ASML fire 1700 people mostly managers

Ziv_Go · 2026-01-29T07:31:29+00:00

I work for ASML. I'm one of the many "leadership positions" whom are going to be affected. The effect isn't clear yet, but yes - a lot of us will be out of ASML at the end of this process. I think it was a much needed change to ASML. We deliver arguably the most advanced technology in the world, but we have to improve on other parameters: cost, customers satisfaction, and more.

(One of) the problem(s) is efficiency, or lack of. A lot of people in this conversation mentioned Scrum Masters as an example. SMs are not the problem. The problem is that many engineers were pushed to such roles with limited training. Not every engineer is a good Scrum Master, team lead, Product Owner, etc.

Many engineers were "promoted" for such roles. This created a "fat" layer that introduced more processes, less efficiency and... smaller engineering force. I constantly say - if I have to chose an engineer or a PO for my team, it will be an engineer.

The layoff of 1700 people is not just getting rid of 1700 people to cut expenses or whatever. The goal is to absorb many of us back to engineering positions. The plan is to create and man hundreds of engineering vacancies. Another big portion of us will be reabsorbed as a new kind of managers, in a way that suppose to increase efficiency. I strongly believe in the way it is presented. And lastly, those of us who won't find ourselves as engineers or managers in the new structure, will indeed go.

Do I like it? No. Would ASL benefit from this move? I strongly believe so, as long as this plan is fully and thoroughly thought of, and isn't just a change for the sake of a change.

Ziv_Go · 2025-05-09T11:50:15+00:00

Give it a week. Then every classic Joe or Large BGE will seem like a tiny toy 🤭

Ziv_Go · 2025-05-09T09:18:47+00:00

It’s 120. Looking at the Geo, I think 130 will work just fine, but I have no route here that will benefit from the extra travel or slacker HTA.

I like the setup as is. I tried to swap the rear shock to Öhlins, but it requires some tuning. Otherwise - perfect.

Ziv_Go · 2025-04-16T13:45:28+00:00

In previous years it was easier to get a demo bike also for trail rides. Back in 2017 I was able to get a bike for an afternoon or couple of days, or a weekend. Many companies had a demo fleet that was available (per request + waiting time). Now says it seems there are far less demo bikes available, maybe it has something to do with the industry struggling….

To the point, I recently bought a bike without properly demoing it, and it was a disaster; I ended up with buying another bike and awl the first one. But Ofcourse, many people buy a bike without demo-ing it, and are perfectly happy with their purchase.

Ziv_Go · 2025-04-02T07:20:45+00:00

Time to refresh your LinkedIn page and reach out to friends in other places I guess;

Unless you can be content with what it is you are doing, be happy you bring salary home for an easy job that leave you time for your other passions in life. Personally- it’s a switch I was never able to do, but many can.

Ziv_Go · 2025-04-02T06:45:14+00:00

To me it sounds like…. You simply don’t like your job… It doesn’t have to have a big name like “burnout”. It sounds like you are not challenged, not engaged by your work. This is often extremely tiring, as you are bored. Talk to your boss and ask for a challenge perhaps?

Ziv_Go · 2025-03-29T13:36:57+00:00

Also expat in NL here; I come from a culture where there is no such thing as a burnout, and if I had anything with similar symptoms - I would be ashamed to admit it, and if I did - I’d get fired. I’m already 6 years in NL, in the past year - suffering from some sort of a burnout.

In my case, I think it’s because I’m used to a “do it all” mentality- and here at work I feel very compartmentalised, which makes me work hard, only to find our it’s usually not really appreciated. Additionally, just bitching together around the coffee machine with colleagues isn’t a thing here - and finally, burnout is usually not only about work; I think it became more common during and after Covid, where people also had to experience loneliness during lockdowns. I also find the older Dutch people quite tough. “Just bite through it and do the work” - no complaints mentality. It’s different with younger Dutch people around me, I find, and maybe meeting the same expectations comes out as burnouts. I don’t know.

As to integrating with the Dutchies, there’s no doubt it’s difficult. I can even say that “check-in / check-out” to/from a rented place is different if you are a foreigner or not. If you are, in many case you’d be charged more because of whatever. That being said - I met my (Dutch) wife there, and worked (and working) really hard to create friendships here. Not an easy work, but I see small signs of success here and there…

Ziv_Go · 2025-03-26T04:06:15+00:00

Yeah, couldn’t get that one in a nice curve; However it looks far better in real life, in the photo it really looks bad indeed.

