His efficiency gain seem marginal. --> AI creates remarkable efficiency gains in tasks that have a low penalty for being 20% wrong. There's not much error tolerance in my own business.

It's hitting Google and search ad optimization right now (hence my earlier post). Kinda game changing there… --> I certainly don't dispute the existence of that impact.

Ducks4brkfast said:

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flakrat said:

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Logos Stick said:

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In addition to firing 8000 (includes both U.S. citizens/residents and H-1B holders), bringing headcount back down to their 2021 level, they are moving 7000 employees to new positions to staff AI initiatives become H1B recruiters and outsourcers ;-). This RIF means ZERO additional headcount since 2021 for the company, after increasing headcount at around 35% per year the five years prior to 2021. They also are nuking 6000 open positions.

Quote:

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May 18, 20262:16 PM CDT

Meta to transfer 7,000 staff to AI initiatives and eliminate managers.

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https://www.reuters.com/world/meta-lays-out-plans-may-20-layoffs-restructuring-internal-document-says-2026-05-18/

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What is their product? Facebook sells advertising, but the platform has been stagnant for years, well before wuflu. As is Instagram, younger crowd, but little if any innovation in the product.

The weird Meta thing flopped, although the head sets are still a niche product.

They have AI and data centers, but do they have any significant customers other than themselves?

Who knows maybe Elon or someone like him with vision will purchase them and turn them around…

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Meta generated $201 billion in revenue last year. A 22% increase from 2024. Q1 of this year was about $57 billion. Up 33% YOY. Their trailing 12 months is $215 billion.

Turn them around? Good lord. Texags never fails to entertain.

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Revenue is one thing, profit is something else. And cash flow is yet another thing. I have no idea, nor do I care, about their need for cash to service maturing debt, provide for new buildings or facilities, expansions, and many other things.

Not saying you do, but those who hate on corporations (for some reason they don't hate on partnerships or LLCs) should do the smart thing and start their own business. Then run it the way they see fit, the way they suggest other businesses should be run.

txyaloo said:

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LMCane said:

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do people not realize that in a country of 330 million Americans-

literally MILLIONS of people change jobs every year.

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Do you not realize there's a different between a voluntary job change and a sudden RIF?

Come work in a RIF prone industry and enjoy the feeling of never knowing when you're going to get the Sunday afternoon "Business Update" email.

I lost 2 on my team last week due to RIFs. The helpless feeling being RIF'd and sticks with you for the rest of your career even if you come out better on the other side. The job market in the industries that are having massive RIFs is not great.

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I'll never wish it on anyone!
Friday January 27, 2017... I was working in a small town so I always went home for lunch. Came back usual time, settled into my desk, logged back into my work station, and brought the maps I was working on back up (Geologist, smaller private O&G company).

COO stuck his head in my door and said I was needed in the conference room. I grabbed a notepad and walked down the hall. 5 minutes later I was walking out the door. I was told they'd get my key next week and I could clean out my office in private over the weekend. As I got to the door I heard behind me, "_____ can you come down to the conference room real quick?" She was 8 months pregnant.

One minute it's business as usual... The next minute you're world is upside down. I don't know what's worse, finding out out of the blue or having it hang over for weeks like the Sword of Damocles.

I was in sales... 2 weeks before CMas '08 and I was told a competitor's CFO was going to join an on-site meeting I had with our largest customer.

Apparently, we were selling (or had sold) the core product line I was that SME, to our competitor. My boss told me I wasn't included in the transfer and that I still had a spot. 1 week later he retires (week before CMas). New guy takes role before NYs and says "we won't need you. Before you do any travel get my approval, not sure when... but you will be 1st wave laid-off."

That went on for 2 months. This particular week I was asked to present and my new boss was like "let me call you back to confirm if you should travel." He cleared it. Went to customer and "wow'ed" them. On the car ride to the airport with the local sales team, they were excited and asked if I was the point of contact moving forward.

I told them there was a good chance that in the next 2 days I was going to get RIF'd and that I was getting let go in the 1st rd that was coming.

Blew their mind. "How could you present that well knowing you are getting laid off and won't be around? Never could have seen it."

