Make no mistake, the massive layoffs are intentional...

Make no mistake, the massive layoffs are intentional SHORT TERM sabotage by business decision makers with the goal of LONG TERM benefits for them.

They're trying to drive down the costs of labor. Specifically, they're firing everyone so that we'll accept lower wages upon rehire.

In #infosec, this will backfire on them.

By firing everyone, the level of security technical debt will increase that they'll have to hire everyone AND THEN SOME back at even higher rates.

So. Neat. Fucking great.

In the mean time, research how to create unions. Start doing so. Tech folks and infosec are not used to needing collective bargaining. You need it now.

Learn about the concepts of Economic Leverage and how it works as an individual contributor and when that fails how Collective Leverage works. The whole "if you fire that one person, we all quit" sort of thing works.

You all hack systems every day. You all study Social Engineering and combat it every day.

Hack the labor market. Socially engineer our mutual protection.

#mutualAid #collectiveBargaining #UnionStrong

Like 22 February at 15:02 | Open on infosec.exchange

35 comments

Lord Doktor Krypt3ia

@tinker Ayup

22 February at 15:03 | Open on infosec.exchange

Lord Doktor Krypt3ia

@tinker Could just have that one big score and walk away..

22 February at 15:03 | Open on infosec.exchange

Tinker ☀️

@krypt3ia - The start of every great heist story....

22 February at 15:05 | Open on infosec.exchange

Tinker ☀️

In the mean time, lean on each other. Use your current support networks and build those networks up.

Mutual Aid means you give AND you take. It isn't charity. It's support structures that don't rely on those that would exploit you.

Plant food. Share food. Learn about your local food banks. Contribute now if you can. TAKE NOW IF YOU NEED! That means your money for rent can go a long way.

Those with means and equity can look into buying multi-family buildings (think apartment buildings and condos... yes those are for sale). And setting up tenant co-ops.

Others can form renters unions. Think of it as a reverse HOA where you organize to protect against landlord exploitation.

Use your libraries and boost them. They have free internet and free hotspots. Free streaming. Free education. On top of free books. They are third spaces with free meeting rooms. - Use the library to organize your local unions.

Those that are out of work need to hold weekly meetings with each other. Compare notes. Share leads. One person gets in and can help hire the others up. Form unions when you get hired.

#mutualAid #collectiveBargaining #UnionStrong #infosec

In the mean time, lean on each other. Use your current support networks and build those networks up.

Mutual Aid means you give AND you take. It isn't charity. It's support structures that don't rely on those that would exploit you.

Plant food. Share food. Learn about your local food banks. Contribute now if you can. TAKE NOW IF YOU NEED! That means your money for rent can go a long way.

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22 February at 15:15 | Open on infosec.exchange

DELETED

@tinker I'm so tired and depressed that I can barely function. It really sucks right now, and I'm scared interacting with people thanks to way to many bad experiences.

22 February at 15:16 | Open on infosec.exchange

Tinker ☀️

@alex_02 - I understand that completely. There are systemic factors in play that INTENTIONALLY keep you separate from others. Depression is often a symptom of those (and many other things) and can further isolate you.

Take care of yourself as best you can. Be open to receiving help from others as best you can. Forgive yourself and be kind to yourself as you struggle.

22 February at 15:17 | Open on infosec.exchange

DELETED

@tinker Well I'm attempting today to reset my sleep schedule and set alarms again to start getting into a proper routine. Also need to clean my room and make it neater as well. One day at a time I guess.

22 February at 15:19 | Open on infosec.exchange

Tinker ☀️

@alex_02 - indeed. and celebrate the small wins each time you do them. thats awesome

22 February at 15:55 | Open on infosec.exchange

DELETED

@tinker @alex_02 some days it is the only way to get thru it

22 February at 16:04 | Open on infosec.exchange

DELETED

@tinker @alex_02 Just started mental health therapies myself: SSRI last week, TMS initial appointment in about an hour, and CBT therapy hopefully next week or after TMS (will see).

Life's rough sometimes. <3

22 February at 16:08 | Open on infosec.exchange

Dad

@alex_02 @tinker Good moves. I always focus on the fundamentals: good sleep, regular healthy meals, and regular exercise (even a daily walk). Then build upon those to do the other things that help you feel better (which differ per person - creating things, socializing, making a short to do list and checking things off as you accomplish them, etc). Hope you start to feel better soonest.

22 February at 18:48 | Open on mastodon.social

violetmadder

@alex_02 @tinker

This is how it's done.

Doesn't sound sexy but I'm really not kidding. Sometimes it takes just starting small and figuring out how to get done some very fundamental things that you need for your health in order to function at all. Sleep. Food. Hygiene.

Are there any peer support services in your area? You can look up your local chapter of NAMI, or other organizations like 12 step groups etc, free meetings you can access even just at home by video or don't even turn your camera on if you're not up to it cause you're just that deep in the couch burrito of blankets and angst.

This is psychological warfare. Somebody wants us miserable. The fight starts right here.

@alex_02 @tinker

This is how it's done.

