Thread regarding Synopsys Inc. layoffs

@1x3 is the move to be really negative to get a severance?

@1f5 shape survey is probably another trap to find candidates for the next rif round(s)...

@1f5 They only concern themselves with stock price appreciation and profits, for them its another company to make profit from

@19a What's Elliott's reaction when he sees the Shape survey result?

@199 good luck on your investment Elliott

@198 case in point I am leaving for a job that pays no better. I love my team but as the last all hands showed this place is rudderless and out of touch with the people that actually keep the lights on

I respect my manager but Synopsys is a wounded giant ready to sell out operations for the highest bidder. I don’t know why anyone with the talent to switch would stay here. Why not find work that aligns with your values rather than working for a org who’s leadership is only interested in satisfying the street - not in building a sustainable business.

@jg When middle management becomes corrupted, it leads to situations like the recent layoffs, where some employees who should have stayed were let go, while others who should have been let go were kept. The new HR lady boss is a disaster to the company.

@ft When an engineering company loses its engineering culture, it loses the engine that drives real growth. That’s what’s happening at Synopsys. A thick isolation layer now separates top decision‑makers from the engineers who actually understand the products, and information only moves upward after being filtered to protect the people in the middle.

The core issue is a middle‑management layer focused almost entirely on upward management. Instead of enabling engineers, they manage optics, guard their positions, and control narratives. Engineers have no meaningful way to challenge poor decisions, and leadership rarely hears unfiltered technical truth.

This dynamic steadily erodes the company’s engineering culture. Innovation slows, technical debt grows, and product quality declines. From the outside the company may still look strong, but internally it has lost the momentum that once powered its growth.

When engineers are muted and middle managers control the flow of information, the company stops functioning as an engineering‑driven organization. And once that shift happens, long‑term growth becomes impossible.

Engineers should rule in a engineering company.
Simple as that.
As soon as bean counters or lawyers run a tech company it goes down the drain.
History is full of examples.
Tech is difficult for a reason: you have to know what you are taking aboutt.
And SNPS is full of people who don't, at levels -8,-7 and up.

"Thanks bro. I will seriously consider this."

-- Sassine

Good post. While a bit out of balance regarding the breakout I think you're way more accurate than not. Once you're way past the Startup phase the Staff functions will become much more important. Operating a ship requires a very different organization than rowing a boat.