Silicon Valley tech giants were once a paradise for job seekers, but the allure of high salaries and benefits is no longer. Employees face layoffs, strict controls, and the fear of being replaced by AI; the golden age has come to an end, replaced by an uncertain future. This article is based on a piece written by The New York Times, organized and translated by Dongqu. (Background: Windsurf's bloody acquisition) 200 employees were forced to sign an 80-hour 'corporate slave contract' or leave; Cognition CEO: does not believe in work-life balance. (Additional background: AI programming Cursor founder: what's valuable in the post-programming era is 'taste') In 2007, when Rachel Grey joined Google as a software engineer, it was a wonderful time for a Noogler (Google's term for new employees). During the two-week onboarding training at Google's headquarters in Mountain View, California, various benefits dazzled Grey. The company cafeteria offered steak and large shrimp, fresh juice was available in the kitchen, and the gym provided a variety of free classes. Besides salaries, employees also had stock options; for every dollar you contributed to your retirement account, the company would match half; there was also a $1,000 Christmas bonus in an envelope. What left a deep impression on Grey during the onboarding was Google's revelation of the number of data center servers. 'I witnessed the company's transparency,' she said, referring to this usually undisclosed information. Over the years, as Grey was promoted to software engineering manager, her feelings changed. The Christmas bonus shrank; the company no longer shared internal information as generously as before; the company abandoned its commitment not to use artificial intelligence for weapons; the promotion budget dried up, forcing her to lower her subordinates' performance ratings, which she described as 'agonizing.' This April, on the eve of her 18th anniversary with the company, 48-year-old Grey resigned from her once-dream job. Life for employees at Silicon Valley giants has changed dramatically. Google, Apple, Meta, and Netflix used to be the coveted destinations for tech talent with high salaries, luxurious campuses, and a free corporate culture. Today, these giants have transformed into bloated bureaucracies. Although many of these companies still offer free meals and high salaries, they are ruthless during layoffs, enforcing a return to the office and suppressing employee protests. Employees lament that it is now an era of working hard with little talk. 'Tech companies may still be the best in terms of free lunches and high salaries,' Grey said, 'but the fear index has skyrocketed.' She added, 'Having lunch but being scared to death is better than not having lunch and being scared to death, but I’m not sure if staying there is wise.' A Google spokesperson stated that many employees have been promoted, and the performance management system has been optimized to reward outstanding employees. Company policies aim to motivate employees to focus on work while adhering to Google's goals and culture. As tech companies expand, their employee numbers exceed those of many towns, leading to soaring costs and increased scrutiny. Companies like Meta, Google, and Apple have been forced to change as employees and the public question their excessive power. The turning point occurred in 2022 and 2023 when Elon Musk acquired Twitter (later renamed X) and laid off three-quarters of the staff; meanwhile, Meta's CEO Mark Zuckerberg cut thousands of jobs in what he called 'the year of efficiency.' Google and Amazon also conducted massive layoffs. Many companies blamed the overhiring on the surge in demand for digital services during the pandemic. During this process, companies became less tolerant of employees speaking out. After employees protested issues, including workplace sexual harassment, management reinforced control. With an oversupply of engineers in the job market, critics can easily be replaced. Google CEO Sundar Pichai said in a blog post last year, 'This is a company, not a place to disturb colleagues and create unrest, nor a personal publicity platform or a battleground for political debate.' Some would say these changes merely align tech industry employees with those in other American companies, where employees are used to completing corporate priorities. However, the rise of generative artificial intelligence has accelerated this shift in the tech industry, with senior executives stating that AI has made some jobs redundant. In January this year, Zuckerberg stated that he believed AI would replace some mid-level engineers this year. Musk went further, predicting last year that AI would ultimately replace all jobs. 'Things are heading in a direction unfavorable to tech workers,' said Catherine Bracy, founder and CEO of the nonprofit TechEquity, which promotes economic inclusivity in the industry. 'Companies have more means to deal with employees, and AI is exacerbating this.' Liz Fong-Jones, a former Google employee now at Honeycomb, indicated that the impact of AI on tech industry jobs remains uncertain. Jackie Dives for The Washington Post, via Getty Images. Liz Fong-Jones, CTO of San Francisco's Honeycomb, which helps engineers discover and debug code issues, stated that the impact of AI on jobs is exaggerated. However, she warned that the situation could change in five years. Fong-Jones, who has worked at Google, said tech workers could prevent AI from taking over, 'but we are all too scared to do anything but comply and train our replacements.' For some tech workers, the changes in the workplace came suddenly. Adam Tretler, 32, an HR strategist who worked at Twitter's New York office before and after Musk's acquisition, said the initiatives taken by the new boss were shocking. 'From the moment Elon took over, the company overnight shifted from 'how do we improve HR management' to 'how do we pay employees with the fewest steps and the fewest people,' Tretler said. He joined Twitter in 2021 and left in January 2023, now working at the jewelry company Pandora. X did not respond to a request for comment. Others noted that the transition was gradual. Ava Zosopa, in her 40s, is a designer in Seattle who joined Meta in 2022, developing tools to help users set privacy settings. The mother of two said she felt empowered to help address some of the tech issues that worried her as a parent. She noted that Meta allowed flexible work arrangements so she could accompany her children to appointments, and the company's LGBTQ-friendly policies made her feel accepted due to her gay family members. However, Zosopa stated that over time, Meta has cut family benefits. This January...

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