SpaceX cuts 10% of workforce

[EEVblog]

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2019/jan/12/elon-musks-rocket-company-spacex-cuts-one-tenth-of-workforce?CMP=share_btn_tw

[vk6zgo]

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2019/jan/12/elon-musks-rocket-company-spacex-cuts-one-tenth-of-workforce?CMP=share_btn_tw

Gurgle, gurgle, gurgle!

[BrianHG]

It's so that the work force could be allocated to the Hyperloop project and his 1$ LA tunnel project.

[wraper]

It's so they can optimize their business. They have 400 open positions for hire. 2/3 of what they are laying off.

[chris_leyson]

Some sort of spokesman allegedly said “To continue delivering for our customers and to succeed in developing interplanetary spacecraft and a global space-based Internet, SpaceX must become a leaner company"

Lots of companies lay off temporary staff when profits fall and then have to hire them when demand picks up. Don't waste money on space-based Internet and interplanetary spacecraft there is no demand for it just concentrate on your core business, building rocket engines EDIT: And reusing them, because nobody else is doing that.

[coppice]

It's so they can optimize their business. They have 400 open positions for hire. 2/3 of what they are laying off.

The beauty of open positions is they cost a lot less than filled positions, and can maintain that status indefinitely. Many organisations maintain a constant long lost of openings, through good and bad times, for PR reasons. You only have a chance of filling one of those positions in the good times. I've known whole divisions that were closing down because of a lost major contract that had not be publicised, where some of the staff spent their notice period actually interviewing people for jobs that didn't exist.

[rdl]

Musk needs a lot of money to go to Mars. Apparently they have calculated that the satellite internet business will make much more money than the rocket business. But they need both.

[wraper]

Lots of companies lay off temporary staff when profits fall and then have to hire them when demand picks up. Don't waste money on space-based Internet and interplanetary spacecraft there is no demand for it just concentrate on your core business, building rocket engines EDIT: And reusing them, because nobody else is doing that.

That's to fund what was the reason why Musk founded Spacex to begin with. If he simply wanted to make more money, there were more profitable and way less risky options.

[cdev]

In putting up job listings on sites in the past Ive had clients tell me things to the effect that they "had to advertise this job for legal reasons".

The beauty of open positions is they cost a lot less than filled positions, and can maintain that status indefinitely. Many organisations maintain a constant long lost of openings, through good and bad times, for PR reasons. You only have a chance of filling one of those positions in the good times. I've known whole divisions that were closing down because of a lost major contract that had not be publicised, where some of the staff spent their notice period actually interviewing people for jobs that didn't exist.

[cdev]

Nomatter how 'unobtainium' some mineral or whatever that is available on Mars, the sheer cost of getting it back here from there almost certainly makes it unobtainium all over again.

Musk needs a lot of money to go to Mars. Apparently they have calculated that the satellite internet business will make much more money than the rocket business. But they need both.

[raptor1956]

Musk needs a lot of money to go to Mars. Apparently they have calculated that the satellite internet business will make much more money than the rocket business. But they need both.

While it remains to be seen if satellite based internet will be the money maker they think there are a number of groups that think it will be and are spending a princely sum to be the first/biggest.  I'm 100% in favor of trying if for no other reason than to create competition in a space with too little of it.  If it could be cost competitive the fact that there will be almost no place on Earth where you can't get the internet would be wonderful or, I suppose, terrible depending on your point of view.  Living in Utah as I do and travelling to the remote reaches far from cell signals it would be great to be able to maintain internet access for maps and other searches that might only become useful when you find yourself alone in the wilderness.  What kind of snake is that?  Is that fruit or berry safe to eat?  Is it raining hard in the watershed upstream of the dry river you plan to cross in a couple days?  I'm injured and need help!  There are lots of things that 'internet everywhere' might provide and for most the greatest value may lie in the competition that, at present, we lack.


Brian

[rdl]

What? Who said anything about "unobtainium" or bringing anything back from Mars?