SAN JOSE CA - Erik Watson and Jim Blackall had lived in the same neighborhood in San Jose for fifteen years and had never met. Erik had worked for Ebay as a programmer, while Jim had made his living selling on Ebay. They met for the first time last month. Both were standing in line at Martha's Kitchen, a non-profit, interfaith, community dining room for the hungry poor. Erik and Jim were waiting for a warm meal."We had some time, so we struck up a conversation and found out how much we had in common." Erik stated."We've become friends," Jim said, "We watch out for each other, it's tough living on the streets."
"I was one of the Ebay 1500, and the only programmer let go." Erik said. "I think is was just because I asked my boss what moron thought up this crazy stupid Best Match search." A week later, Erik's job was "simplified."
Jim requested that we do not show his face. "It kept getting tougher to earn a living on Ebay. Then, Best Match search and all those ads drove the final nail in the coffin. I couldn't pay my last Ebay bill, and out the door I went, after eight years there." Jim said.Pete "ad man" Stinson also had worked at Ebay for three years in the marketing department. In the words of Ebay CEO John Donahoe, Pete was another victim of Ebay's "simplification process." John added, "It sounds so much better saying their jobs were simplified. Much better than fired or laid off. Especially considering we spent $400 million on the very same day, purchasing a classified site in a country with a population of only 5 million people."
I heard the layoff rumor, but I thought my job in marketing was safe." Pete said. "I mean, come on, we were driving billions of clicks off Ebay with the sponsored ads I was working on. I'd come in at eight sharp every morning, and the first thing I'd do was look at the overnight count of how many clicks we drove offsite. I'd say, Come on, hit me with all those quarters! That's how I thought up the phrase for my sign." Pete added.By one very rough estimate, the number of homeless people in San Jose has doubled since Donahoe was named CEO of Ebay. Homelessness has also become a much more visible problem — in early November, United Front, a network of agencies that help the homeless, cleared an encampment of 300 people that had sprung up near Ebay headquarters, in full view of John's office. About 280 of those people are now in apartments, but others have flocked to fill several corner parking spaces in the Ebay parking ramp, near enough to regularly encounter Ebay employees."I feel sorry for them, I truly do. But what good would giving my $25 million annual Ebay income to them do? It would only last them so long, and they'd end up in the same position." Donahoe stated that he met with Chuck Reedy, mayor of San Jose. "I offered Chuck a remedy to end the plight of the San Jose homeless." John added, "Chuck nixed my idea of giving every homeless person in San Jose a one way non-refundable bus ticket out of town. I thought it was a great, disruptingly, innovative idea"Disclosure - Seriously fabricated Capitalism without a Conscience.
No comments:
Post a Comment