It sucked knowing for 2 months that every time my boss called, it could be the day. I was WFH and when my phone rang my wife studied my face to see if it was "the call." She was just as much a part of it.

I'd probably say, it was nice to have a bit of warning. We shut spending down and was able to have a little runway. They filed for bankruptcy just prior to the layoffs, so my severance was part of the bankruptcy.

2009 was a brutal time to be looking for a job, especially when the core of knowledge you brought was **** canned.

But in the end, as I tell my kids, "It's business and I'll remain true to who I am and that is how I built my career."

The primary tenant in my office building is Facebook. They use the first 12 floors of the building, and we're on the first of five non-Facebook floors. The elevators have been a parade of miserable people for a few weeks.

Just for fun, ask their CEO about the pros and cons of IGs built on Unreal Engine for government applications. My guess would be that you get a well rehearsed stump speech about Epic Games being a Chinese influenced company that cannot be used for security reasons but you won't get any rebuttals based on performance, scalability, or license costs.

Ulysses90 said:

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Just for fun, ask their CEO about the pros and cons of IGs built on Unreal Engine for government applications. My guess would be that you get a well rehearsed stump speech about Epic Games being a Chinese influenced company that cannot be used for security reasons but you won't get any rebuttals based on performance, scalability, or license costs.

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Oh, I know a number of those folks at Unreal Engine, too. See them every year at I/ITSEC.

But, yeah...The CEO I'm sure would not appreciate that question.

The Unreal Engine and Unity IGs have really hit a lot of the IG makers hard, I'm sure...X-Plane, too if people in the DoD know about it...

That said, VRSG is a really good product. Just pretty expensive...

Not sure Unreal or Unity could actually replace how we're using it, though.

BTW, thanks for bringing that up. I just added Unreal Engine/Unity to a White Paper I'm writing about our sim lab.

Odds may be high that we've met IRL at I/ITSEC. I did BD work on the UE simulation industry team from 2020 till this past December. I haven't missed I/ITSEC in over 20 years.

Ulysses90 said:

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YouBet said:

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Still think it's funny he renamed the company to match his vision and that vision has failed and he moved on from it.

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Also somewhat funny that there is a company that had been operating under the name MetaVR since the late 1990s and they market a product to the military called VRSG (Virtual Reality Scene Generator). They were made an offer they couldn't refuse and relinquished claims to the name MetaVR and became MVR Simulations. They re-wrote their company history to remove almost every reference to MetaVR. There is one place on the website where it says in parentheses, "formerly MetaVR." I hope they got paid a lot.

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Reminds me of MSNBC when it was formed in the mid 90s with much fanfare. At the last minute they went to buy the domain name and discovered it was already taken by another company with those initials. Microsoft worked overtime to secure the URL, offering lots of money and free software.

Ulysses90 said:

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Odds may be high that we've met IRL at I/ITSEC. I did BD work on the UE simulation industry team from 2020 till this past December. I haven't missed I/ITSEC in over 20 years.

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Could be. I've been there a number of times and met some of the UE guys there.

I didn't go until I got to this new job in 2018...then went every year until last year when I unfortunately had to present a paper in Turin, Italy that week...it was SOOO tough to miss it that time...not.

The first time I went, though, I went with my boss. He probably shook hands with 20 people in the first 10 min we were there.

That's when I found out one of his previous jobs was Deputy Director of the Army Modeling and Simulation Office...

Ag with kids said:

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Ulysses90 said:

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Odds may be high that we've met IRL at I/ITSEC.

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Could be. I've been there a number of times and met some of the UE guys there.

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Another successful TA hookup!

deddog said:

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BigRobSA said:

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I've been homeless recently, sleeping in my car. Several times. Broke. Etc.

It sucks.

Oh well, such is life.

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Do you have a way i can PM you?
Any way to help?

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I'm doing ok, now. Thanks.

Working like a dog in mfg, leading a team of operators and such. Making diesel engine blocks for "the man".

BigRobSA said:

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Ag with kids said:

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Ulysses90 said:

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Odds may be high that we've met IRL at I/ITSEC.

