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Things I've learned at Google so far

bentilly.blogspot.com

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Re: Things I've learned at Google so far

#21

Post by neilk »

csomar wrote: post #20

In fact this is enshrined as an official corporate policy - engineers get 20% of their time to do with pretty much as they please, and are judged in part on how they use that time. I found a speech claiming that over half of Google's applications started as a 20% project. >> (I'm surprised that the figure is so low.) I wonder why you are surprised? Actually it's very high. Imagine Google don't offer 20% for its' empl…

Virtually no Google engineers use their personal time to develop new projects. In most cases, they have crushing responsibilities on their existing projects (that guy who appears to be 2x as smart as you and sits next to you? You are competing with him).

Usually, people use the official personal time to take mini-sabbaticals with other projects, or write tools to make their own lives easier (which may have more general use within the company, or beyond.)

Re: Things I've learned at Google so far

#22

Post by psranga »

btilly wrote: post #14
mrduncan wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I thought there were some really interesting tidbits in there and I enjoyed reading about the office environment. About the information that they're hiring - has there ever been a time when Google wasn't hiring? (I mean that seriously, not to be snarky.)

About a year ago Google had a layoff and stopped hiring. This was personally frustrating, because I got through the interview process in Feb, got approved by the hiring committee, then headcount was not approved. Which put me in a state of indefinite limbo. So I had found a different job by the time they contacted me again in October.

Did you have to interview again in October, or did they just reactivate your previous offer?

Re: Things I've learned at Google so far

#23

Post by jlees »

durin42 wrote: post #12
jff wrote: post #10

As my boss likes to say, they have the free meals because they expect you to be there for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Ha! I've visited Mountain View enough to know that it's a ghost town when breakfast is actually being served.

It's not actually that bad >.> I was pleasantly surprised by the number of other people around at 8.30am!

Re: Things I've learned at Google so far

#24

Post by csomar »

ThinkWriteMute wrote: post #17

I like Google as a company and I love their products (As much as you can love a tool), but jesus how can he work there and use Blogger? It's such a piece of crap.

What's wrong with Blogger? It does its' job well.

What's the point from Blogging? -> Getting the word to the others. and it does it well, so it's not crap.

Re: Things I've learned at Google so far

#25

Post by btilly »

psranga wrote: post #22
btilly wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

About a year ago Google had a layoff and stopped hiring. This was personally frustrating, because I got through the interview process in Feb, got approved by the hiring committee, then headcount was not approved. Which put me in a state of indefinite limbo. So I had found a different job by the time they contacted me again in October.

Did you have to interview again in October, or did they just reactivate your previous offer?

I wound up in a very different position from what I'd applied for, so they did a phone interview with my potential manager to decide whether I needed to come in for another on site interview.

Re: Things I've learned at Google so far

#26

Post by spicyj »

csomar wrote: post #20

In fact this is enshrined as an official corporate policy - engineers get 20% of their time to do with pretty much as they please, and are judged in part on how they use that time. I found a speech claiming that over half of Google's applications started as a 20% project. >> (I'm surprised that the figure is so low.) I wonder why you are surprised? Actually it's very high. Imagine Google don't offer 20% for its' empl…

I thought he was saying that he thought it should be higher than half.

Re: Things I've learned at Google so far

#27

Post by neilk »

Hi there. I was a Noogler in 2005 or so, but it sounds like things haven't changed much, at least on that side.

Regarding the stuff you're not supposed to talk about, there are three stages:

1. Amazement at how it all works; wanting to go run and tell all your friends.

2. Fear that talking about Google's advantages would undermine the company (or your position in it)

3. Recognition that nobody would believe you anyway.

By the time you've reached (3) you've come to believe that Google is years ahead of anyone else; you've transferred all loyalties to the company; you accept the idea that you're in an elite of humanity.

The reality is that while Googlers are very smart, and sometimes not even narrow, a lot of their intellectual qualities are not innate. Mostly it's due to a very severe work ethic and having had the leisure and wealth to pursue a field with single-minded focus since they were in their early teens. And much of this is mere bravado, or habitual oneupmanship learned from Ivy-league American schools. Don't be intimidated, and try not to abandon all your own intellectual standards in favor of Google's.

Re: Things I've learned at Google so far

#28

Post by neilk »

petercooper wrote: post #13

Google has amazing people. It is often said that engineers find working at Google a humbling experience. This is absolutely true. It took me less than a day to realize that the guy sitting next to me is clearly much smarter than I am [..] without false modesty I wouldn't be surprised to find that I'm as high as being in the top 0.1% in general intelligence (however that could be measured). This strikes me as a proble…

Google believes in data only. Designers are not used to justifying their ideas with data.

While no one comes out and says it, the implication is that most of what constitutes the design profession is mere flimflammery. You don't need a designer to tell you what shade of blue to pick when you can just A/B test a few hundred shades.

That's why a lot of designers quit.

Re: Things I've learned at Google so far

#29

Post by btilly »

ThinkWriteMute wrote: post #17

I like Google as a company and I love their products (As much as you can love a tool), but jesus how can he work there and use Blogger? It's such a piece of crap.

The answer is that I'm engaging in satisficing behavior, not optimizing behavior.

When I wanted to start a blog it was there and free. I've seen lots of other people use it. And so far it has been good enough for my needs.

If I was a serious blogger I'd likely find things I didn't like about it and look for something better. But until some obvious shortcoming irritates me, it isn't worth the effort for me to find something better.

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