Thread regarding Schlumberger Ltd. layoffs

On the other hand, the OP has to acknowledge that SWT is a big failure so far. And so is its center in the Bay Area. Not so much because of the software skills of its employees but rather because of its inability (or lack of willingness) to capture/understand actual needs of clients.

The current strategy, which consists in founding development priorities on the Garter's hype cycle and trying to find real-world applications to it a-posteriori so far failed to deliver any cash-generating product. As a matter of fact, the only sellable thing produced by SWT over the last 3 years was made in Beijing.

In conclusion: if SWT engineers leave, it's not a drama. It'll save some money to SLB.

Agree with everything in this thread. But the key question is: what will engineer a change? I see no such catalyst until our competitors beat us at the software game. In some sense, that is already beginning. Some fast and nimble start-ups are already making inroads into areas where SLB just assumed they were the leaders. Soon, a lot of the outward focused effort in SWT will be reduced to support internal services. The race to be the technology leader will be lost. Then the chickens will come home to roost. Re-training the managers, VPs, etc. just to throw buzzwords around is the exact opposite of leading by example. Totally demotivating for the rank and file workers and this wil show up in the products.

I agree! Swt is a complete mess. I can't think of one product that sis or swt has built and delivered from ground up. Everything is a rebranding of an acquisition. Technodyne, Techsia, SPT.

We need to replace our program managers and VPs with competent folk from first class software engineering companies. We've been too inward looking and it's made us complacent.

Product managers learning from Wikipedia, YouTube and Coursera, are just examples of terribly out of touch we've become.

The beef I have after being a part of SWT is that domain knowledge is sidelined in favor of fancy, shiny new buzzwords: cloud, devops, data analytics, etc. as if those themselves will create value.

Example: Take any flagship simulation software and count the number of domain experts/modeling people working on the project versus software guys (UI, testing, etc.). The priority is screwed up. Typically, there are 1-2 modeling people for every 5+ software guys. Obviously, this is because the management has no clue what is involved in the simulation models. To them, it is just a software and the model is a blackbox.

OP here.

@MVturi8-2bpy: You summarized it perfectly and that is exactly correct, at least in the Houston area.

@MVturi8-2qwb: 500 @ 87. Yeah, we owe money if we exercise those options :)

@MVturi8-2rqj: Good for you man. Yeah, worker bees ar left the scraps and an illusion is created to keep them in place. I'd leave if I get a similar opportunity.

@MVturi8-6xba: Way too much management if you ask me. VPs are clueless. Obviously they have no idea about the tech and even managers below them learn about the new tech from youtube, online articles and the most serious among them from coursera courses.

I hope the few remaining unencumbered swt folk move to companies that truly value their engineering talent.

SWT, unfortunately is plagued with incompetent VPs and is doomed to fail. They've failed to attract and retain talent.

Only a genius CTO would think of putting an oil-service company SWT center in the bay area. Of course there's attrition. Anybody that is remotely competent will have the opportunity for much higher salary and a more stable and interesting job an uber ride down the road.

Slb will be the same (aka shxtty) with or without SWT as it is just a show for executives to fetch bonuses, so go figure out your own valuation. But think about it, if you are in the bay area and you decided to work for an oil company, among all these growing tech companies, you are incapable to think for yourself and thus not worth much. My advice, stay on, take it easy, and do little (as they would lay off people who work hard and consequently become expensive in the process).

Years ago I was given 750 options at around $80. Two years I was offered a position at another company for more than $50k more than I was making at SLB. The stock price was around $90 at the time so easy decision to jump ship. Worker bees don't get the sweetheart option deals that Paal and his crew get.

Is this 500 options at $87 or $500,000 worth of options priced at $87 each? Because a roll of TP in PKs private bathroom is worth more than 500 options @ 87 each.

The dissipation of tech. Edge to competitors is very successful due to the chopping 50k+ employees. The big blue is messing thing up again and try to buy thing back, but Wall Street may not line up with it this time. It's time for Mr. PK and his executives to resign.

The 3 kinds of people remaining with the sinking boat that is SWT..

1) those waiting to become pension eligible

2) those forced to stay in the area due to family / spouse, etc

And finally 3) the unlucky fresh outs or the incompetent.

And new options have to have an acknowledgment of agreeing to a non-compete agreement. They get you to sign it again to reenforce the legality of it.