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Could be. I've been there a number of times and met some of the UE guys there.

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Another successful TA hookup!

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It's in Orlando...we can go to Disney World and ride the Tea Cups...

BigRobSA said:

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deddog said:

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BigRobSA said:

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I've been homeless recently, sleeping in my car. Several times. Broke. Etc.

It sucks.

Oh well, such is life.

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Do you have a way i can PM you?
Any way to help?

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I'm doing ok, now. Thanks.

Working like a dog in mfg, leading a team of operators and such. Making diesel engine blocks for "the man".

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DAMN THAT MAN!!!

Ag with kids said:

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BigRobSA said:

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Ag with kids said:

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Ulysses90 said:

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Odds may be high that we've met IRL at I/ITSEC.

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Could be. I've been there a number of times and met some of the UE guys there.

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Another successful TA hookup!

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It's in Orlando...we can go to Disney World and ride the Tea Cups...

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Is that what y'all are calling it nowadays?!

:-D

Ag with kids said:

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BigRobSA said:

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deddog said:

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BigRobSA said:

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I've been homeless recently, sleeping in my car. Several times. Broke. Etc.

It sucks.

Oh well, such is life.

---

Do you have a way i can PM you?
Any way to help?

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I'm doing ok, now. Thanks.

Working like a dog in mfg, leading a team of operators and such. Making diesel engine blocks for "the man".

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DAMN THAT MAN!!!

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I know...he's all over the f-ing place.

ytpepo, amirite!?!?!

BigRobSA said:

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Ag with kids said:

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BigRobSA said:

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Ag with kids said:

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Ulysses90 said:

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Odds may be high that we've met IRL at I/ITSEC.

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Could be. I've been there a number of times and met some of the UE guys there.

---

Another successful TA hookup!

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It's in Orlando...we can go to Disney World and ride the Tea Cups...

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Is that what y'all are calling it nowadays?!

:-D

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It's a simulation thing...

You wouldn't understand it.

Now clammy pasty lizard boy wants more.

Zuckerberg warns success isn't a given after laying off 10% of Meta

Quote:

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As Meta cut 10% of its workforce on Wednesday a move that had been anticipated for more than a month CEO Mark Zuckerberg addressed the tech giant's transition in a companywide memo.

Zuckerberg thanked the impacted employees, stressed the importance of artificial intelligence, assured workers there shouldn't be additional cuts in 2026 and laid out some of his vision for the future. Along with the cuts, Meta is redirecting 7,000 employees into AI roles, NBC News reported Tuesday.

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Ah no more 2026 cuts! And since we all know CEOs never lie and are completely trustworthy I think we can rest assured.

Quote:

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"But success isn't a given," Zuckerberg warned. "AI is the most consequential technology of our lifetimes. The companies that lead the way will define the next generation," Zuckerberg said in the note. The memo was posted on X by a New York Times reporter and a source familiar with the matter confirmed its authenticity to NBC News.

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BigRobSA said:

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infinity ag said:

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BigRobSA said:

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I've been homeless recently, sleeping in my car. Several times. Broke. Etc.

It sucks.

Oh well, such is life.

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But it wasn't fun, was it? I am lucky that I have never been homeless but i am sure it was terrible.

But that doesn't mean it is okay. I don't know what the solution is but it just a terrible way to treat people.

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Of course it's not fun.

I drank a big, heaping cup of suck it the **** up and got on with it.

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Good. Then you are all set then.

ttu_85 said:

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infinity ag said:

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aggiehawg said:

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And younger generations wonder why Boomers may be suspicious of AI? We were raised on 2001, A Space Odyssey. Computers were not to be trusted. Then The Terminator with Sky Net.

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It's the other way actually.

Boomers want AI. Boomers are also clueless about AI. Contradictory? No, because Boomers are retired/retiring and just want a cash cow for their investments. AI is the new shiny toy that boosts 401ks and IRAs. Boomers don't care about the job market. The would be okay if AI got everyone fired. To justify it, Boomers gaslight young kids that they are lazy and stupid and so it was well deserved that AI took their jobs.

