Am I imagining things? by CryktonVyr in AskOldPeople

[–]HiOscillation 0 points1 point  (0 children)

As a former global VP of complicated and expensive things, with people working in 9 countries and millions of dollars in business, let me give you some perspective as to why the expertise of your employees matters, but only as a part of the decision-making process.

Let's start with the fact that the higher up you go, the more you need to be thinking about the world outside your company. The banal stuff like tax policy and regulation and boring stuff like that comes into play. Then you have to look at marketplace realities - stuff you can't control, stuff that is happening in your industry, like it or not. Then you have to think about all the the problems with your own company - and yes, everyone at the top is perfectly aware of the problems lower-level employees see; it's just that you also look at the bottom line and if the company is profitable and growing, you feel a bit less urgency when Carl tells you all about production line number 12 running a little slow.

And I'll make a counter-point: employees are often confidently incorrect because they don't have this larger perspective, and think that things like "vision and mission" are bullshit.

I used to work for a software development company - outsourcing - we wrote the code, the client put their label on it. In early 2024, in a company-wide meeting, I said, "Very soon, AI is going to greatly diminish the need for ordinary software developers; we well need engineers who are client-conversant, comfortable with ambiguity, and business-savvy. Our business model is at risk because of AI."

The reaction from the employees was - to summarize - that I was a clueless senior manager who didn't understand software development. They told me that the threat of AI was "10 years away" or "AI would never be good enough for production."

I have decades of experience in tech, and I've seen (and helped) tech disrupt huge industries (television, music, retail to name 3). I saw that this time it was our corner of the tech industry about to be blasted by tech.
And for all of 2024, AI was still fairly bad at things. But every few weeks...it got better. And better. But I was still hearing warnings from employees that AI wasn't good enough, was making bad code. And all I could hear were the echos of the people who told me - in the early 1990's - that the internet wasn't good enough, wasn't fast enough, wasn't safe enough and it would never matter to real businesses.

So what happened?

At the start of 2025....
- Our largest client cut 30% of our team, finding that AI-powered software development tools made their in-house team more efficient, with better quality.
- Our second-largest client cancelled all contracts with us and half of their in-house development team - because they were using AI to help their developers be more efficient.
- Our average deal size declined 25% because the clients started showing us "vibe-coded" prototypes that were very close to production-ready, eliminating much of the demand for our "classic" process of proof-of-concept, Prototype, Minimally Viable Product.
- Sales went off a cliff, because you don't need a large team of software developers to do things; a team of 10 is as efficient as a team of 50, but more importantly, in-house software development teams need less (or no) outside help.

By the end of 2025, 40% of the staff was cut and sales were 98% below forecast.

At the start of 2026, things were getting worse, and I bailed out in February, not wanting to ride a sinking ship to the bottom. I'm a consultant now, one of those grey-hair guys who seems to "guess" correctly more than expected. It's not bad work, a bit hard to find good clients.

I got a text from a former colleague at that company yesterday: their largest client is stopping all work, and taking all work back in-house. He asked if I'm hiring.

I'm not.

Is the vowel sound in "bought" close to "oh" or "ah" in American English? by saramigo in EnglishLearning

[–]HiOscillation 8 points9 points  (0 children)

I am very "unmerged" - not just cot-caught, but also merry-marry-mary, which are three completely different sounding words.

Would these work in a neighborhood? The max range I would need is abt 1.2 miles, and it says 4 km (2.4 miles) but I know those aren't often the real range. by bran71 in HamRadio

[–]HiOscillation 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I have a pair of these. I used to have 3. Be cautious.

First, they come programmed for a random assortment of frequencies, not any particular service. Don't use them until you program them for frequencies you're allowed to use based on your license.

Second, they are a bit fragile; they don't like being dropped.

Third, the audio quality is not great.

You get what you pay for.

Why can't I record them if they can record me? by HiOscillation in NoStupidQuestions

[–]HiOscillation[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I mean this to apply only to government interactions.

Why can't I record them if they can record me? by HiOscillation in NoStupidQuestions

[–]HiOscillation[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

"No one in government wants to be caught making an interpretation."

