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Comment by quantumBerry | Hacker News Reader

>I worked at a startup where the CEO reverted the unlimited PTO because one asshole engineer took 2 months off paid leave and then came back and quit immediately.

The CEO made a dumb bet and lost. You can't be mad when you offer unlimited PTO and people use it.

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> The CEO made a dumb bet and lost. You can't be mad when you offer unlimited PTO and people use it

This is such a dumb take. Unlimited PTO does not mean you take two months off.

I'm tired of everything needing a footnote and qualifications because people like you only understand things in the most superficial sense.

Well what does it mean? the words are pretty plain and clear. I've never worked in a place with a unlimited PTO policy, so I have no idea what it means and would need clarification. Most of us work in technology and understand that in most cases the devil is in the detail.

Yes, the words are pretty plain and clear. You can take as much time off as you want, within reason. There is no cap.

Need a few days off for a break? Go for it. Want to take a two week vacation a few times per year. Approved!

Think you can take two months off and disappear? Nope. Some people were born without a nuance gene and don't understand this distinction.

>Think you can take two months off and disappear? Nope.

Apparently you can, because he did, and it worked.

If by "worked" you mean pissed off everyone and ruined your reputation and career, sure!

If it's your first job, then sure maybe.

I've done something similar, walking off a bad job at the most critical time they needed me. Would you like to know what happened? I used one of my many other references, and within two weeks I had a job for 20% more money making six figures. Your value isn't attached to what some idiot CEO thinks of you.

You made 20% more and broke into six figures. Congrats, you're an average tech employee with baggage. Everyone that remembers you will be a hard no on future interviews.

Congrats I guess.

Thank you! This was many years ago, and I've held several jobs since then, 1000+ miles away from there now. It has not impacted my career the slightest, but thank you for your concern! I don't have some superiority complex against those making a median wage, so your sarcasm really isn't an insult at all. It's quite a good living, and I don't begrudge those making more.

But 2 months off could be a totally reasonable amount? If you worked for 2 years without taking PTO, taking 2 months off to avoid burnout seems like a normal thing to do. Some people prefer to take bigger, longer vacations rather than smaller more frequent ones.

> But 2 months off could be a totally reasonable amount?

Sure. Leave of two months should obviously be coordinated with your leadership, which this person didn't do.

Which makes your comment moot.

>Sure. Leave of two months should obviously be coordinated with your leadership, which this person didn't do.

How do you know that individual wasn't approved for the 2 months? I missed that part of the story. Do you not believe an employee has the right to resign from a job, or are they a slave for a certain period of time after taking a vacation?

> How do you know that individual wasn't approved for the 2 months? I missed that part of the story.

Context clues: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Context_(language_use)

> Do you not believe an employee has the right to resign from a job

Of course. Nobody said any different. Are you confused about the thread you're responding to?

I appreciate your honesty that it is complete conjecture on your part that the 2 months hadn't been coordinated.

If that's what you think context clues means, I can't help you.

By the fact that the two months of PTO didn't result in an immediate "you are fired for not coming to work", I take the position that it was approved PTO, and (thus) coordinated with (some) management. I do not see any context that supports another interpretation.

As my dad has always told me, you have no idea what agreement the other employee had with the company, so never speculate.

See that word "unlimited"?

It it doesn't mean that, why not say "up to 2 months PTO"? If you say "unlimited" and mean "limited", then yes, it needs a footnote, just as if you said "we're going to pay you $200K per year" but then paid only half and said "what, are you crazy? I'd never pay so much as $200K, surely you know I didn't mean this, do I need a footnote over every tiny thing?" No, not every, only in cases where you say one thing, but mean completely different one.

Oh, you can be mad. But you shouldn't be a jerk about it.

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