New WotC Layoffs?

I have been unable to verify any of this, so consider this no more than a "rumour report". However I'm hearing that layoffs have occurred at WotC this week, and that one of the victims is art director Mark Painter. Again, all rumour at this point.

 

[miniaturehoarder]

Ah, the corporate version of Christmas in July.

 

[Umbran]

My only point is that "corporate vision and restructuring" is also "ominous corporate design" in many ways

And that's what I'm calling B.S.

Corporations go through restructurings *ALL THE TIME*. It is a common (and, in fact healthy) thing to do on occasion. It is standard maintenance on an organization - the corporate equivalent of tidying up your living room. Yes, it means some things get tossed out, but it also means you may realize you can make a bit more space and get a cool new end table. If you *don't* do it, your room eventually becomes unusable. There is nothing "ominous" about it.

At least, not unless you presuppose that you are about to lose something important during the activity. For people working there, yes, it can be ominous - but reorgs are generally about making the company do what it is already doing, but do it better and more efficiently. For the consumer, the reorg usually means *NOTHING*. The products you buy still get produced.

In the vast majority of cases, we don't give a second thought to the corporate organization behind what you are buying, and don't give a hoot if the company reorganizes. So, having concern about *this* one seems a bit odd. I mean, it isn't as if we have meaningful business information that can give us any ability to accurately interpret the move - or even the expertise to do so if we did have the balance sheets. Buying the game does not make us experts on the business.

What is not constructive is buying into the "fear and cynicism first" form of interpretation of business news.

 

[billd91]

And that's what I'm calling B.S.

Corporations go through restructurings *ALL THE TIME*. It is a common (and, in fact healthy) thing to do on occasion. It is standard maintenance on an organization - the corporate equivalent of tidying up your living room. Yes, it means some things get tossed out, but it also means you may realize you can make a bit more space and get a cool new end table. If you *don't* do it, your room eventually becomes unusable. There is nothing "ominous" about it.

At least, not unless you presuppose that you are about to lose something important during the activity. For people working there, yes, it can be ominous - but reorgs are generally about making the company do what it is already doing, but do it better and more efficiently. For the consumer, the reorg usually means *NOTHING*. The products you buy still get produced.

In the vast majority of cases, we don't give a second thought to the corporate organization behind what you are buying, and don't give a hoot if the company reorganizes. So, having concern about *this* one seems a bit odd. I mean, it isn't as if we have meaningful business information that can give us any ability to accurately interpret the move - or even the expertise to do so if we did have the balance sheets. Buying the game does not make us experts on the business.

What is not constructive is buying into the "fear and cynicism first" form of interpretation of business news.

I might also argue that automatically assuming the best of a corporate restructuring is just being a capitalist Pollyanna. There are plenty of corporate reorganizations that should be viewed with skepticism, particularly for publicly traded companies and executives who derive a substantial portion of their compensation from company stock options. I'm not saying that's the case here, but short term profitability, short term PR, and short term interests of shareholders often rule the day with respect to "cost saving" reorganizations that may not be good for the organization's long term interests or the consumer's long term satisfaction with the product.

 

[I'm A Banana]

And that's what I'm calling B.S.

You realize you're calling B.S. on a feeling right? You don't think that might be a bit...quixotic?

Corporations go through restructurings *ALL THE TIME*. It is a common (and, in fact healthy) thing to do on occasion. It is standard maintenance on an organization - the corporate equivalent of tidying up your living room. Yes, it means some things get tossed out, but it also means you may realize you can make a bit more space and get a cool new end table. If you *don't* do it, your room eventually becomes unusable.

Sure.

There is nothing "ominous" about it.

Sure there is. Because when you "tidy up your living room," and "toss some things out," and you say that this is analogous to how you're treating people, you're comparing actual human beings with hopes and dreams and families to dirty, useless clutter, and that's supervillan talk. It's the kind of thing the omnicidal maniac says before blowing up the metropolis. That's ominous as all get-out.

At least, not unless you presuppose that you are about to lose something important during the activity.

