After mass layoffs and a pivot to A.I., the tech industry has been scaling back on the splashy and quirky benefits it had become known for.
A deep-tissue massage. Housekeeping and laundry services. A haircut after lunch.
For most, that’s a vacation at an all-inclusive resort. For many Silicon Valley workers, it was just a typical day at the office.
Over the past two decades, the tech industry became famous (or infamous) for its “perks culture,” a custom of providing employees with fanciful and luxurious amenities. Companies like Google and Meta tried outflanking one another in offering the most extravagant extras on Skittles-colored campuses as they competed for talent.
How it’s pronounced
/pərks kəl-chər/
But widespread industry layoffs and an expensive pivot to building artificial intelligence led to a decline of perks culture. Tech companies have started scaling back on the goodies that differentiated their workplaces.
Salesforce, a software maker, last year got rid of a ranch retreat for employees and nixed a monthly “well-being” day off for salespeople. Netflix has unofficially walked back its generous parental-leave policy by guiding employees to take less time off, The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday. A Netflix spokesman said that workers still have the flexibility to decide what’s best for them and that its policy hasn’t changed.