CH just sent the email. I guess we will find out what package we will be getting, or the lack of any packages. Save up your PTOs and use your sick days first, as sick days do get pay outs, but PTOs typically do. Good luck to us all.
168 replies (most recent on top)
Not part of this round but was punted out the door last year. I can tell you the ELT spend money like water.
CH built a video room and then didn't like it after spending half a million pounds, only to build an even bigger one right beside it that he liked better because Schneider liked coming to the building. How many people would that have saved from this? Vanity projects are the norm.
The people I know let got were all remote workers, all very high performers and leaving a gaping hole in the running of the business.
I was in IT and the CIO is an mo--n, she has no operational knowledge, only process and has built a culture of fear and anxiety. I suspect those leaving will end up quite happy and relaxed once the initial shock is over.
She has zero clue of what she has on her hands because the teams supporting it keep her insulated as they don't want to deal with her.
Walk away from a computer and it autosubmits.
I'm a "WW Lifer". I know we are a "mature" company as it were. However, every time we have merged, acquired, been bought, whatever...it always seems like 'the other company' gets to set the rules for how we should be operating. Way back in Invensys/Foxboro days it was the same, Foxboro trying to dictate how we should do things so that we could be more like them. Look how well that went for Foxboro. WW is still here though. Now it's OSI saying how things should be done. This is a tough time and I'm going to have to once again defend my job simply because the other company does it different. No matter how good a job my department has been doing, someone always thinks they know how to do my job better than I do.
Sadly though, this time I think the louder "other" voices are winning.
I've been with the company for a while, call me a WW lifer if you will.
I’d like to share my perspective on some of the finger-pointing currently circulating among the different groups within Aveva.
Let’s be honest—no product line within Aveva is performing exceptionally right now. Most experienced double-digit year-over-year sales declines in 2024, with the PI System being the sole exception—and even it faced challenges delivering positive results.
None of our products could be considered groundbreaking anymore. The offerings from OSIsoft, Wonderware, and other acquired companies are aging. That has its advantages—our core industries are slow to adopt change and appreciate reliable, proven platforms. But it’s also a liability. We need to demonstrate innovation and progress, or risk being seen as stagnant by our customers.
Leadership at Aveva is not dominated by one camp. Yes, there are several OSIsoft veterans in key positions—but there are also experienced leaders from Wonderware and other teams. This is not a one-sided story.
Having spent decades in industrial automation software, I can say with confidence: Aveva is uniquely positioned to succeed—but only if we work together. We have the talent, the legacy, and the technical depth. If we focus on building a cohesive product strategy that integrates the strengths of each company and provides customers with a clear path forward, we’ll thrive. But if we allow infighting and blame to take over, we won’t make it.
Yes, this has been a painful time. We’ve lost valued colleagues and friends. But we owe it to them—and to ourselves—to move forward with purpose, and to build a future that makes this moment a turning point rather than a defeat.
This round is over. Good luck to those who got cut. The rest of us -- hope you survive the next round, which is rumored around Christmas time. But don't despair! The silver lining is that CH won't be there when the next round happens.
finger pointing is what some people do best
Wonderware, once the crown jewel of industrial software — innovative products, brilliant people, and a great people culture that actually functioned.
Then came the OSIsoft invasion. Suddenly, every VP and Director chair was magically filled with OSIsoft alumni, as if they were drafted from the Ministry of Mediocrity.
Let’s be clear: OSI had a reputation going back two decades — and not the good kind. Even the old Wonderware veterans used to laugh that OSIsoft couldn't compete unless their competitors took a lunch break… for five years.
But hey, jokes on us — now they're running the show, and surprise! everything is a flaming dumpster fire.
The Wonderware product line?
Budget-slapped into oblivion. Meanwhile, OSI’s pet projects are burning through budget like a coke-fueled startup with a trust fund — delivering nothing but PowerPoints, sizzle reels, and “roadmaps” that lead nowhere but layoffs.
Real products?
Nope. Just more “vision statements” from folks who couldn’t ship a paperweight.
And let’s talk pricing — we’re now 3 times more expensive as the competition, with half the delivery and none of the credibility.
Fantastic strategy, folks. Really ki-ling it.
It’s like selling a Lada at Ferrari prices and being confused why the customers aren’t lining up around the block.
If AVEVA has even a sliver of hope, it’s to drop the dead weight and pull an AI pivot so fast it gives the board whiplash.
But with Sue still clinging to the top like a raccoon on a powerline, I’m not holding my breath.
When CH said, this exercise is long overdue. It just proves one thing, the ELT are incompetent.
For the person who got a year, how many years of experience did they have? In my country 4 weeks per year is pretty average and anything lower you might go consult with an employment lawyer. I know people with 20+ years experience that got let go locally. I wonder if they got 1.5+ years salary for severance?
Severance based on tenure, comp and various other factors. At least one person got a year’s salary.
Have any products or lines been axed?
CH and his ELT minions continue their sh-tshow by lying even more!
What makes this sh-t even worse is the fact that too many folks are believing that bs! ...don´t let them fool you - they are lie-filled liars lying to you!!!
The all hands call was not good , Caspar reading most of the time , the HR lead was smiling and not telling the truth about the criteria to select people for the lay off …. All the questions and answers were prepared. ….. on top of this , Caspar said that he is going to work to avoid future lay offs ….. who can guarantee that Caspar will succeed ?
Does CH and the ELT have a plan ?
Good intentions from CH …. Not sure he can implement something with this group around him.
ok everyone calm down, it wasn't a layoff, it was an "exercise"
ELT just confirmed on the all-hands call that there are no plans for an RTO mandate.
Guys!
This is EXACTLY what CH and the ELT wants us to do. Point fingers at EACH OTHER and shift blame for the layoffs.
We should be supporting each other and focusing on the REAL enemy.
Don’t put all the blame on OSISoft people. The Wonderware lifers are at least as much to blame. Overpaid, outdated and out of touch with the market and technology, contribute very little of value.
We also need to ki-l off some of the products. That is long overdue. And we need a united product strategy. And we need to accept that we don’t have the and skills to compete in cloud solutions.
@1dm+1jsxgdxy3 Which likely means the packages, if they exist, are on the low end and this 10% of coworkers got lowballed out of the company.
I'm guessing we haven't heard severance details from US colleagues because AVEVA most likely made them sign NDAs as part of severance agreements? Pretty standard procedure that I've gone through in the past myself at other companies.
Please correct me if I am wrong.
I left Aveva recently. I was a software dev in the Philly office. R&D is a mess. Especially after the OSIsoft acquisition. Company is full of incompetent managers. The good ol boys club is rampant. Fellow software developers and engineering managers won't think twice about throwing you under the bus.
R&D is very chaotic; every week cloud releases break everything and we have to scramble to go off and fix what got broken. The layoffs are the cherry on top of this messy cake.
People were told to expect a 15 minute call. It was actually about 5. A couple mins from senior VP and a couple from HR. People were assembled in small groups so hard for folks to gauge the scale of the cuts. Everyone (the affected and the survivors) were told not to discuss or ask questions. Chilly.
The one positive thing to come from last week is I'm now motivated more than ever to learn this chaotic place behind me. I've revamped my resume, updated my LinkedIn and applied to over 15 different positions.
Signed,
A very senior R&D leader who has reached his limit.
Leadership really needs to host a company-wide call and go through a lot of the posts in here and respond to them. They have completely obliterated trust and have caused so much turmoil in the company with these actions, ruining what was once a stable, flexible, and trustworthy company for so many people who preferred those qualities at a cost of lower salaries.
With all of that in jeopardy, no point in working here if it's going to be the worst in every aspect.
