Are you a Mac or a PC?

<p>If you work for one or the other, right now you’d rather be a Mac. </p> <p>Yesterday, Microsoft made official its intention of laying off 5,000 employees, including 1,400 who lost their jobs yesterday. The stock market responded instantly with Microsoft stock falling 8.5%. (Some may have thought that should have happened some time ago when Vista was introduced.)</p> <p>At the same time, Apple stock rose 7% yesterday, reflecting its strong earnings that remain steady. Of course this is due mostly to the ‘I’ factor – iPod, iPhone, iTunes – so being a Mac may not have that much to do with it.</p> <p>Still, it’s got to be an interesting experience being an employee working in a particular industry, during an economic tsunami, knowing you’re safe and secure while your comrades over at the competition are exposed and vulnerable.</p> <p>Of course, Apple techies, developers, and sales guys have to be feeling relief. But what else? What’s the tone in the Apple offices?</p> <p>Does the ugly side of the decades-old competition kick in and they feel MS finally got its comeuppance for the stranglehold they’ve maintained on the PC market?</p> <p>Does the humane side supersede and they feel compassion and sympathy for the company? Or only for the individual employees?</p> <p>Do they feel guilty for still having a job to come to every day? It’s not unusual for those left unscathed by disaster to experience survival guilt.</p> <p>For the answers, I suppose there’s one place to turn. We’d have to ask the employees of Toyota, Nissan and Subaru.</p> <p>p.s. I&#39;m a Mac. </p> <p><strong>p.p.s. If you have a story to share about the impact of being laid off or fired, please share it at my blog:<br><br><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.firedfornow.com/">www.firedfornow.com</a></strong><strong><br></strong></p> <p><strong>Check out the posts there and add your story.</strong><strong> </strong></p>