Thread by @politicalmath

I think one of the great frustrations and anxieties of our age is the fact that people are expected to make their professional work a core life value but companies are expected to instantly fire anyone who is paid $5 more than they earned for the company last year

I've worked for some high profile companies & I've made some friends along the way

I thought

I reached out to a friend to ask for advice on a tech he built. He pushed me off to some subordinates.

Who instantly leveraged my requests to try to mine me for data about my employer

So I guess I'm never reaching out to my friend again. I went to his wedding. He hung out with my kids.

But it's too risky to talk to him anymore. Don't know who is going to talk to who.

All for an employer who will drop me the moment I'm not bringing in 2X my salary

This all makes me think that unions weren't even entirely about protecting jobs

Maybe they were the modern equivalent of trade guilds. On the surface, it's about wages. But underneath it's about relationships. You know the guys at the local. They have your back.

no one has my back. No I've ever worked with would sacrifice a drop in pay for me. I don't take it personally. It's the culture we live in.

But I once recommended against firing an underperformer & suggested he be moved to another group that fit his skills. He's doing great

I don't think I'll get fired soon. But I might. The company is in a firing mood. And, if I am, it'll be b/c the company needs to start up dividends more than they need to retain loyal employees

You can always replace employees with cheaper employees

You are replaceable