Thread regarding Dell Inc. layoffs

@185 No—you are correct. I was speaking for sales, solution architects, and consulting. Product engineering is a different story. That requires deep dive focus.

Working in sales and consulting vs engineering is different. You know that right? Actually trying to take specific IP components that make the product something you can sell and jam it together doesn’t work. Sure, it “could” work but see you in 15 years. The ROI just isn’t there. Do you seriously think you’re the first person that’s thought of this?!???

@13z Dude. I’m the former SPS guy that commented below. I’ve been doing storage for 25 years. I have worked for 3 major vendors, including Dell, in sales and/or consulting. I have worked with all different flavors of block, file, object, backup, cluster filesystems, distributed file systems, and high performance file from HP, EMC, Dell, Netapp, Hitachi, Commvault, Microsoft, etc…. I’ve worked with many different operating systems. I have worked directly on the customer side. If you really understand technology, you see the commonality among all these platforms. Yes—there are things in file that don’t apply to block. But if you understand the underlying technology, you immediately see that all cluster file systems need a file locking mechanism and a way to resolve split brain (as an example).

You can take any monkey and train them on a single product. The monkey will think they’re a genius. That’s the background of many tech workers. Starting in the mid ’90’s,. companies would hire ANYONE with half a brain and train them because there was such a shortage of workers. As time went on and companies needed to save money, they would try to hire away trained workers with very similar backgrounds to minimize the necessary investment in training and ramp up period. As companies further eliminated training, skills have suffered.

The workers that did not study tech but were trained in specific areas have difficulty adapting to different technology without extensive training, which companies don’t want to offer anymore unless you are in a DEI category. Workers that studied computer science or computer engineering can adapt to different technology much more easily.

Back in the day, companies like IBM ran what was almost a university internally to continually train employees. That’s all gone. Companies prioritize cheap labor over skilled labor.

If Dell currently has 100k employees, I bet the company could perform BETTER with 70k top shelf employees that they continually invest in and retain. But Michael doesn’t know technology. He is a smart businessman. He built Dell based on supply chain management and logistics—not having the best technology.

BTW—another strong argument for combining these teams is that they compete with each other. If an SPS rep sees an opportunity, he will try to jam something from his portfolio in rather than pass it to UDS even if UDS is a better fit. I don’t mean to pick on SPS. I have seen this with many teams.

“Not an ignorant observation. Lots of storage teams are just different shades of the same thing.

Why have 5 teams supporting 5 different products when you could smoosh them into 1 and cut 50% of the headcount”

You clearly have no idea what you’re talking about and certainly not in Storage. You have no idea what makes the IP of different storage devices.

@10w I agree with your sentiment but there is an overarching problem (that particularly impacts support).

Talented people. The people who are capable of providing A+ support are also the most hireable. The most capable people should be moving roles, should be stepping into better paid positions and as the most capable, they will.

This leaves the issue of “tenure”. If you are tenured. If you look at your self as tenured and can’t understand why you aren’t being promoted. If you have been in the same role for 5+ years, doing the same thing, day in and day out. Then you have found the ceiling of your capabilities.

Storage is filled with these people. Tenure does not mean you are the best. You are actually what is left over.

This applies to all levels and departments.

@10w <—this is me continuing.

DOS=DPS. That was a typo

To quote Steve Jobs: “ A small team of A+ players can run circles around a giant team of B and C players.”

I used to be SPS. I was more than capable of covering UDS and DOS. Dell should consolidate those positions but then pay them better since only the more solid individuals have the deeper understanding necessary to span these areas. Dell will still save money because lower headcount=less benefits and payroll taxes.

Dell should follow this model in other areas as well. The company should invest in training these resources (I got zero training) and focus on retaining the employees they invested in. Tenured employees will have the additional benefit of more experience and institutional knowledge.

The whole industry used to function more like this. The mentality of firing to meet quarterly results has broken the whole industry. Hiring and developing TOP talent takes a long time. Throwing that away to meet short term targets is ki-ling us.

@d6 If you're some bored executive, you're just here to be a stupid di-k.

If you're a real person, you need to wake the fu-k up to what a self sabotaging id--t you are.

How's this for rationalizing, before the dell takeover EMC had a great reputation for providing good customer service and the company as a whole was on an upward trajectory. The exact opposite has happened since dell took over and started insisting we do things their way.

@d6

Agreed. Lack of sales has to be a part of the equation.

I think they keep hacking off limbs until the patient is barely alive. That seems to be the trend across all businesses.

You need knowledgeable people for each of the products. These products are not similar. I would say keep the technical folks but get rid of Sales for them.

@as “rewarded with downtime” and then ask the question why storage is being hit with cuts.

This is a business.

Why have people specialize and be rewarded for efficacy with downtime when there could be 1/3 as many people running with their a-s on fire hating life and souring the customer experience.

@a7 Sounds like a great way to finish driving the company into the ground.

Not an ignorant observation. Lots of storage teams are just different shades of the same thing.

Why have 5 teams supporting 5 different products when you could smoosh them into 1 and cut 50% of the headcount.

That’s an incredibly ignorant observation.