Thread regarding Open Text Corp. layoffs

@335 Where are these mythical other jobs you speak of?

If Mark could run the company with no employees he would. It’s all about the stock price. Mark is touting AI since that what investors want to hear and he hoping to get some quick wins and customer references for the next earnings call. Nothing else matters to him or the ELT…. And that is music to investors ears. Leaders would like nothing more than if everyone left and they could replace everyone in India, Philippines and Romania or be force to use the OT AI tools.

Feel like you're being underpaid (you are), asked to do more with less, and the ELT isn't listening? Surprise! They only care about themselves and the stock price and will do anything that benefits them or the stock price. There are no "moments that matter".

Please vote with your actions and look for another job. Don't quit, but look for a job and leave as soon as you can. It's likey if you don't, they'll let you go in the near future anyway. I didn't take this advice. I kept holding on to hope that the ELT would care about me and my teams. I was cut after 20+ years. The ETL doesn't care about you, they only care about themselves.

Leadership at the VP/SVP level lacks clarity, strategic direction, and the basic competence needed to run a tech organization. There is a clear pattern of top-down decisions driven by ego, politics, and self-preservation — not customer value, innovation, or team empowerment.

When the world is running down, we’ll need to make the best of what is still around. However, OpenText is the canary in the coal mine in the tech industry.

Hopefully anyone joining OpenText now reads blogs likes these and knows what issues they may address.

It helps to vent a bit and share information. It's nice to know you are not alone. Others have gotten sc--wed by OT too and have lived to complain about it.

What, exactly, do you think you can accomplish through coordinated bleating and whinging?

As for moving operations to India… that’s been Mark’s thing for years: https://venturebeat.com/business/garnett-helfrich-latest-valley-firm-to-expand-to-india/

But note that Garnett & Helfrich, the former Menlo Park private equity firm that specializes in buying out small technology companies in not listed in Mark’s LinkedIn profile.

Mark says anything to survive….25 years ago he wrote a book predicting Microsoft would be out of business by 2006…. https://a.co/d/1j6ezde

His dog and pony show is catching up to him again. There are many hard working employees here at OpenText, but you should use this time to invest in your skills and learn about AI. That way if you get laid off you will be ready for the next thing in your career. Until there is new leadership, not sure if this company is a company worth saving.

I feel the same way too. But they are OpenText customers, not yours. I feel bad for customers and have built relationships but in the end they purchase OpenText products or services (or have continued to use products from an acquired company). You can’t carry the burden for poor management.

3 out of 4 OpenText employees came to OpenText via an acquisition and thus never applied to work at OpenText. As a result there are very few loyal OpenText employees, who’s is something a new CEO and management need to address soon. AI is not the answer since AI does not build relationships or loyalty. The executives in this company are empty suits. Hope things change soon.

It's not a matter of choice. When you want to keep your paycheck coming and your colleagues have been layoff, the work load is the same or growing. You just end up working harder, not by choice, but because you are a professional. That's my principle.
I am not going to take it out on my customers because the clueless management f** up.
But I will no longer work the extra hours to meet the increased workload and I am looking for other jobs.

“Sometimes hard work doesn't pay off.”
Jimmy Walker

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/geoffreycolon_silly-quote-ai-wont-take-your-job-its-activity-7186014717105127425-H-Yw?

Silly quote: “AI won't take your job, it's somebody using AI that will take your job."

Better quote: “AI will require you to adapt to your job using many skills that aren’t even technical.”

Let’s look at this scenario: You’re a school bus driver in the year 2049. The bus has been automated to drive the route. So the role of the bus driver has changed from one of driving to one of oversight and caretaking for the kids on the bus.

Does this scenario require somebody to use AI? No, the exact opposite. It needs someone who is both human and humane with massive soft skills. Asking the kids what they’re excited about, if they saw a recent video everyone’s talking about, what they’re learning in Math that week. Understanding emergency preparedness and first aid. You get my point. The role will change as a result of automation and it doesn’t need somebody who knows how to use AI in the adapted capacity but somebody using Everything Else we don’t pay any attention to: soft skills.

We tend to think in absolutist all or nothing scenarios but humans are intelligent and capable of collective action. Most people debating these scenarios and controlling the narrative don’t understand what makes human beings unique.

More contrarians are needed in this debate if it’s going to be realistic and interesting than pull quotes that look good on a laptop sticker.

Ah, the classic “great learning opportunity” line. Nothing says “I appreciate your hard work” like passing off the less glamorous parts of your job, right? It’s like a badge of honor when they hand you the grunt work, all while raking in the big bucks.

I mean, who wouldn’t want to take on the fun stuff like spreadsheets and endless emails? Meanwhile, they’re out there making it rain with their paychecks, all thanks to their “creative strategies” for cutting costs. Gotta love the corporate hustle! Honestly, it’s a talent to turn “you do my work for me” into a motivational speech. Cheers to the grind!

Wow true heroes!
Do you own at least some small % of company? Or you are willing to sacrifice for king?

"I’ve seen less than 5 “hard working professionals” in my 3 years"

Whatever our views of incompetent management, many individual contributors in my department are working our butts off to try to save our company. It's what we do.

I’ve seen less than 5 “hard working professionals” in my 3 years

That’s the high cost center of excellence. OT should build AI that would replace CEOs and executives. Imagine the cost savings.

Everyone does realize that this “proud Canadian company” is run by a bunch of silicon Valley execs sitting in Menlo Park, California, right?

Or just not curate the questions. Allow everyone see what is asked and which he chooses to ignore.

Mark needs to have a town hall where employees can submit questions anonymously and a third party mediator asks him. If there is nothing to hide, Mark should be able to handle this. It’s go time!

Exactly. I’m sure reporters would love to dig into how a “proud Canadian company” like OpenText is laying off tons of Canadian workers while execs collect millions. It’s not just bad optics—it’s a story begging to be told. Time to expose what’s really happening behind the corporate spin.

Agreed, it’s a Silicon Valley sweatshop. Management just wants endless quick wins. However nothing ever gets completed. Executives have an attention span of a gnat. All started when Mark became CEO in 2012 and grew the company via acquisitions. Executive assume since they change course all the employees can do the same. It easy to chase new ideas / initiatives when you don’t need to do the work. The real stinger is the executives won’t invest in anything, rather push employees to do what they can with what they have. The truth will all come out soon when the company implodes, unless they replace Mark soon. The board need to wake up and smell the coffee.