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vascoyesterday at 5:12 AM4 repliesview on HN

So would everyone that ever created a business. Nobody grows headcount if they don't have to. Why be responsible for other people's livelihoods if you can make it work with less people? Just more worries and responsibilities.


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ponectoryesterday at 8:03 AM

> Nobody grows headcount if they don't have to.

From my experience in corporations this is a false statement. The goal of each manager is to grow their headcount. More people under you - more weight you have and higher position you got.

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xenospnyesterday at 9:40 AM

I don’t know about you, but for me, one of the greatest joys in life is being able to hire people and give them good jobs.

delusionalyesterday at 6:26 AM

This doesn't seem true to me at all. Humans are not rational drones that analyze the business and coldly determines the required number of people. I would be surprised if CEOs didn't keep people around because it felt good to be a boss.

Facebook might be able to operate with half the headcount, but them Zuckerberg wouldn't be the boss of as many people, and I think he likes being the boss.

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unnamed76riyesterday at 11:54 AM

Most major corporations have increased head count in recent years when they didn’t have to via the creation of DEI roles. These positions might look good in the current cultural moment but add nothing to a company’s bottom line and so are an unnecessary drain on resources.

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