Breaking: Luxoft - 3rd largest tech company in Ukraine - sent an email to all staff fully condemning "Russia's full-scale invasion on Ukraine".
Their mother company, DXC is exiting the Russian market, closing their offices in Russia with 4,000 employees (!!)
Details: 1/5
Email to all staff at Luxoft:
"Russia has taken the irrevocable step of launching a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. This is war and a clear act of aggression. We fully condemn it and hope that common sense will prevail.
This war must stop." 2/5
"We are extremely proud of our Ukrainian colleagues for their bravery and resilience in the face of danger. It is a pleasure and a privilege to have you with us at Luxoft. Seeing the way all of you have responded, we are reminded of just how impressive people (...) can be." 3/5
"In the response to the agression by Russia, DXC will be existing this market. (...)
We have close to 4,000 employees in Russia who have given valued service to our company and clients over many years. We recognize and thank them for their service and are supporting them to" 4/5
"and are supporting them to consider different career opportunities in our global business. We continue to maintain rigorous compliance with sanctions levied against Russia. (...)
Remember: unity and mutual help make us strong: both as a company and human beings." 5/5
As context, Luxoft had ~3,500 employees in Ukraine. DXC is a US, publicly traded company.
The email is not 100% clear, but it sounds like complying with sanctions might have been a major motivator to close the Russia offices.
If so: expect all US & EU-based companies to follow.
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I just talked with a tech lead based out of Ukraine at EPAM, a tech company with more than 10K employees in Ukraine & 4K in Kyiv. EPAM also has large offices in Belarus and Russia.
Here's what I learned about the situation at the company, how the war affects it and how to help:
1. Evacuation. There's an incredible behind-the-scenes effort both locally and outside Ukraine. In Kyiv employees help each other with medicine, supplies, transport. Within Ukraine they transport each other+families. On the borders in Poland & Romania EPAMers pick up families.
2. The company's current priorities are
a) People
b) Revenue
c) Profits
d) Reputation
They are putting people's safety first to the extent that they can. Which is also why their CEO gave a watered-down official statement many criticize. He wants to keep *all* employees safe.
At EPAM, a company that has more than 10K employees in Ukraine, but also ones in Russia and Belarus, massive internal conflicts are raising due to the CEO not taking sides: they have yet to say Russia is responsible for the war.
Some refusing to work with those based in Russia.
Management has tried to shuffle so Belarus and Russia-based teams report into “neutral” managers (eg ones from Poland, Hungary).
It’s starting to break down. Employees demanding the company be clear if they are on the side of Russia+Belarus or rest or rest of world.
It’s not just EPAM in this position but outsourcing companies Luxoft, DataArt, GridDynamics with offices both in Ukraine and Russia where management tries to balance but anger is growing as the war progresses.
Most clients of these companies are in the US and Western EU.
Back to office announcements are happening and some are not pretty.
As a CEO announced a record, $1B profit, on the same all-hands said "if sw engineers all think they can work from home, we can hire someone from Asia and pay them €300."
They will have dev attrition problems.
We are talking about a traditional company - one that became far more profitable during COVID, with remote work.
Their stance is clear though, and the post-COVID strategy is this: "The new way is the old way, and we will all go back to the office."
Good luck. They'll need it.
The same company normally makes all-hands videos available to all. They did not do with this all-hands.
Later the CEO apologized for the comments and backtracked, kind-of - see the apology below.
But all engineers know where the company really stands & what they can expect.
NFTs about one thing: buy an NFT today, have it’s value go up and sell some point later for $$$.
Prices only go up if new buyers join in droves (aka it goes mainstream).
But if scams are everywhere: it both scares new buyers from joining. Also chills existing ones from selling.
A reminder that the web, in its infancy in the 90s was *never* this insecure: because payments were built on an existing credit card/banking infrastructure with plenty of consumer protection (eg chargebacks, multi-step confirmations etc, legal recourse).
I was giving advice to a friend who recently started a freelancing business after a decade of being an employee.
Here are 12 habits that work fine when an employee employee, but ones worth unlearning to be a more successful entrepreneur/freelancer:
1. Old habit: your time is equally valuable throughout the day.
New habit: parts of your time are far more valuable. E.g. working with a higher-paying client, or on projects with more opportunity cost. Generating valuable leads. Etc.
2. Old habit: follow the beaten path outlined in a company and career path. Get promoted to senior, then to above or a manager path etc.
New habit: carve out the path where *you* want to get to. There's less of a beaten path to follow - and why would you?