Proprietary Passing Fads and Microsoft Layoffs (UPDATED)

posted by Roy Schestowitz on Jul 21, 2023,
updated Jul 21, 2023

• Threads daily users drop by 50%, time spent in the app falls by 71%, not quite the Twitter killer huh?

  We expected some people to try it out and leave but this level of decline is higher than we thought it would be after just a week. I would argue that if the Threads experience was compelling, the decline would not have been as bad. It is clear that Threads was rushed to take advantage of some PR troubles Twitter was/is facing.

• There's no rebound in sight for unprofitable SaaS

  But it also means that there's probably a lot more pain in the pipeline for unprofitable software startups, almost all of which are now SaaS, which raised money in the late go-go days. If a company raised a wallop of cash in 2021, they're soon coming up on that 18-month anniversary when it's supposed to be all spent. Now that runway has likely been extended by early cost-cutting, but those cuts won't last forever, and when fresh capital is inevitable needed, it'll be murder on the cap tables. Potential victims here include ClickUp, Airtable, and Notion. All who raised hundreds of millions at the peak of the market at insane valuations that'll be extremely difficult to live up to.

• End of IT Jobs? Indian Tech Giants - Infosys, TCS Q1 FY24 Results Raise Questions

• The Unexpected Layoffs: 50 Employees Let Go from Activision Blizzard's Esports Division [Ed: Microsoft says it wants to buy you and then...]

  In the midst of Microsoft's impending takeover of Activision Blizzard, the gaming industry is abuzz with news of significant changes within the company's esports division. Recently, approximately 50 employees were laid off from the division, raising concerns about the future of its beloved Overwatch League (OWL) and its city-based franchise system.

• More Layoffs At Microsoft As Company Goes Beyond Initial Plans

  Microsoft has reportedly reduced its workforce further by 1,000 over the past week, mostly in sales and customer services teams.

UPDATE

• Microsoft Layoffs Over 1,000 Jobs Amid Restructuring

  Microsoft has additionally diminished the worker headcount by 1,000 throughout the last week. A report guaranteed that the most recent Microsoft layoffs are notwithstanding the 10,000 Job cuts that the organization declared recently. Last week, the tech goliath affirmed that it’s dispensing with unexpected positions.

• Activision Job Cuts: Activision cuts jobs amid Microsoft takeover deal: Divisions affected, number of employees and more

  Microsoft is yet to seal the deal to take over Call of Duty maker Activision which was announced in early 2022. According to a report by Verge, the gaming studio has reportedly laid off around 50 employees from its esports division amid the acquisition turmoil. The report also mentioned that the sacked employees have already been informed about the layoffs. As per the report, Activision Blizzard is also planning major changes to the Overwatch League (OWL).The franchise’s city-based tournament format may also come to an end.