Why Is Everyone In Tech So Sad?

I have 3 decades of experience in programming. I started with QBasic on an IBM386. I learned what system files to not delete out of Windows or Linux. I went to university and learned Java and .Net and SQL. I’ve done web. I’ve done server admin. I’ve got decades of Windows and Linux and shell scripting and databases of every flavor and just… All of it.

What do I do lately at work? I fill out spreadsheets with information that already exists in 7 other spreadsheets, but we need this in THIS format for THIS VPs request. And I fill out status updates. And I go to meetings and listen for an hour as everyone talks about their status updates on projects I don’t even know anything about or care.

My manager asks us to make sure we are learning and using AI. Why? Well, the C and VP suites think we should be. Does it actually help or make anything better? Not really. But ok, fine.

And then the real irony kick in the balls. As we push literally everything in the company to be “Cloud This” and “Distributed That” and “AI more!” and “Be flexible !” … and they did the big RTO mandate last year. The fuck? You want everything to be remote and cloud and distributed and modern and agile, except employees must commute in and sit in this specific chair to join their video call meeting. And 3/5ths of my team is out of state and so exempt from the RTO mandate, including my supervisor. What the fucking fuck? I have to drive in and sit in a shitty cube while they get to kick back at home? Fuck that.

Decades of knowledge and experience and talent, and I fill out spreadsheets with duplicate information IN PERSON while coworkers get all the benefits of WFH and the same damn pay.

I don’t even know what my supervisor does except ask us “is XYZ done yet?” a couple times per week, that seems to be it, I don’t think they even know what we do tbh. They just sit at home and make sure all our check boxes get checked. But if you mention a single detail of a project beyond “done” or “not done” they get confused. Fucking hell.

And it hurts even more knowing the CEO makes 100x my pay + benefits + stock + who knows wtf else.

What are we doing?

Addon: Oh! And then there have been layoffs. And cutbacks. And hiring freeze. And no promotion or raises beyond a basic 2-4% yearly “cost of living” raise, even though the cost of living has fucking gone up like 300% in the past few years.

I haven’t actually programmed anything in so long. It’s depressing to be wasted pointless effort in a bureaucratic corporate nightmare.

It’s depressing to be wasted pointless effort in a bureaucratic corporate nightmare.

And depending on the details of your employment, if you code for fun, on your own time, at home, using your own equipment, the company still owns it.

Weird coincidence, all my hobby code I’ve ever done at home is “drop database” and corrupt system files scripts. If they want them they can have them. 😈

I don’t get how anyone could EVER enforce a law or agreement or rule that says something I wrote at home on my device on my time is theirs. Don’t touch my files with your gross corporate fingers! Ahhh!

I don’t get how anyone could EVER enforce a law or agreement or rule that says something I wrote at home on my device on my time is theirs.

Check your employment terms. I’d wager the first step of that is seeing if you have a paper copy. I know I don’t for all the places I’ve worked or acquisitions I’ve been through.

Something like an ALCU or Second Amendment Foundation that focused on nothing but that would be a nice-to-have. I think it overall destroys creativity in the industry.