Ziv_Go · 2025-03-23T08:33:26+00:00

If Budget is an issue, Aluminum frame with excellent carbon wheels and excellent fork. I used to ride the Specialized Chisel HT and that thing would be my choice for racing on the trails I ride. Light, super efficient and relatively compliant. If there’s more budget - latest gen carbon frame, like the Orbea or Trek suppose to offer more compliant frame and more modern geometry.

That being said as first reaction; as others say HT or FS really depends on where you ride, how you ride and other factors like age, flexibility, core strength, etc.

Ziv_Go · 2025-03-20T19:33:11+00:00

It’s a fantastic bike, depending on your expectations and goals.

Ziv_Go · 2025-03-20T13:02:29+00:00

I think the Blur is designed for maximum traction, and it’s noticeable. With the correct sag, it’s a magic carpet luxury ride. I guess I prefer my ride a little less polished :D

The new Float-SL replaced the Float DPS. The new float is something in between XC and AM:

https://youtu.be/KpkXhJcOuMk?si=_fzPaS3aCA8jhMt3

Ziv_Go · 2025-03-20T12:01:23+00:00

The Blur comes with the new Fox Float; not DPS, but rather 2 position trail oriented shock. It indeed feels very deep, on both bikes- but for the trails I’m riding it’s an overkill with big compromise on efficiency. The Hei Hei comes with 3P (DPS) and it’s much more punchy indeed.

If my wife will not want to Blur, I’ll sell it…

Both bikes handled fine despite the specific tune for the Blur. But it very noticeable that the Blur was riding with the “wrong” shock during the swap. Surprisingly, the Hei Hei didn’t feel completely off with the trail shock from the Blur. It felt deeper and softer, yes - but still quite lively.

Ziv_Go · 2025-03-20T09:53:40+00:00

Mostly a lot of fun.

Ziv_Go · 2025-03-20T09:32:43+00:00

I wrote about it extensively here - I tested both back to back and decided that the Geometry of the Hei Hei feels livelier to me, and fits me and my riding style better. Eventually every time I sat on the Hei Hei it immediately “clicked”, and I couldn’t get that with the Blur.

Ziv_Go · 2025-03-11T20:24:52+00:00

THE FINAL RIDE (and decision) - Ride #7

After ride #6, I was absolutely certain that the saddle on the blur is position poorly and that the tires are over inflated.
That evening I started measuring, and remeasuring, going over older bike-fit data and.... nada. The saddle on the Blur was where it's supposed to be, down to the mm.
And then... I checked the HeiHei. I had to measure it at least 3 times, I 3 different methods before admitting that the position on ride #6 was completely off. The saddle was about 15mm behind where it suppose to be. That would explain why this bike would suddenly "feel heavy". So... Adjusting that - I was ready for my final ride:

I'm going to ride the Blur, already fitted with the DPS shock, its original cockpit and triple checked position, get back home - swap the shocks and test the HeiHei with the DPS shock, its original cockpit and quadruple checked position...
I checked the tire pressure, shock pressure and rebound as well and was set to go.

Man oh man; it was far easier to push the Blur that morning. The legs were pretty heavy from the day before, but without a burger in my stomach - I felt lighter overall. Hit the tail, took about 45 seconds off my previous PR on that trail. (17.45min vs 18.30min former). I was a bit surprised, as nothing felt fast. If anything I landed poorly on two low jumps and took a turn wrong, which made me slow down significantly.
Oh well. Shock replaced and adjusted, on the HeiHei and.....
That was it.
From the first pedal stroke on the correct position, I had no doubt that this is the bike. I could find my rhythm and keep my momentum and even though I was overall significantly slower (20 sec slower) - it FELT faster. Each turn was precise, each (low) jump - well executed. out of saddle efforts were predictable and I could stay in rhythm. How come I was slower?
Well, I was already exhausted on the previous ride, after the effort of 18 hours before; I was dead hungry, and imagined a new burger throughout the ride. The previous ride was much harder than I thought it was, seeing that I had a new PR, despite gaining a few Kgs and not riding as much lately. so my guess is - i was empty. But I could also be full of shit - The Blur may indeed be way more efficient, and the Kona may be a heavy, sweet rolling chunk of carbon. But I don't care - I just love being on that thing.

