https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2024/06/report-humane-ai-pin-did-7-million-in-sales-wants-to-sell-for-1-billion/
Questioning the design and dev progress was apparently "against company policy."
Apparently a senior SW engineer got fired for questioning readiness of the product, dude must still be chuckling to himself.
Found the story here https://hachyderm.io/@wesley83/112572728237770554
this is a reblog of the NYT story:
Many current and former employees said Mr. Chaudhri and Ms. Bongiorno preferred positivity over criticism, leading them to disregard warnings about the Ai Pin’s poor battery life and power consumption. A senior software engineer was dismissed after raising questions about the product, they said, while others left out of frustration.
In January, Humane laid off about 10 employees. A month later, a senior software engineer was let go after she questioned whether the Ai Pin would be ready by April. In a company meeting after the dismissal, Mr. Chaudhri and Ms. Bongiorno said the employee had violated policy by talking negatively about Humane, two attendees said.
Violated policy by talking negatively Hahahahaha Firing someone for that should 100% be illegal.
There’s only one way in the US, where most employment is at-will, to have a contract that prevents getting fired for a completely boneheaded reason.
/me bursts into chorus of L’Internationale and is dragged to the gate by admins, off-key singing the entire track listing of Chumbawamba’s “English Rebel Songs 1381–1914” dopplering off into the distance as I go.
In January, Humane laid off about 10 employees. A month later, a senior software engineer was let go after she questioned whether the Ai Pin would be ready by April. In a company meeting after the dismissal, Mr. Chaudhri and Ms. Bongiorno said the employee had violated policy by talking negatively about Humane, two attendees said.