As a fully remote employee I am excited to see what Chatbgt generates as a reason to come into the office. RnD have more fun coming with the jargon filled new process changes - I have had fun asking people if they understand any of the changes discussed and no one does - they just repeat buzzwords
@129+1jsxgdxy3
I hear Nafees might get the boot too — finally, a glimmer of hope in this corporate snooze fest.
Imagine the wild concept of people running Tech Support who’ve actually… wait for it… closed a ticket before. Crazy talk, I know.
Who’d have thought competence was even an option?
Next thing you know, they'll suggest hiring leaders who know the difference between a hotfix and hot air. What a revolutionary concept—leaders who aren’t just clueless windbags.
Better times ahead...
I can only speak for Tech Support at AVEVA, but let’s be honest—it’s a flaming wreck. Back in the Wonderware/Invensys days, this company had world-class support—legendary, even.
Fast forward to the post-Nafees apocalypse: there’s no AI strategy, no vision, just the smoldering ruins of what used to be excellence.
Millions were flushed into black hole “solutions” like Coveo and SupportLogic and what did we get?
Absolutely nothing—unless you count broken promises and fancy slide decks. Nafees, a glorified project manager with all the charisma of a potato, somehow got catapulted into an SVP seat by his corporate buddies.
What followed was a masterclass in how to gut a department and call it innovation.
Most teams are stuck in 2010, doing their best while the so-called leadership burns money—$2.2 million a year on a Salesforce ticketing system instead of building something fit for purpose. Brilliant.
If AVEVA ever wants top tech support again, start by firing the dead weight at the top—yes, that includes the caviar-chomping, $1500-a-night-hotel Susan and Nafees who call themselves “VPs.”
The rest of us are left cleaning up their mess, one ticket at a time
Dear colleagues,
Today, I bring you a difficult but ultimately exciting announcement:
We are about to get leaner, meaner, and significantly quieter.
After extensive consultation with consultants, spreadsheets, and our most persuasive AI models, we are proposing a 10% reduction in headcount costs. In other words: fewer humans, more room in the budget for high-priority initiatives. Like AI. And, of course, our now-beloved tradition of holding million-dollar leadership conferences in Amsterdam. Because what's the point of running a lean organisation if we can’t eat oysters on a boat while discussing digital transformation?
For those of you lucky enough to be impacted, you’ll receive a calendar invite soon. It will be brief, direct, and legally compliant—just like this message. Please arrive on time. There's limited seating in the Zoom room. Don’t worry, the meeting won’t be recurring.
Let me walk you through the inspiring business logic.
We must future proof this organisation. This means becoming leaner, more agile, and less burdened by employee-related things like salaries, opinions, or the need for daylight. Our goal is to unlock value by removing bottlenecks—particularly the ones that breathe, think, and request PTO. We’ve been listening carefully to feedback from customers, partners, and anyone else who’d talk to us on LinkedIn. The message was clear: why are you still employing people when AI is right there?
We’ve also been laser focused on our dual mission: grow revenue and reduce costs. We looked at the numbers, squinted a bit, then realized we’re spending a shocking amount on people. That money could be better used—say, to fund enterprise-grade chatbots, leadership offsites with panoramic views, or yes, our signature AVEVA World conferences with artisanal keynote speakers and surprise DJs.
We’ve considered every corner of the business to find savings. Well, almost every corner. ELT roles remain critical for morale, vision-setting, and brand-new keynote outfits. SVPs also stay, of course—some of them even have second titles and very 'personal' connections inside the company that make them extra efficient. You can’t just replace that with software. Yet.
Next steps
We know this news may spark anxiety, confusion, or spontaneous LinkedIn updates. But rest assured, we are committed to treating everyone with dignity, respect, and several helpful documents in PDF format.
Those impacted will be contacted directly in the coming days. We’ve arranged for thoughtful severance packages, mental health support, and a branded farewell tote bag (supply chain permitting).
