(X-posted to Chrononautic Log.)

Layoffs, office closings, and — most telling, I think anyone who’s been through a Silicon Valley inflection point will agree — the end of the free cafeteria.

Lean manufacturing sensei Jon Miller suggests five ways Google can avoid eliminating 100 jobs, but it’s probably too late.

There is nothing wrong with making engineering sites more effective and efficient. In fact that is what Google should look at doing before cutting back on their people, the source of ideas for improvement. Or maybe they don’t think of recruiters as sources of creative ideas, only engineers and R&D people. That is a typical, if incorrect, point of view among managers of knowledge workers. Rationalizing job cuts is a very tough thing that many of us are having to do. Is it evil?

I googled evil: that which causes harm or destruction or misfortune

Google shouldn’t be the source of harm, destruction or misfortune to others. That is a hard path to walk as a for profit business in a free market economy. Competition can be destructive and bring misfortune to others. But it’s the path of their choice so Google should walk it and not just talk it.