The reality of Big Tech's 'fake work' problem - Inside the perverse system of 'lazy management' that's destroying the tech industry
The reality of Big Tech's 'fake work' problem - Inside the perverse system of 'lazy management' that's destroying the tech industry
Tech executives and investors have claimed that loafing employees are dragging down companies. But experts say the real problem is "lazy management."
Tech executives and investors have claimed that loafing employees are dragging down companies. But experts say the real problem is "lazy management."
![[HN] Debate over 'fake work' in tech industry misses the real culprit: lazy managers](https://radiation.party/pictrs/image/a1f86cdb-3fcf-458f-bcc0-3a58aaff88d1.jpeg?format=webp&thumbnail=196)
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To the guys at the top, it’s always the bottom folks who are lazy. To the guys on the bottom, it’s always the top folks who are lazy.
The guys on the bottom do all of the work, even if there are a few people slacking off.
I'm an engineering manager, started from the bottom now I'm here. Really, went junior dev / qa - dev - senior - staff then software architect then technical manager. Management is as hard as coding, but in a different way. Just because someone is not smashing their mechanical keyboards 8 hours per day doesn't mean they're lazy.
I'm an engineering manager, started from the bottom now I'm here. Really, went junior dev / qa - dev - senior - staff then software architect then technical manager. Management is as hard as coding, but in a different way. Just because someone is not smashing their mechanical keyboards 8 hours per day doesn't mean they're lazy.
Thanks for your perspective. My career has followed a similar trajectory to yours, albeit in a completely different industry.
I’m getting tired of the short sighted version of antiwork which says only the worker drones have merit.
The guys on the bottom do all of the work, even if there are a few people slacking off.
No, the guys on the bottom do much of the work. The guys on the top also do quite a bit of mission critical work, but in an entirely different venue.
Some on the bottom will slack off, just like some on the top will slack off.
Let's put it this way then. All of management could take a month off, and very little would be affected. If all the workers go on strike for a month, not a single thing would get done.
I won't pretend to know your situation, but this feels wrong.
Unless your management team is full of nepotism hires or bad fits that haven't sorted themselves out yet, it's full of people that were in your shoes.
Re: The Bottom - YOU may be an exception, but most people on the bottom lack the confidence or sometimes critical thinking skills to deal with unexpected issues tactfully. That's important if you want to make payroll.
If you are the exception, I preemptively congratulate you on your forthcoming promotion. :)
Signed, Fellow Bottom-Dweller
Let's put it this way then. All of management could take a month off, and very little would be affected. If all the workers go on strike for a month, not a single thing would get done.
Again, I disagree. Plenty would not happen if all of management disappeared, just like plenty would not happen if all of workers disappeared.
Look, I get it. We all hate managers and the C suite. But pretending like these roles are aren’t vital is detrimental.