AM I NEXT? NO LOVE AT MALWAREBYTES (09/16/23)

SEPTEMBER 16, 2023 — 110 EMPLOYEES GONE

In a major restructuring that includes top-level management changes, the company is laying off 110 employees as it prepares to split into separate companies.

SEPTEMBER 2, 2022 — Original post…

Santa Clara, California-based Malwarebytes, an Internet security company that specializes in protecting home computers, smartphones, and companies from malware and other threats, has announced a change in direction to refocus on small and midsized companies.

The restructuring will impact approximately 14% of the company's headcount or 125 employees across all departments.

According to CEO Marcin Kleczynski, “Unlike most tech companies, we generate positive cash flow to grow our business. In recent months, we have increasingly refocused our business on SMB and midmarket customer segments in alignment with our mission to protect the underserved. We are shifting our go-to-market strategy to prioritize growing in these markets, including expanding our channel partnerships and accelerating our momentum with managed service providers. Unfortunately, this has meant revisiting our current enterprise sales function and recalibrating the sales organization. While difficult, these changes reflect a careful realignment of our business moving forward to meet the needs of our customers and will enable the organization’s long-term growth."

Change is coming. There will always be a tomorrow, no matter how much you may try to ignore it. There are no guarantees in life or promises for a bright future. We see good people being laid off through no fault of their own. Just because something bad hasn't happened yet, doesn't mean it won't. It can happen to anyone, anytime, anywhere. No one is guaranteed to wake up tomorrow and still have a job by evening. Are you now wondering, Am I Next?

AM I NEXT? THE HANDWRITING IS ON THE WALL IF YOU DEPEND ON SOCIAL MEDIA

It appears that Facebook, Instagram, Whatsapp, and Facebook Messenger are not just down – they’re GONE!

According to the backbone of the internet, the Domain Name System (DNS), the domains simply do not exist! More technically, the BGP (Border Gateway Protocol) routes serving Facebook’s authoritative DNS servers were withdrawn, rendering all Facebook and its subsidiary and associated domains invisible and inaccessible.

Whether accidental or deliberate, someone or something canceled them -- for real.

Facebook, its subsidiaries, affiliates, employees, and customers are ZUCKED!

This is a valuable lesson in single-point “chokehold” failures and the value of resilient and redundant systems. Eliminating single points of failure, or at the very least, diversify revenue and communications streams.

Even Facebook employees trying to enter their buildings or use any of their Facebook tools and messaging systems are said to be affected. 

Luckily, the engineers at Facebook fixed the problem after the hours-long disappearance. How much time, effort, and money could have been lost if the problem persisted for days or weeks?

IT IS NOT INCONCEIVABLE THAT A POLITICAL ENTITY COULD TAKE THE SAME ACTION AGAINST ANY INDIVIDUAL OR ORGANIZATION. IT HAPPENS IN CHINA — NOT SO COINCIDENTLY WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF GOOGLE, FACEBOOK, TWITTER, AND OTHERS.

Change is coming. There will always be a tomorrow, no matter how much you may try to ignore it. There are no guarantees in life or promises for a bright future. Just because something bad hasn't happened yet, doesn't mean it won't. It can happen to anyone, anytime, anywhere. No one is guaranteed to wake up tomorrow and still have a job by evening. Are you now wondering, Am I Next?

AM I NEXT? SNOWFLAKE: EVERYWHERE AND NOWHERE

In a Securities and Exchange Commission 8-K filing noting significant company events, Snowflake, Inc., a cloud computing-based data warehousing company, announced that it is actually headquarterless.

"We are a Delaware corporation with a globally distributed workforce and no corporate headquarters. Under the Securities and Exchange Commission's rules, we are required to designate a 'principal executive office.' For purposes of this report, we have designated our office in Bozeman, Montana as our principal executive office, as that is where our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer are based."

In reporting its financial results for the first quarter of fiscal 2022, the news release was distributed with the origin header reading, "No-Headquarters/BOZEMAN, Mont.--(BUSINESS WIRE)."

The company will retain its San Mateo, California office and noted that its San Mateo office 983 employees working in California's Bay Area, will continue to "work remotely for the foreseeable future. While we anticipate an eventual return to the office, we do not have a specific timeline for that goal."

Change is coming. There will always be a tomorrow, no matter how much you may try to ignore it. There are no guarantees in life or promises for a bright future. Just because something bad hasn't happened yet, doesn't mean it won't. It can happen to anyone, anytime, anywhere. No one is guaranteed to wake up tomorrow and still have a job by evening. Are you now wondering, Am I Next?