficiency, with data science and statistics teams being disproportionately affected.
• Some commenters disagree with Lippert's assessment of the team's achievements and suggest that there may be more to the story than he is letting on.
• The use of metrics such as ROI and impact can lead to a focus on short-term gains rather than long-term value, and may have contributed to the team's demise.
• The lack of visibility and accountability in corporate decision-making can make it difficult to understand the reasoning behind layoffs and other cuts.
• The commenters also discuss the challenges of working in data science and statistics, where the value of one's work may not be immediately apparent or directly tied to the company's bottom line.