Younger gens care about their job prospects. They feel AI is taking it away. So many of them hate AI and I don't blame them.

Summary

• Boomers - Love AI as it makes them money.
• Young 'uns - Hate AI as it keeps them unemployed or gets them fired.

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Wow as an evil boomer I have to say this is some jacked up posting. Yep, them boomers they are all the SAME.
Lol.


People that partake in the generation blame game are losers in life. And that goes for Boomers that blame the young-uns.

Blamers are pathetic losers looking to scapegoat for their failures.

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If one does the crime, they deserve the blame. This goes for everyone.

Boomers did their fair share and much much more.

They need to own up instead of resorting to emotional outbursts.

Ag with kids said:

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BigRobSA said:

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Ag with kids said:

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BigRobSA said:

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Ag with kids said:

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Ulysses90 said:

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Odds may be high that we've met IRL at I/ITSEC.

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Could be. I've been there a number of times and met some of the UE guys there.

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Another successful TA hookup!

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It's in Orlando...we can go to Disney World and ride the Tea Cups...

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Is that what y'all are calling it nowadays?!

:-D

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It's a stimulation thing...

You wouldn't understand it.

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Oh, we know.....

Seems like a terrible company on multiple levels. Watch The Crash on Netflix. Quite the narrative on how Instagram is destroying kids.

infinity ag said:

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No Spin Ag said:

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BigRobSA said:

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I've been homeless recently, sleeping in my car. Several times. Broke. Etc.

It sucks.

Oh well, such is life.

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Pretty much.

For some reason, people in the private sector always think, "I'm going to make big bucks and nothing bad will ever happen to me."

Times like these my buddies in BP, teaching, nursing, and other govt. (fed, state, and local) agencies feel luckier and luckier. Even if AI hits our sectors, we'll, thankfully, be long into retirement.

As for the youngins', well, Vaya con Dios.

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Weren't you one of those who wanted DOGE to fire Govt employees? Where would they go then? Straight to the private sector. Now you are taunting them for not working for the government.

Who really makes "big bucks" anymore?
Answer: Only investors do

Quote:

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As for the youngins', well, Vaya con Dios.

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Only Boomers who kids hate them, and folks with no kids would say something like this.

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I don't recall wanting them to fire people so much as seeing the reduction of superfluous entities needing to be gotten rid of.

I believe that government agencies can be of use, but to have ones simply to cause bloat of the sake of feels, no.

As to where they could go, school districts are ALWAYS hiring. Nurses are ALWAYS in need. CPB is ALWAYS hiring BP agents. The state has tons of agencies that are ALWAYS hiring.

A buddy left working in The Patch to stop missing seeing his kids grow up. He went to school and became a nurse. He's not making crazy $15k a month like before, but he's still pulling north of $100k and he's home at night.

No one is owed a job, a life, anything. Adapt and keep moving on. It's been done since the beginning of time. Being a citizen in America doesn't change that reality.

As for the big bucks, that was more in reference to when I came out of college in the 90s. Private abd public sector jobs paid very differently. To a kid fresh out of college, the guy in the private sector making at least 25% to 50% more settled to be making "the big bucks." It's relative, of course.

As for the kids remark, I didn't say that because I'm child free, I said it because, again, life owes no one anything. Make your life choices, live with them, then adapt if they don't work out.

It came off as snarky, but I really do wish those kids good luck.

Companies for the past fifty years have kept finding ways to reduce labor and increase their profits. Meta isn't the first to do it and won't be the last.

So, again, best of luck to them, they'll need it more than any generation before.

samurai_science said:

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The focus should be on small businesses they are who employ the most people in the United States, not mega corporations.

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Say it with your chest! As a proud small business owner I approve this message.

Quote:

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They need to own up instead of resorting to emotional outbursts

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Can you please stop having emotional outbursts about CEOs? It's getting old seeing all your posts dripping with entitlement.

I hope H1Bs were NOT given any severance. They were here to do a job, because you know.. Americans are too stupid/lazy to do them.... but now they are no longer needed, so they need to leave.

No severance.