Wayfair fired a bunch of people again today, after using them to train AI
Apr 18, 2024 - news.ycombinator.com
The author's friend, along with their entire team, was abruptly terminated from their job at Wayfair after being forced to watch a video about the company's new direction. The employees were locked out of their accounts almost immediately, with little time to bid farewell to their colleagues. The team had been training an AI to replace them for several months, and the managers were made to come in later in the day to be fired separately.
The company decided to retain only one manager who resides in a region with low labor costs, where the work of managing the new AI will be outsourced to underpaid workers. The employees were advised not to discuss the matter on social media. The author criticizes Wayfair for its lack of concern for its employees.
Key takeaways:
The company held a mandatory meeting to announce a new direction, which involved layoffs.
Employees were abruptly locked out of their accounts after the announcement.
The company has been training an AI to replace the employees, and the work of managing this AI is being offshored to a place with underpaid labor.
The company has discouraged employees from discussing the situation on social media.