For those of you who remain, congratulations! You now inherit 1.4x the workload, but think of the synergies. We’ll be reconnecting with the surviving workforce shortly to reinforce our strategy: work harder, smile more, and please don’t ask who’s next. The good news? You’ll be invited to the next conference in Dubai. The better news? There will be fewer people to compete with for hotel upgrades.
Thank you for your resilience, professionalism, and continued patience as we digitally transform our way to a future where fewer humans are involved.
CH
Chief Executive Officer
They say currently there are no more planned lay off.
The irony is, there has been a couple of rounds of lay off in the past 4-5 years. But still the company performance is just barely meeting goal from Papa Schneider.
Just in March we all were given 90% performance bonus. It seems stupid that only a month later they are doing mass lay off.
Now being a privately own company, there's no reporting needs to be done to the public. So who knows how long this promise of 'no more lay off' would last .
Buckle up!
CH is clueless. Also, the leadership from OSISoft seems stuck in the past, doing the same thing for years just because “that’s how it’s been done” around here. It isn’t the 1990s or 2000s anymore! These are folks who have been at OSISoft for decades, haven’t worked anywhere else, and now got acquired by AVEVA… so truly a bad mix!
The HR department is a real joke starting with the leader - Everyone is talking about this at the corridors.
This is the result of a non efficient and unprofessional ELT.
Most of them have no idea of what they do , there is not a real company strategy , no new products developed for many years …. CH does not have software experiences so he does not get the game of people playing around him.
Full RTO is just another sneaky way to force a reduction in headcount to save on costs. Because people will leave voluntarily once they find another job with more flexibility.
In March, the CPO did say verbatim "while many companies are going back and asking people to come back to the office five days a week, we have not considered that. We don't think that's right for us. We know it's not what you want, so it's not what we're doing."
We will find out details next week on the All Hands call.
@y0+1jsxgdxy3 - 100%
Whatever ELT member or ELT report in these comments throw jabs at hybrid work, just remember when they first started RTO/FLEX a couple years ago, an ELT member (now departed) literally admitted to us that we were 10% more productive being fully remote.
So blaming productivity on remote work is total bullsh. And you know it.
To everyone else, not sure if the 5 day RTO rumors are true but we'll just have to see in the all-hands next week. Guessing they'd announce it there, since they are copying big tech, many of those companies are giving folks 5-6 months notice to get their arrangements situated - AVEVA just copies whatever they do. That would matchup with full RTO by end of year rumour.
I will say I would be somewhat surprised if they did 5 day RTO since they recently committed to continuing the hybrid arrangements and it's something that a large portion of the org supports. Guess they could pivot and use the "we need to be laser focused due to the economic situation blah blah blah" excuses to try to justify going back on that though.
@xx+1jsxgdxy3 Are you saying that OSISoft was a toxic acquisition?
yo if these 5 day RTO talks are true i'll never work a single second outside of my normal work hours. Flexibility goes both ways and as someone on a team who regularly has meetings with IST I'll never do that again.
Can anyone else confirm that full RTO mandates are coming? I was hired during Covid and live 3 hours from the nearest office, so not sure what I would do.
Things started going downhill after the OSIsoft merger.
The company was already struggling to manage $400 million, and suddenly they had to handle $4 billion—it was never going to end well.
As long as the OSIsoft ELT folks stay in charge, I don’t see this company turning around.
I was laid off after over 30 years in Support, and not once did the VP even acknowledge me. Now I hear he’s gone too—figures.
In response to @xk+1jsxgdxy3 - if full RTO is true then there is pretty much 0 reason to work here, the flexibility is something that keeps a lot of people here.
All the things you pointed out...this is a "tech" company yet we get not a singular benefit of any tech company aside from hybrid arrangement which other non-tech companies have these days anyway. No RSU, weak bonus structure that only benefits the highest levels, nothing.
Full RTO would result in massive brain drain and attrition much more than they imagine.