Reading up on Block
8 deep · digging since jan 29
- 10x is the new floor - by Nikunj Kothari - Balancing Act
AI tools have raised the baseline for individual productivity to the former 10x level, splitting the talent market and pressuring companies that rely on average performers.
- Opinion | I Worked for Block. Its A.I. Job Cuts Aren’t What They Seem. - The New York Times
Block's recent A.I.-related job cuts are argued to be a pretext for standard cost-cutting layoffs, masking traditional downsizing as technological progress.
- Layoffs at Block
Block cuts 40% of staff, citing AI-driven efficiency, but HN commenters suspect overhiring and poor stock performance.
- Inside the Rolling Layoffs at Jack Dorsey’s Block
Block employees describe a deteriorating culture with ongoing rolling layoffs, mandatory generative AI use, and performance anxiety after hundreds were fired.
- AI-Assisted Development at Block
Block Engineering's AI Champions program and repo readiness initiatives boosted AI-authored code by 69% and time savings by 37% in three months.
Takes
AI can build an app in an afternoon. But getting it safely into other people's hands is a whole other challenge! This is the problem that I've been working on these past few months. I'm proud to finally share how we solved it with Block App Kit! https://engineering.block.xyz/blog/from-localhost-to-launched-safely-shipping-apps-that-anyone-can-build
@jedwards_27
yes we over-hired during covid because i incorrectly built 2 separate company structures (square & cash app) rather than 1, which we corrected mid 2024. but this misses all the complexity we took on through lending, banking, and BNPL. and that we’re now targeting $2M+ gross… https://t.co/uaKgTdzGob
@jack
we're making @blocks smaller today. here's my note to the company.####today we're making one of the hardest decisions in the history of our company: we're reducing our organization by nearly half, from over 10,000 people to just under 6,000. that means over 4,000 of you are…
@jack