As an ex-EDS employee who got the HP-Hurd treatment a few months after HP acquired EDS, I have one advise for those unfortunate 1,000 Alcatel-Lucent employees; update your resume and start looking for a job right now.

...you can't be fired, slaves have to be sold....

Why so glum? Nortel outsourced lots of "non-core" functions rather successfully several years ago. Look where they are now!

Couldn't agree more fella - Hurd and co have (a) no idea how to treat staff and (b) absolutely no clue whatsoever how to run any business that doesn't involve shifting boxes (big ones!) to a dwindling customer base.

So for all the AlcaLuc folks out there, I can but quote Star Trek TNG - "Prepare to be assimilated - resistance is futile!". And yes, definitely get that c.v. up to date and bookmark the job sites...

Speaking as someone who was TUPEd into ALU from a nameless telecoms behemoth just over a year ago, surely the opportunity to be ejected out of the shambles within is really a blessing in disguise?

I know all large corporates started going down the toilet around the time MBAs started being taken seriously, but I can't imagine HP has become ALU bad in the 15 years since I worked there.

AC - believe what you want, but from a 10 year+ EDS employee who was saying almost the same thing a year ago i.e. "Ha HP can't possibly be as bad as EDS..."

Run

Don't look back and don't stop to pick up your belongings

Every rumour you heard is true, you are about to either wind up doing way more work as you lose an unsustainable amount of colleagues, or you're about to wind up on the same job pile as them

Get out while you can, get out first while there are still jobs available

My job is safe but I'm applying for work with a 15% pay cut just to get out of the dysfunctional hell EDS has become