Thread regarding Teradata Corp. layoffs

It's not just the leadership...

I was laid off from TD on 11/1 after 2 years and I see all the blame about the poor leadership. IMHO the culture of TD,mostly from the long-timers is part of the blame for the downfall. I've never seen a more self-satisfied group waiting for retirement instead of learning new technology. Nobody even bothered to learn the new product even in roles they were supposed to be the experts. Just my 2 cents...

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| 1981 views | | 8 replies (last November 28, 2023) | Reply
Post ID: @OP+1pIFCTAD

8 replies (most recent on top)

DEI training or training on technology for internal fake work would turn anyone off. The old timers smell something rotten in Denmark and directed their time on more valuable technology for the company and their careers elsewhere from the mo--n ELT that don't know how to lead.

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Post ID: @6onc+1pIFCTAD

Sure OP, the "legacy" old timers are the problem.

Many of us "old timers" are willing to learn new technology etc. but it has to be something that's sellable, differentiated from the competition.

How about you newbies take some time to understand how our installed base (pays the bills) uses our "legacy" technology to deliver for the business?

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Post ID: @5eqa+1pIFCTAD

Was at Teradata for 5ish years. What I experienced was a legacy crew of old timers that were staunchly against change. One of the more ridiculous examples was a 1500 row xls with a mix of spaghetti logic that had evolved over 20+ years. This was used to track presale elements that didn't need to be defined to make a sale. (Could and should have been addressed post sale) Since the early 2000s 99% of all businesses have moved away from selling this way because it significantly expands the time to close for deals. But not Teradata the old timers refused to change. Honestly I blame leadership in situations like this. They allowed admins to live in the past. They also aren't pushing to keep up with modern business standards.

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Post ID: @2gxk+1pIFCTAD

The OP only had 2 years at TDC, which is a short sighted view of a 40+ year old company. I suspect a lot of short timers have similar opinions.

I can understand the frustration of short timers, as I've sensed a lack of mentorship between some old timers and newer employees. To the newer employees, I would ask how they would respond if the company they had devoted themselves to for decades had discarded many of their colleagues, to be replaced by cheap offshore workers on the other side of the planet ? Just because the senior staff doesn't seem willing to embrace every shiny new tech doesn't mean they're clueless; it's simply a matter of survival. As long as the mgmt de jure thinks you're irreplaceable, they won't discard you, so communication with new people may be heavily filtered.

However the latest ELT doesn't seem to care about institutional knowledge and industry experience, so newer employees may have more opportunities - as long as they're not in North America. Just care more about process and DEI than customers and product, and you'll do fine - at least until they turn out the lights in a few years.

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Post ID: @2rxq+1pIFCTAD

Original poster is either ignorant of reality or naive. Get together with a an old timer coworker that had accomplished real products and profits for the customer and company and learn from them.

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Post ID: @1vvu+1pIFCTAD

When a team fail, they fire the coaches, not the team.

Whoever posted this seems to be making excused to support management by spreading blame. It's very clear. Management failed.

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Post ID: @1okw+1pIFCTAD

This post couldn't be more wrong.

The incompetent (never led a real software development) leadership team inherited a top notch hard core professional software engineering team and squandered it.

The team was a mixed of old timers with vast product, technical and engineering experience, up and coming engineering technical and management leaders groomed to lead the team, and new team members with fresh ideas. The team had a supportive culture was a well tuned engine, ready to execute. This is the same team that adapted countless number of times through technology shifts through the years when given autonomy to retool, expand knowledge, and so forth .

The leaders since the start of the now no end in sight infamous transformation were the cloud denying CTO, OR the product SVP and eventual CEO, that never ran a software engineering team, application/system integrator from Ebay, RP the beginning of DEI hire from GE that spew UI and software testing left and right but no clue what the database does, HA the woke product manager that knows nothing about the core software engineering but is now the CPO for all engineering, DS the SVP that is really a process evangelist who only ever led service organizations and no clue on working with real software engineers, and on and on.

None of these clueless bstrds know the valuable product or the people they inherited to lead. They did NOT care to know the people and their skills. Instead of capitalizing on the products and talents of the team. They chased people off and dismantled the organization through their ego, stupidity, and lack of moral. They load up the organization with their friends and family and instill a culture of political activism at the very least and toxic political vindictiveness.

Good management know how to get the best of any team they are given. They know how to motivate and inspire. They have the right strategy and plan. All the previous and current management DO NOT have any of this and so they do layoffs of everyone else but themselves to hide the real problems, which is them.

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Post ID: @1obz+1pIFCTAD

Well if there was a true direction to execute towards, everyone world be on board. Teradata continues to be a ship captained by a bunch of investment groups with experience in finance Whitney no knowledge of big data manipulation or tools other than cooking their books.

There once was a company that was Teradata one with goals and aspirations, now it is just a name like Bell&Howell, Amana and Bed Bath & Beyond. A name and nothing more.

At some point Teradata will start selling LED ceiling fans and window scrapers.

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Post ID: @1vuf+1pIFCTAD

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