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JCM9 commented on Google has eliminated 35% of managers overseeing small teams in past year   cnbc.com/2025/08/27/googl... · Posted by u/frays
mikestew · 8 hours ago
The 35% reduction refers to the number of managers who oversee fewer than three people, according to a person familiar with the matter.

If you oversee 0-2 people, in most cases that’s probably not an efficient ratio. How did Google get so many folks in that position in the first place? And I assume the other 65% take up the slack to fluff their teams? Or what? Leave the other 65% managing 0-2 people?

JCM9 · 7 hours ago
Fewer than 3 people? That almost never makes sense. Right on Google to sort that out but I’d have a lot of questions for whatever leaders allowed such nonsense to develop on their watch in the first place.

Also 35% is way too low if it’s really less than three. Should be more like eliminating 95% of those scenarios.

JCM9 commented on Scamlexity: When agentic AI browsers get scammed   guard.io/labs/scamlexity-... · Posted by u/mindracer
jerf · 3 days ago
I have definitely found utility in modeling certain words and phrases as having a value for marketers (and by extension, politicians) that acts much like a natural resource that they can "use up". It's a tragedy of the commons situation in which every participant is motivated to use it up as quickly as possible to their advantage because there is no reason for any given participant not to.

Further based on the way some of these things get used I'm pretty certain this modelling is consciously used by some higher-end marketing firms (and politicians), though by its nature it tends to also be copied by other people not in on the original plan simply by them copying what works, which depletes the value of the word or phrase even more quickly, and the fact that this will happen is part of the tragedy of the commons.

I'm sure it's only a matter of time before AIs become part of this push and we'll witness some sort of coordinated campaign where all our AIs simultaneously wake up one day and push us all with the same phrasing to do some particular thing at the behest of marketers or politicians because it works.

JCM9 · 3 days ago
We’re using big data to fuel our agentic AI on the blockchain to drive synergies with our machine learning powered NFT tokens to amplify network effects of social media backed personalized marketing campaigns.
JCM9 commented on Walmart Fires VP in Tech for Taking Daily Kickbacks Starting from $30K   ctol.digital/news/walmart... · Posted by u/napolux
JCM9 · 3 days ago
It’s unclear from the article exactly what happened, but the general implication/allegation one takes away is that Walmart tech operations looks more like waste management contracting from the Sopranos.
JCM9 commented on Scamlexity: When agentic AI browsers get scammed   guard.io/labs/scamlexity-... · Posted by u/mindracer
JCM9 · 3 days ago
“Agentic” seems the be some quick pivot buzzword that the AI grifters started pushing as soon as generic AI started to show cracks.

“Hey this AI stuff looks a bit overhyped.”

“AI? Oh that’s kids stuff, let me tell you about our agentic features!”

Giving flaky shaky AI the ability to push buttons and do stuff. What could possibly go wrong? Malicious actors will have a field day with this.

JCM9 commented on Being “Confidently Wrong” is holding AI back   promptql.io/blog/being-co... · Posted by u/tango12
JCM9 · 6 days ago
Add to being confidently wrong is the super annoying way it corrects itself after disastrously screwing something up.

AI: “I’ve deployed the API data into your app, following best practices and efficient code.”

Me: “Nope thats totally wrong and in fact you just wrote the API credential into my code, in plaintext, into the JavaScript which basically guarantees that we’re gonna get hacked.”

AI: “You’re absolutely right. Putting API credentials into the source code for the page is not a best practice, let me fix that for you.”

JCM9 commented on 95% of Companies See 'Zero Return' on $30B Generative AI Spend   thedailyadda.com/95-of-co... · Posted by u/speckx
highwaylights · 7 days ago
I wouldn’t be surprised if 95% of companies knew this was a money pit but felt obligated to burn a pile of money on it so as not to hurt the stock price.
JCM9 · 7 days ago
FOMO on the way up to the peak is a powerful force. Now that we’re sliding down the other side FOMO turns into “WTF did we just spend all that money on again?”
JCM9 commented on 95% of Companies See 'Zero Return' on $30B Generative AI Spend   thedailyadda.com/95-of-co... · Posted by u/speckx
JCM9 · 7 days ago
We are entering the “Trough of disillusionment.” These hype cycles are very predictable. GPT-5 being panned as a disappointment after endless hype may go down as GenAI’s “jump the shark” moment.

It’s all fun and games until the bean counters start asking for evidence of return on investment. GenAI folks better buckle up. Bumps ahead. The smart folks are already quietly preparing for a shift to ride the next hype wave up while others ride this train to the trough’s bottom.

Cue a bunch of increasingly desperate puff PR trying to show this stuff returns value.

JCM9 commented on AWS CEO says using AI to replace junior staff is 'Dumbest thing I've ever heard'   theregister.com/2025/08/2... · Posted by u/JustExAWS
darth_avocado · 7 days ago
They are still not hiring junior engineers
JCM9 · 7 days ago
Well they’re just trying to reduce headcount overall to get the expenses for AWS in better shape and work through some bloat. The “we’re doing layoffs because of AI” story wasn’t sticking though so looks like now they’re backtracking that story line.
JCM9 commented on AWS CEO says using AI to replace junior staff is 'Dumbest thing I've ever heard'   theregister.com/2025/08/2... · Posted by u/JustExAWS
JCM9 · 7 days ago
So to summarize:

My boss said we were gonna fire a bunch of people “because AI” as part of some fluff PR to pretend we were actually leaders in AI. We tried that a bit, it was a total mess and we have no clue what we’re doing, I’ve been sent out to walk back our comments.

JCM9 commented on AWS in 2025: Stuff you think you know that's now wrong   lastweekinaws.com/blog/aw... · Posted by u/keithly
JCM9 · 7 days ago
Some good stuff here. I wish AWS would just focus on these boring, but ultimately important, things that they’re good at instead of all the current distractions trying to play catch up on “AI.” AWS leadership missed the boat there big time, but that’s OK.

Ultimately AWS doesn’t have the right leadership or talent to be good at GenAI, but they do (or at least used to) have decent core engineers. I’d like to see them get back to basics and focus there. Right now leadership seems panicked about GenAI and is just throwing random stuff at the wall desperately trying to get something to stick. Thats really annoying to customers.

u/JCM9

KarmaCake day3638January 19, 2021View Original