Ask YC: Would you stay at Yahoo or would you go now?

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=178664

by nomad • 18 years ago

3 6 18 years ago

news.ycombinator.com

If you were a Yahoo employee (I'm not), you would leave now or stick it out until there's an acquisition? Is it likely for you to get a severance package offering or is that only in the case when you are laid off, not voluntarily leaving?

kyro• 18 years ago

You know, as much as people say a Microsoft acquisition is inevitable ultimately diluting whatever spice Yahoo! may have left, I think there's a chance for Yahoo! to emerge with much more force.

With Buzz, Fire Eagle, etc., their recent dabbles with Google, exceeding revenue expectations, and the prospect of going under, this situation may serve to provide Yahoo! with motivational and creative drives to create really cool applications and services. The drive people can acquire when they realize the severity of the situation and what's at stake can be astonishing.

So, for me, I'd wait it out. Some really innovative things can come of this.

nomad2• 18 years ago

I think Yahoo does have some promising products, but is facing an AOL-ish future of scatteredness. Also, the employees might be patient enough to wait it out, but are the shareholders willing?

dangoldin• 18 years ago

There are some blogs(alleyinsider and techcrunch) that are saying a lot of the Yahoos are only waiting until the merger goes through since some contract clause would kick in to accelerate their pay, vest their options, etc.

If this were true I'd imagine I'd stay until the acquisition and then move on to greener pastures.

okeumeni• 18 years ago

Yahoo is still a multi billion dollar company; I think it’s unfair to talk about as a small shop. What ever happen to Yahoo, employees are still much better off than in most places.

greyman• 18 years ago

I would wait to get laid off with severance package, or survive with my job. Will working in Microhoo be that terrible? I don't think so.

In the very long term, I don't see bright future for Y!, since they don't have any really unique technology. They basically profit from their being the first who created big directory of www links, which is now rather irrelevant.

But talking about employment, I don't think it's useful to think long-term, so it would be perfectly fine for me to work there right now.

nomad2• 18 years ago

Also what do you guys think timing wise for an acquisition? It's moving at a far slower pace than I thought, though with such huge companies, I shouldn't be so surprised.

Ask YC: Would you stay at Yahoo or would you go now?

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