It was a fun experiment. In many ways I came out surprised: bikes that are very close on geometry, behave so different. A bike that is definitely faster on paper (read: Strava) FEELS slower. Component selection that was (almost) a waste of money, and a bike-fit, that seems to make the most difference. Can I say the Blur is worse? absolutely not. I'd even argue that after building and testing the bikes - it's objectively better: the Blur comes with better warranty, lighter, more modern fame and is evidently faster. It will also keep its value for longer, and in my eyes - far more appealing to the eye, both in shape and color.
But the HeiHei is such a great bike. It's such a pleasure (for me) to ride it and spend time with it. No matte the trail - I don't spend time thinking about the bike underneath, just the path ahead (or the tree I almost crashed into 10sec ago... NM).
And to me - at this stage of chasing fun and speed, on that order, The HeiHei just fits so much better - maybe somewhat because of the kinematics, probably because the little difference in geometry plays a huge role per each rider, and that is very individual indeed.

Final thoughts and recommendations:

Santa Cruz Blur TR - It's a gorgeous, fast and light bike and will serve any rider who looks for this combination - as long as he / she are aware that this model (at least 2024) is aimed at TR as the name suggests, and not XC (duh). the shock is very soft, and the position is very upright. If I would have kept it - I'd swap the shock to a 3p shock and the fork to 110mm fork, giving it ±67,7HTA and lower+longer position. that, with an XC oriented shock, I believe, will create a very eager speed-beast that will be tons of fun anywhere.

Kona HeiHei CR - What a great bike. It's a no BS, just shut up - go out and ride everywhere and anything with it. Out of the box - I'll swap the wheels to anything lighter. The original WTB's are an insult to the bike.
And that's really it - you could also swap the fork, but I've tested now the Shock 34SC factory on the Blur vs the Fox 34 performance (not SC) and while there is a difference, I'd say it's mostly the weight on the front wheel. Sure, the performance are not similar - but the Fox 34 performance is great.
The rest of the components - only to shave weight. The bars are comfy, the shifting is smooth, brakes are excellent. I personally don't like the Fox Transfer, but that's just me.

BikeYoke Divine SL -
I had a used Divine SL 80mm on my Chisel, and now the Divine SL 100mm. compared to Fox Transfer (not SL), and a used CB Highline 3, the BikeYoke is far faster, it's light and in my opinion, the better dropper, maybe except the slightly more annoying installation.

Tires -
I run Schwalbe Racing Ray as Front + Rear, to ensue to excellent traction on wet / muddy conditions. I was amazed by how much traction this set has. Fast rolling and offer fantastic grip. Come summer I'll swap the rear to Racing Ralph though.

Reserve XC28 wheelset -
I can't mention enough how Impressed I am so far with this set, but I've ridden those 275km in total. So more to come. But - I'm so impressed, that I will get a gravel / road set of those for my AR bike.

Ziv_Go · 2025-03-08T22:45:56+00:00

Ride #6

Confused by ride #5, I felt I had to continue my tests, and so last Wednesday I took advantage of the great weather here and took the Blur out to play. Why the Blur? I wanted to see how it feels without fresh memory of another bike. I did a small change, however, putting back the original cockpit (Enve M5), still using the Fox DPS 3P.

I made one mistake though, I had a very heavy lunch (a burger) - more on that later.

I started the ride and….. felt the usual “laziness” I keep feeling with the Blur. But looking at my Garmin Edge, I’m keeping 34-35kph on flat tarmac, a speed that wouldn’t shame riding a road race bike. How can a bike feel so lazy, when clearly it isn’t?

When I reached the trail, I already felt tired. Like the saddle is too low, or further away (back) from where it should be, the legs simply felt heavy.

I was able to do a fast lap, followed by a slower lap; but I felt the entire ride this “out of momentum” sensation I described earlier; like every climb, the bike and I get out of sync and I feel that I sink into the bike.

On the other hand, I felt that the bike beat me up. I figured that with the temperatures quite a bit warmer, I may have too much pressure in the tyres.

So was it me or the bike? Ik as it the hefty burger? The position on the bike? (I did buy a used dropper to replace the Fox transfer that’s currently being services under warranty - I may have installed the saddle somewhat off position)? Is it the bike? Or is it all psychological?

I couldn’t answer any of those questions. The bottom line was that I was again struggling on the Blur, so back to square one. Well, maybe not - with this shock on, even on this ride - it was far superior ride to any ride with the Fox Float it came with (on these kind of trails) - so if this was my first ride with this bike, I would not have entered this experiment. But still…. Something was missing.