If people lose their jobs, they do lose something important. In a thread about possible-maybe layoffs, that's not an unfounded presupposition.

For people working there, yes, it can be ominous

Then it is ominous for anyone with empathy for those people as well.

- but reorgs are generally about making the company do what it is already doing, but do it better and more efficiently. For the consumer, the reorg usually means *NOTHING*. The products you buy still get produced.

Not caring about the human beings that make your product is...unsustainable at best, and monstrous at worst.

In the vast majority of cases, we don't give a second thought to the corporate organization behind what you are buying, and don't give a hoot if the company reorganizes.

I'm pretty sure "we" care how the things we love are made.

So, having concern about *this* one seems a bit odd. I mean, it isn't as if we have meaningful business information that can give us any ability to accurately interpret the move - or even the expertise to do so if we did have the balance sheets. Buying the game does not make us experts on the business.

I'm not imagining that it does - simply worried about what the corporate restructuring means for the people that make the product I love.

What is not constructive is buying into the "fear and cynicism first" form of interpretation of business news.

In a thread titled "New WotC Layoffs?" it shouldn't be beyond the pale to be concerned for the people this might be true for, if it is true.

 

[Umbran]

I might also argue that automatically assuming the best of a corporate restructuring is just being a capitalist Pollyanna.

True.

But that's not what I am doing. Let us be clear - arguing against going to the cynical extreme does not equate to assuming the best. Claiming it is constitutes strawmanning most foul, and do not accept it.

How about we actually have a list of people who were let go in hand before we claim to know how big a deal this is, hm?

 

[justinj3x3]

You realize you're calling B.S. on a feeling right? You don't think that might be a bit...quixotic?

Pssst... just FYI last time I expressed a feeling around here I was badgered for like 2 days. Then I was asked to provide a link or references showing the proof of my feelings.......

 

[Umbran]

You realize you're calling B.S. on a feeling right? You don't think that might be a bit...quixotic?

Yep. I'm okay with that. Quixote busted his noggin on windmills, but on the things that actually mattered, he was right.

The human race has a major flaw in how it substitutes "feelings" for real information and rational thought in assessing modern situations. It is a cognitive bias we have in spades. We should learn to recognize it, and tell that bias to shut up and sit down far more often than we do.

 

[Mistwell]

Any confirmation yet that this actually happened? Was anyone laid off?

 

[77IM]

Wait. Did we ever confirm whether or not there actually were any layoffs? Did this ever get past the rumor phase?

 

[I'm A Banana]

Wait. Did we ever confirm whether or not there actually were any layoffs? Did this ever get past the rumor phase?

Still pure rumor. It seems we've skipped past facts and gone straight to accusations of BS.

Let us be clear - arguing against going to the cynical extreme does not equate to assuming the best.

This "cynical extreme" you've cooked up to oppose appears to be a scarecrow stuffed with pure fantasy.

Yep. I'm okay with that. Quixote busted his noggin on windmills, but on the things that actually mattered, he was right.

Trying to convince someone that their feelings are wrong, however, is merely tilting at windmills.

The human race has a major flaw in how it substitutes "feelings" for real information and rational thought in assessing modern situations. It is a cognitive bias we have in spades. We should learn to recognize it, and tell that bias to shut up and sit down far more often than we do.

Here's another cognitive bias for ya: the Fundamental Attribution Error. Maybe toss in the Belief Bias and the Confirmation Bias to boot.

But let us not distract from what we are talking about here: a "corporate restructuring" that involves layoffs is going to suck at least a little bit for those who are laid off. If such a thing is happening, it's negative for those people. It is nowhere near a "cynical extreme" to express sympathy for anyone who is in that state, and to acknowledge it as something that sucks.

To "call BS" on my feeling that being laid off is a bad thing and to label that perspective a "cynical extreme" and to pretend that it is some emotional bias doesn't serve any constructive goal that I can fathom, and clearly serves several destructive and dehumanizing goals, so I'm left wondering why it's so important to you that other people not feel sympathy for any who happen to be laid off as a result of this hypothetical corporate restructuring.