I think the Google Transparency Project needs some transparency: http://fortune.com/2016/04/27/google-transparency-project/
Google employees have enjoyed revolving door during Obama administration
31–40 of 107 posts
Re: Google employees have enjoyed revolving door during Obama administration
#32Earlier quoted context omitted.
So I'm a software engineer in SF who would love to work on projects like you mentioned. Where do I look and what do I look for?
USDS is hiring! https://www.usds.gov/join If you want to work remote from SF, check out 18F: https://pages.18f.gov/joining-18f/
It looks like 18F isn't hiring currently: https://pages.18f.gov/joining-18f/open-positions/
We're briefly pausing accepting new applications while we evolve how 18F plans for open roles.
Re: Google employees have enjoyed revolving door during Obama administration
#33I met some of the former Googlers working for the USDS. They seemed to be many pre-IPO SREs who decided that improving government was more important than being an LP at a VC fund. They were motivated by getting tens of millions of people healthcare, and along the way they encountered huge challenges - like figuring out how to reconcile VA and Pentagon records. Their passion was inspiring, and the work they do affects…
> Your specific background, including current salary and years of experience, will ultimately determine your pay. U.S. Digital Service salaries are set in accordance with the General Schedule Pay Scale, which is capped at $160,300.
All of the Googlers you've met who work for USDS are already well funded from their previous companies. Who in their right mind would go to work for the government, for minimum wage, unless they were already independently wealthy?
Re: Google employees have enjoyed revolving door during Obama administration
#34Is it so hard to believe that one of the biggest tech companies in the country and the government wouldn't both respect success in the other's organizations?
Similar arguments are made when the close ties between the government and say Goldman Sachs and other Wall Street giants are discussed. There is a revolving door there too. Even the most forgiving interpretation of the facts implies that Google and Goldman Sachs and other corporations have massive influence in government. There is no need to posit a conspiracy theory. It's just that the same people flow back and fort…
The most forgiving interpretation doesn't imply massive influence at all.
US gov't needs help regulating banks. Employees with experience in finance will likely have an easier time navigating things. Same argument for tech.
Is it really that shocking that you hire former finance people to regulate the finance industry? Experience in the domain means knowledge about how things work. It's the same argument as putting a technical person as PM for a technical project.
Of course, this doesn't work in the "regulation as punishment" mindset. But gov't regulators aren't looking to kill banks, they're looking to keep the economy healthy. Yes, that means working with banks to improve things (see regulators coordinating the purchase of failed banks by other ones).
Inversely, you are Goldman Sachs. You need help navigating regulation... a guy with regulation experience sounds good right?
Of course there are potential conflicts of interest to watch out for.
Re: Google employees have enjoyed revolving door during Obama administration
#35I met some of the former Googlers working for the USDS. They seemed to be many pre-IPO SREs who decided that improving government was more important than being an LP at a VC fund. They were motivated by getting tens of millions of people healthcare, and along the way they encountered huge challenges - like figuring out how to reconcile VA and Pentagon records. Their passion was inspiring, and the work they do affects…
The problem with gov is that everything is slow has hell / old tech on top of corporate contracts with the like of Oracle / SAP. I don't expect to improve things there because of all thoses problems + layers of bureaucracy.
That's one problem, and it's a total drag. Another one I encountered was the sheer weight of the crushing mediocrity. Everybody just punching in, staring at their computers, going through the motions, and punching out to commute home. Nobody cared enough to try to make anything better, it's just keep your head down, collect your pension in 40 years, don't cause too much of a kerfuffle.
Re: Google employees have enjoyed revolving door during Obama administration
#36Is "Google employee leaves Google and gets job in Executive Branch" a "revolving door"? Even when the job is technical not policy?
Most of the examples in the article are non-technical. High level advisory roles for policy advise.
I don't really understand why having people who know about technology advise in the creation of technology policy and strategy is a bad thing.
Re: Google employees have enjoyed revolving door during Obama administration
#37Earlier quoted context omitted.
Ancaps really? I'm sure Google is co-opting with the government in some sense, but you obviously have to at that scale, but what kind of tin foil hat do you need to start believing ancaps are missing.
I believe cjrjfufjdvfhz is not saying that ancaps are involved in some sort of scheme but rather that anarcho-capitalist ideology is deficient in that it does not take this idea into account ("You don't get to be one of the largest corporations in the world without co-opting the government in your favor").
I don't get what that has to do with anarcho-capitalism, though. In a world where governments exist and are powerful, it will be in the interest of a corporation to get the government to do things for it. Fine. What does that have to do with a philosophy that advocates moving towards a world without governments?
Re: Google employees have enjoyed revolving door during Obama administration
#38I met some of the former Googlers working for the USDS. They seemed to be many pre-IPO SREs who decided that improving government was more important than being an LP at a VC fund. They were motivated by getting tens of millions of people healthcare, and along the way they encountered huge challenges - like figuring out how to reconcile VA and Pentagon records. Their passion was inspiring, and the work they do affects…
> Your specific background, including current salary and years of experience, will ultimately determine your pay. U.S. Digital Service salaries are set in accordance with the General Schedule Pay Scale, which is capped at $160,300. All of the Googlers you've met who work for USDS are already well funded from their previous companies. Who in their right mind would go to work for the government, for minimum wage, unles…
Not everyone is motivated solely by money.
Re: Google employees have enjoyed revolving door during Obama administration
#39Earlier quoted context omitted.
Ancaps really? I'm sure Google is co-opting with the government in some sense, but you obviously have to at that scale, but what kind of tin foil hat do you need to start believing ancaps are missing.
I believe cjrjfufjdvfhz is not saying that ancaps are involved in some sort of scheme but rather that anarcho-capitalist ideology is deficient in that it does not take this idea into account ("You don't get to be one of the largest corporations in the world without co-opting the government in your favor").
Not sure I understand. Is the goal to produce the world's largest company or to offer value to consumers as a whole? (com-pet-i-tive-ly and fairly?)
Re: Google employees have enjoyed revolving door during Obama administration
#40I met some of the former Googlers working for the USDS. They seemed to be many pre-IPO SREs who decided that improving government was more important than being an LP at a VC fund. They were motivated by getting tens of millions of people healthcare, and along the way they encountered huge challenges - like figuring out how to reconcile VA and Pentagon records. Their passion was inspiring, and the work they do affects…
> Your specific background, including current salary and years of experience, will ultimately determine your pay. U.S. Digital Service salaries are set in accordance with the General Schedule Pay Scale, which is capped at $160,300. All of the Googlers you've met who work for USDS are already well funded from their previous companies. Who in their right mind would go to work for the government, for minimum wage, unles…
$13,000 a month is minimum wage ?