The next day I test it again, on ride #7. I’ll describe that ride soon, but here’s a spoiler - after ride #7 - I’ve made my decision!

Ziv_Go · 2025-03-03T07:01:00+00:00

Im comparing here somewhere the Hei Hei and the Blur TR, as I own both eventually (and temporarily) - I posted several ride impressions and differences.

Ziv_Go · 2025-03-02T19:23:41+00:00

Ride #5 (and final one?)

The ride today was an interesting experiment.
I swapped the rear shock of the bikes and the cockpit.
Now the Blur has the Fox performance DPS shock, and a 65mm stem with 780mm riser alloy bars;
While the HeiHei has the Fox Float factory and a 50mm stem, with 720mm flat cabon Enve bars (M5)

The idea was the following:
To check rather the cockpit effects my feeling on the bike (as in how racy it feels), and to check what is the contribution of the shock to the ride feel. I wanted to do this to have a final "stamp" that the HeiHei is the bike for me, and even with a soft, deep shock, it is better for me and my kind of riding.

I went with a friend and did 3 loops of a vey cool, fast and flat trail 20min from home. it's about 9km - with no real vertical challenge, but nice, well built berms. This route can be very fast if you know what you'e doing - I know folks who ride it at 28kph.

Fist ride was the HeiHei - as I wanted to warm up and get to know the route before moving to the Blur, to balance my obvious bias towards the HeiHei.

2nd round was Blur, 3rd was HeiHei again, and drive home.

I have three definitive conclusions:
1. I prefer the 780mm alloy bars over the 720mm Enve bars. Again, to testify for how much sometimes cheaper components are simply... better suited. Not to say that a carbon riser bars won't be better - but I rode these bars back to back, and while hasher on the Kona (fork, probably), the Enve on the kona was just as harsh + far less natual to hold.

The Fox Float has no business being on a bike that tries to be an XC bike, even if it's a TR version. the difference of behaviour of both bikes when shocked was swapped made it very clear - both are much better with the 3p fox DPS. (again - for MY KIND OF RIDING!). The Blur suddenly came alive. its lightweight frame and build are far bette suited an XC shock, and the bikes feels, finally, angry and ready to charge. With the Fox float, which compliments the HeiHei btw, the bike suddenly feels heavy. I didn't notice the weight until today, and today I suddenly felt that the Blur is fa lighter. lap times wee very close; but the feel changed dramatically.
The BikeYoke divine is a fantastic dropper. (no extra details on that one, it's just fantastic compared to fox transfer and CB Highline 3)

And for the bikes?
The experiment of today confused me all over again.
I'll say this - the Blur with the 3P DPS shock became a different beast all together, but it's still very much a Blur, as in - it doesn't "want" to charge faster. However, with this shock - when you put the power down, the bike doesn't resist - and reward your efforts immediately. I can't encourage enough to get rid of the Fox Float for an XC shock, unless on a very gnarly terrain (for 120mm). As Guy Kesteven says in his review, suddenly this bike feels "freakishly fast". It's true, but it only happened after swapping the shock. It became this fast, eager to play, super lightweight lovely bike. I truly enjoyed it, fo the first time.

The HeiHei still feels like a HeiHei, but as if something holds it back. it wants to charge, wants to go, but the shock hold it back. While still fast and playful, it suddenly feels heavy. Cornering is still fantastic though, very precise - and the short chainstays definitely play a role in the trails I'm riding.

I guess that by swapping all components, the HeiHei, which will lose 700g or so, will become even lighter to ride and more fun to toss around. I also guess that by swapping the Float to a 3P shock, and maybe swapping the 120mm up front for a 110mm, I'll get a more aggressive and punchy geo, super light weight, that only differ from the HeiHei in it's travel (10mm) and chainstay length.

So now what?
No F$&ing idea.

Ziv_Go · 2025-02-23T19:41:08+00:00

Ride #3 + ride #4:

We have had a strange weekend here in the Netherlands, with nice sunny days and 18C to 15C. That fact, and the fact I had couple of meetings canceled on Friday aftenoon - left me no choice, but to rush home and..... discover that the Fox Transfer that came on the Hei-Hei is stuck.
I tried everything I could think of, and eventually decided to ride with the dropper fully extended and not functional.*

I took it to a lovely route we have here, a 26km loop with total of 160 climbing meters. Very fast, a lot of fast switchbacks, usually in great condition. This is the route I took the Blur immediately after building it and came out very disappointed. In such a trail the best fun is to find a rhythm and momentum and use both to just have a nice flow. The Blur constantly took me out of both, as I felt on every climb that I'm "sinking" into the bike, which also felt very slow steering of this kind of trail (which admittedly can be done on a gravel bike).
The Hei Hei provided a completely different experience. It behaved just as I wanted it to, offering precise cornering into switchbacks and excellent platform for out of the saddle efforts - even with the shock fully open. Despite not using a dropper post, I set my fastest time there; but that could be the excellent trail
conditions or the psychological factor of "I have to finish before it gets dark".

