More info: (Destiny)

by Kermit , Raleigh, NC, Tuesday, October 31, 2023, 20:03 (392 days ago) @ Vortech
edited by Kermit, Tuesday, October 31, 2023, 20:43

New info about the Bungie layoffs. Per a source: pic.twitter.com/sPs9dLTruI

— Paul Tassi (@PaulTassi) October 31, 2023

The layoff decisions came directly from Bungie management, not Sony. This is not about Sony replacing Bungie employees with their own people.

Many employee benefits (though not health insurance), only last until the end of the month if you're let go. Laying people off on the 30th means a single additional day of coverage.

Many employees had unvested shares as a result of the Sony purchase. These shared would be recieved based on staying with the company for a certain number of years following the sale. But those shares revert to Bungie if you leave, even if you're fired, which is what's happening now to many of those affected.

What a dogshit company. I changed my mind, Claude. There’s literally nothing they could do to get me to reinstall Destiny, not that it was likely anyway.

So… the management is basically stealing from the employees, but in a way that's perfectly legal. Wow. Cool and normal.

This sucks, and I'm not approving that people got laid off, but firing someone is not stealing from them. Words have meanings. Stock grants are a part of compensation and they only vest if you are employed on the vesting date. Like like your paycheck only comes if you are still an employee.

I've been in the tech industry for nearly 25 years, working for a company that has a reputation for caring about its employees. I think it's a crapshoot whether I make it to my 25th anniversary given the atmosphere and the way things are changing now. At root, my company has cared for its employees because it could afford to, and it could afford to because its business model worked (being private helped). If the model stops working, that will change. I don't believe everything I read on the internet, but it appears that Bungie's revenue is down 45%, and what can't continue won't. I'm not defending how they've done these layoffs or the decision to layoff particular individuals, but there's too much I don't know to make grand pronouncements about who the bad guys are here. I'm sure there are pressures being borne that we know nothing about. I'll let ex-Bungie employees speak to their experience, and I'm sure there are legitimate complaints--there certainly have been in the past.

Ultimately, though, I don't take these massive games for granted. I still marvel at their existence, and my mind boggles at what they cost in terms of manpower. I'm also aware that they can't exist if there isn't a market that supports their existence. One more thing: Michael Salvatori is a class act--a true mensch.