Tech Pros Want to Quit eBay, Intel More Than Other Companies: Study
Anonymous-grousing network Blind says tech pros want to quit eBay and Intel far more than other companies. Overall, 42 percent of developers and engineers at major tech companies are looking for new jobs. In a survey earlier this year, it posed a simple question to its anonymous users: "Are you interviewing for jobs outside of your current company?" It required a minimum of 75 votes for employees at a particular company, so smaller firms with a minimal number of employees signed up on Blind didn't register. Overall, eBay has the most unhappy workforce, with nearly 60 percent of tech pros saying they’re looking to leave (maybe that's what happens when Amazon eats your proverbial lunch for a decade or so). Intel staffers were almost as unhappy: 53.47 percent of respondents who work for the chip-maker are looking for their next opportunity. Perhaps that's unsurprising; the company has been besieged by layoffs and other bad press, suggesting Intel is in a downturn more than it’s in the midst of a turnaround.
eBay and Intel are also the only two companies on this list with more tech pros interviewing for other jobs than looking to stay put. Oracle came in third in this survey, but its tech pro workforce was technically more willing to stay put (as only 49.32 percent reported looking for a new job). Maybe we’ll call that a 50/50 split. LinkedIn, Uber, and Facebook fared best in this survey, with only 22.02, 25.57, and 26.11 percent (respectively) looking to leave. Of the three, LinkedIn had the lowest number of respondents (roughly half that of Uber and Facebook respondents). A larger sampling is preferable for a more accurate look at how tech pros feel about their company. We're dubious of Facebook's performance here (and in other Blind studies), as many other sources note employees there are generally unhappy in the wake of the company's various scandals. To that, we’ll note Amazon and Microsoft had the largest number of anonymous respondents in this survey, keeping the ‘passive-aggressive Pacific Northwest’ mantra alive and well. Microsoft had almost 800 respondents, while Amazon checked in with just over 600. The middle-of-the-road percentages for those two companies (as well as Google, Apple, and Salesforce) are more in line with expectations; a large number of tech pros are looking to leave, but most are happy enough to stay. Studies like this are intriguing, and point to big problems with large tech companies. With the average tenure at these companies at just under two years, we have to wonder if there’s a longevity issue at play for those looking to leave. Maybe eBayers and Intellites (I don’t know what they call themselves, I made those up, but if you work at either company, please feel free to use those monikers) are just a touch longer in the tooth than those at other companies, and a touch of restlessness is creeping in. In any case, it's clear that there's a lot of unhappiness at some of the nation's biggest tech firms. How long until those employees actually leave?