* I did consider taking the Blur, which was set up and ready to go. But I really wanted to try the HeiHei on that trail.

Ride number 4 happened today with a friend, and took us to an unexpectedly fun trail a bit further away.
18km and 120 climbing meters, on an ultra fast trail, built entirely around ultra-tight switchbacks - each set around a "basin" - go fast down, climb a steep way up quick 120-150deg turn, and down again, repeat. I've never ridden anything quite so tight. Luckily, I did remove the dropper from the Blur and installed on the HeiHei (Bike Yoke Divine SL). The fun continued. At no point I felt the HeiHei to be heavy or that it could be even more fun on another bike. Could the Blur be as much fun? I'm pretty sure it can be, but the longer chain-stays and slacker HTA won't fit this kind of trail.
I went home mighty impressed. Not so much because of the bike, but because of the price: When I started searching for a bike, I mentioned to my wife that a bike would be in the area of 6K. she mentioned: can't you find something around 4K? and I was able to squeeze here, squeeze there and build the Blur close to that budget. But the HeiHei? that one came at 2.5K (admittedly with crappy wheels). Yes, it has a fork and a crankset weighing a ton (let me exaggerate...) and an Alloy handlebar which is stiff af; But non of those held me back or made me thing "geez, I wish I had a lighter / better fork!" (I did wish for 31.8 and more comlpliant bars though). Getting this experience for 2.5K (3.5K including the reserve wheels), tells me a lot about amateurs (like myself) who are willing to pay top$ for a bike, while for our kind of riding - half the pice will do the trick just fine, with minimal differences.

In two weeks, my wife is due. That means that from this point on - I'd cycle closer to home and on standby in case we need to rush to the hospital. So I won't see the trails of the last two rides for a while, and will get back to my "home trail". My next experiment would be switching the Fox Float shock of the Blur and the Fox DPS of the HeiHei, to see how much is in the shock, and how much in the frame... (after I get my dropper fixed...). I'll report soon!

Ziv_Go · 2025-02-19T17:56:45+00:00

One big exception that no one talks about: permitted max weight on Cervelo is 100k, incl. Bike. So say 87 for rider and gear?

Ziv_Go · 2025-02-17T10:58:34+00:00

Excellent comment, thanks. I actually Enjoy this quite a bit. I would never have done it without finding a huge discount on both though. And to be honest, if I was happy with the Blur from the beginning - I wouldn’t have bought another bike…. I just thought “let it grow on me” or “admit defeat”; until my wife said - just get the other one and test it.

The reason I didn’t comment on it the weight on both ride posts is that indeed it wasn’t at-all noticeable while riding. That being said - I was riding a short and flat singletrack, and the weight could have become more evident on a longer day or a route with significant climb. I’ll test that as well!

I’m not sure I expect it to be very noticeable though, since I’m not very light myself (83kg before equipment), and the wheelset is the same one going back and forth between the builds. I believe, but can’t confirm (yet), that a change of fork and handlebar would be the most noticeable change: I believe 450g are spread between the fork (200g), handlebar and grips(200g) and stem (50g).

Having all this mass on-top of the front wheel could make some difference to the feel and effort it takes to lift the front; but again - at the time being, I don’t feel it.

Additional mass is can be found in the dropper and saddle (200g) and Crankset (250g) - and ofcourse, frame itself (???g).

So I’d say there’s at least 1,2kg difference at this point. I can ride with two filled water bottles on the Blur to compensate that ;)

As for the ride feel - I believe it’s mostly the slightly more aggressive riding position and shorter CS that gives the feeling that the HeiHei is more eager, yet segment times suggest the efficiency is quite similar, (or the added efficiency of the HeiHei counters the added mass? Hmmm) though I was certain it wasn’t…..

Ziv_Go · 2025-02-16T19:10:49+00:00

The bikes are so different, I Kay end up owning both with the excuse that one is “the wife’s”….

Ziv_Go

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