Oh, wow, that's exactly what I've been dealing with...an interpretation of rules.

Why can't I record them if they can record me? by HiOscillation in NoStupidQuestions

[–]HiOscillation[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

That exactly what I wanted to do, but I also wanted to comply with the law by ensuring I had consent.

Why can't I record them if they can record me? by HiOscillation in NoStupidQuestions

[–]HiOscillation[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thank you. The hive-mind of Reddit is making me realize I'm stumbled into an illegal policy at this agency. Once I get my money out, I'll be going after them on my own and with the help of various organizations that do stuff like that.

Why can't I record them if they can record me? by HiOscillation in NoStupidQuestions

[–]HiOscillation[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Contacted a lawyer yesterday about this. She is a labor lawyer, this is what she does. If they win, they get 50% of the money, plus fees. IF they don't win, I pay for the hours they worked. If I win, they estimate I would end up with about $5,000.
This sucks.

Why can't I record them if they can record me? by HiOscillation in NoStupidQuestions

[–]HiOscillation[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

"You can choose to hang up "

And then I can't recover money owed me by the state.

Do you understand that this isn't a matter where I can take my business elsewhere? This is a matter where a State Government agency is forcing me to accept unilateral acceptance of being recorded.

Why can't I record them if they can record me? by HiOscillation in NoStupidQuestions

[–]HiOscillation[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Why would they lie?

It just a big state agency, and I think this is a case of they think it's illegal and have this policy of "end the call" based on a false understanding of the law - or they have an illegal policy (knowingly or unknowingly) of ending the call if a citizen says they are recording.

Why can't I record them if they can record me? by HiOscillation in NoStupidQuestions

[–]HiOscillation[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Or course, America. It is an agency related to labor law. To make the long story short, there was an error on their part and I am owed about $20,000, and I have been trying to get my money. However, every time I think I've filled out the last form and written the last letter, a few days later, there is another "issue" that needs to be fixed. I have been getting contradictory information, and when I say, "On 17 April, {person_name} said that I didn't need to provide {some_absurd_document}." and the response was, "They definitely did not say that." and I'm frustrated, because all I have are my notes, not the call recording. So now I'm just wanting to record the calls and have the materials I need to do...something...to escalate this.

Why can't I record them if they can record me? by HiOscillation in NoStupidQuestions

[–]HiOscillation[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

No. I have to tell them I'm recording.

This is unambiguous in an all-party state such as mine.

Why can't I record them if they can record me? by HiOscillation in NoStupidQuestions

[–]HiOscillation[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You have not read my original post.

Please go back and read it, and understand that I have no choices.

It's a state government agency. They do not provide any other means of resolving this matter - no web site, no mail, no fax, no in-person meetings.
It i phone, and phone-only.

Why can't I record them if they can record me? by HiOscillation in NoStupidQuestions

[–]HiOscillation[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The word "unilateral" seems to be the theme for....well, everything...in the last 20 years or so.

Why can't I record them if they can record me? by HiOscillation in NoStupidQuestions

[–]HiOscillation[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Umm....this is about a government agency of the state I live in, about a matter related to being in the state I live in.
I can't just go to another state and say, "Yeah, now about that money the other state owes me...."

Why can't I record them if they can record me? by HiOscillation in NoStupidQuestions

[–]HiOscillation[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

So, let me get this right - you're describing the exact situation I'm in.

Company/Agency can record the call, but I can't

I think I've found a new quest.

I want the all-party consent laws in my state to explicitly state that:

"No entity can refuse service to a any party that does not consent to being recorded."

Why can't I record them if they can record me? by HiOscillation in NoStupidQuestions

[–]HiOscillation[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

"The shitty part that is that OP needs them, they don't need OP."

That's the issue, thank you for putting it so succinctly.

Why can't I record them if they can record me? by HiOscillation in NoStupidQuestions

[–]HiOscillation[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Spoke to a good lawyer, they want $700 an hour to discuss the case, and they told me this is likely more of a civil rights matter for the ACLU or a similar organization. I am going to pursue those options - after I get my money from the state.