Ask HN: How commonly is PIP deployed for non performance reasons in FANGs
3 quietthrow 1 7/7/2025, 8:18:08 AM
A dear friend confided recently that they are being forced out of a team. The options given were change teams or go on PIP. The reasons cited were hand wavy. They went through a manager change recently and prior manager gave positive feedback (solid performance and happy with current state) and suddenly next quarter with new manager feedback was performance is suboptimal however no specific causes given (its all hand wavy and subjective which means it’s open to interpretation and it’s the managers interpretation against the subordinates)
This person is junior and I can see it’s taking a toll on them psychologically. I have never been a manager so I don’t know the dynamics of a large organization (fang) but am curious how many of you have experienced something similar or were forced to performance manage a employee when they really didn’t have bad performance but you had to do it anyways due to organizational pressures/circumstances?
I am an IC in tech given the current climate want to protect myself from something like this happening. What’s the best way to do so?
Comments (1)
falcor84 · 18m ago
My advice to protect yourself is just the usual - "manage up". Build a good relationship with your manager (and preferably their manager) and do what you can to confirm that the work you're doing is seen as impactful to their goals. It won't 100% protect you, as sometimes there are circumstances outside their control too, but if you have a good relationship, they will fight to keep you.