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22 February at 21:05 | Open on kolektiva.social

Soozcat

@tinker I might add, you can do double duty if your local library happens to have a seed library, which ours does. Learn new stuff AND plant a garden!

22 February at 22:51 | Open on vmst.io

river_feedback

@tinker you get it. This is great

23 February at 1:06 | Open on mastodon.social

sidereal

@tinker https://red-star.ghost.io/union-organizing-for-people-with-jobs/ 🙂

22 February at 16:34 | Open on kolektiva.social

Barberousse

@tinker And if you're interested in building collective power at work or unionizing but don't know where to start, reach out to your local grassroots union/ IWW branch
https://www.iww.org/directory/gmb/

These folks have a lot of experience dealing with this kind of situation. Most of the time, they'll be happy to help and guide you even if you're not a member.

And at the risk of sounding parochial, do the Organizer Training 101 (aka OT101). I can't recommend it enough! I learned so much about collective leverage and building solidarity in the workplace.
https://libcom.org/article/my-first-organizer-training-101-josh-fleck

#collectiveBargaining #AnInjuryToOneAnInjuryToAll

These folks have a lot of experience dealing with this kind of situation. Most of the time, they'll be happy to help and guide you even if you're not a member.

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22 February at 16:44 | Open on todon.eu

RAbsurde

@tinker I always advise individuals to start here when it comes to tech organizing. https://techworkerscoalition.org/

22 February at 17:11 | Open on jawns.club

Heretical_i

Welcome to the real world @tinker. No seriously!

Did you expect anything different than what happened to... lets say the Rust Belt industrial workers, or agriculture? All shipped offshore to keep PROFITS FOR THEMSELVES UP, by keeping operating costs, including wages, down.

Did you think you and your 'trade' were special? Really.

Ps. #AI will take all the #techindustry jobs first. 🤣 #KillCapitalism. #EatTheRich and anyone who wants to be like them too, and #TechLayoffs #ProblemSolved 😁

22 February at 17:12 | Open on kafeneio.social

GhostOnTheHalfShell

@tinker

Or become a coop infosec consulting firm and charge 100x

22 February at 17:15 | Open on masto.ai

c0debabe, just a raccoon

@GhostOnTheHalfShell @tinker this

22 February at 17:16 | Open on hackers.town

Mark

@GhostOnTheHalfShell @tinker You better charge twice that, too make you look like a real pro to some of the worst CEOs.

22 February at 17:17 | Open on mastodon.social

GhostOnTheHalfShell

@1morumotto @tinker

The more it costs the better it must be.

I wish Scott Adams wasn’t such a grindingly bad rightwing nut job, or I’d post the relevant Dilbert.

22 February at 17:31 | Open on masto.ai

Mark

@GhostOnTheHalfShell @tinker while(true){} :)

22 February at 17:45 | Open on mastodon.social

Luke Dorny

@tinker thanks for this, Tinker. And you, Kelly, for boosting. @Verso

22 February at 17:22 | Open on typo.social

Kelly Guimont

@Luke @tinker happy to share! I'm glad you found it (:

22 February at 17:34 | Open on mastodon.social

RazoeS

@tinker shrinkflation wages version

22 February at 20:35 | Open on infosec.exchange

NumberDoctor

@tinker I was coming to a similar conclusion. Just 2 weeks ago, one of my mentors and I were discussing this in the context of layoffs and ‘savings’ from workforce reductions. In the mid-to long-term, these savings actually become crushing costs risking the very survival of the company.
The ‘savings’ usually don’t account for the very expensive product/technical/knowledge debt, equipment maintenance beyond the qualified life expectancy, and what not.

22 February at 20:54 | Open on techhub.social

Steffen Christensen

@NumberDoctor @tinker This short-term, business and financial-driven layoff surge in tech is building an *empire* of technical debt, and you don't have to look further than X to see how that's going to turn out.

22 February at 20:58 | Open on mastodon.social

Richard Johnson

@NumberDoctor @tinker

We often deal with this on deployed apps where we're being asked by the panicked new owners: "Previous team laid off, can you help us reverse-engineer this? It's required for {critical function}..." Incompetent sabotage by management focused on activist private equity threats is real. There doesn't seem to be much long-term shareholders can do to prevent it.

22 February at 21:04 | Open on mastodon.social

NumberDoctor

@tab2space @tinker exactly! Maybe persistent visible companion analysis of every financial statement of corps with workforce reductions or geographic redistributions? You heavily discount the margins and cash on hand by the expected delayed market timing, the impact to their products, and the financial exposure they just created for themselves. Also analyze major equity holders (for correlation). Publish. Repeat.
There’s got to be a way. 🤔

23 February at 0:22 | Open on techhub.social

SpaceLifeForm

@tinker

Excellent summary of the situation.

22 February at 22:51 | Open on infosec.exchange

Cifer

@tinker It's so impressively short-sighted. A company I work with just fired my inhouse-equivalent. The guy who has worked on every important project of theirs where you don't want to be dependent on the fickle whims of freelancers. I have no idea in what world they believe it makes financial sense to replace him with contractors.