This text discusses the concept of “fake work” within the tech industry, where employees are often assigned projects of little importance or value. The text follows the experience of Graham, a research scientist at Amazon, who faced a lack of meaningful work and eventually left the company. The issue of fake work is attributed to lazy management and a culture of overhiring. The pandemic exacerbated the problem as companies hired without clear roles or responsibilities. The text highlights the need for more efficient and transparent work cultures, with proper incentives and clear communication.
| Signal | Change | 10y horizon | Driving force |
|---|---|---|---|
| “Fake work” in tech industry | From productive work to | More efficient work | Inefficient management |
| meaningless tasks | |||
| Overhiring during pandemic | From unclear roles and | Clearer organization | Lack of planning and |
| responsibilities to | guidance during hiring | ||
| efficient allocation | process | ||
| Managers rewarded for empire | From focused product | Better resource | Desire for power and |
| building and headcount | development to empire | allocation | prestige |
| building | |||
| Lack of oversight from top | From efficient project | More streamlined | Lack of understanding |
| management | management to | decision-making | and accountability at top |
| disorganized decision- | process | management level | |
| making | |||
| Layoffs to increase | From inefficient work to | More productive work | Need for efficiency and |
| efficiency | greater efficiency | cost-cutting measures | |
| Clear communication and | From unclear roles and | Improved organization | Better incentives and |
| proper incentives needed | responsibilities to | and differentiation | leadership from top |
| transparent roles and | management | ||
| incentives | |||
| Careful planning needed | From redundancy without | Resilient and | Focus on long-term goals |
| purpose to purposeful | innovative companies | and strategic planning | |
| redundancy |