How writing zip support for Windows almost cost its creator his job at Microsoft
These days, we take Windows' built-in zip support for granted, even if we prefer to use an alternative tool like 7-Zip. The story of how Microsoft added zip functionality to its operating system is an interesting one, and the guy responsible for it reveals how its creation nearly got him fired from his job at the tech giant.
Dave Plummer is a retired operating system engineer for Microsoft who worked on MS-DOS and Windows 95, among other things. He wrote the zip file support for Microsoft’s Windows 95 Plus pack, a feature which became an integral part of Windows 98 onwards and which, in his own words, "hasn’t really changed all that much in the 30 years since."
Where do tech workers go after layoffs?
Companies have laid off thousands of workers in the first few months of 2023, many of whom signed non-competes or have few local prospects. Such a significant shift in the labor market means many people need jobs. Where do tech workers go after layoffs?
Although the rounds of layoffs in 2023 have affected many, the industry is relatively unchanged. There were around 6.5 million people in the tech sector as of December 2022, with a 1.8 percent unemployment rate. Even though tech firms primarily based in the United States let go over 147,000 employees during layoffs as of June 2023, the number is relatively small in comparison.
Mark Zuckerberg lays off 13% of Meta's workforce (11,000 employees), this is the email he sent
We’ve known for a while that Meta, the parent company of Facebook and champion of the metaverse, was planning to significantly reduce the size of its workforce and today Mark Zuckerberg sent out an email confirming this to all Meta employees.
In the message he details the layoffs, explaining how the company got to this point, how it will work, other changes Meta will be making, and how the company will move forward. You can read the full email below: