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Google employees have enjoyed revolving door during Obama administration

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Re: Google employees have enjoyed revolving door during Obama administration

#91

Post by knorker »

_yosefk wrote: post #82
philip1209 wrote: post #11

I 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…

TFA mentions ex-Googlers in the FCC, the FTC and the DOD, which are different branches of government from the USDS. TFA also says "there have been at least 15 moves between Google and its lobbying firms and those commissions." The "lobbying firms" probably had people doing less, um, technical things. "Amey said he’s not as concerned about programmers moving over – and quite a few data engineers who worked on Obama’s…

> "Amey said he’s not as concerned about programmers moving over

But the article is. The very first thing in the article is Mikey Dickerson's face. To call him a "top level executive" at Google is not even close to true, even if he has a high rank in his new role.

Re: Google employees have enjoyed revolving door during Obama administration

#92

Post by apatters »

DannyBee wrote: post #86
_yosefk wrote: post #82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

TFA mentions ex-Googlers in the FCC, the FTC and the DOD, which are different branches of government from the USDS. TFA also says "there have been at least 15 moves between Google and its lobbying firms and those commissions." The "lobbying firms" probably had people doing less, um, technical things. "Amey said he’s not as concerned about programmers moving over – and quite a few data engineers who worked on Obama’s…

"TFA mentions ex-Googlers in the FCC, the FTC and the DOD," FWIW: Some of the folks they are counting are interns, AFAICT. Otherwise, i have trouble seeing what the hullaboo is about. For example, Matthew Bye (Disclaimer: i've worked closely with Matthew for years) is someone they claim went from the FTC to Google. He got a job at the FTC out of law school for a few years. Then he went to Wilson Sonshini for 3 years.…

> Otherwise, i have trouble seeing what the hullaboo is about.

In every regulated industry there tends to be a small cadre of people who rotate through the most elite jobs in both the private and public sector. So if you're aware of that, it's no surprise that Google and the rest of the tech industry work the same way.

I think the cause of the hullabaloo may be that a lot of people didn't realize this has been going on since time immemorial. Perhaps they assumed that the people governing them were more like them, and were not, for example, financial or tech CEOs looking for a change of pace. In an age of great information transparency they are now starting to figure this out. It is part of a growing awareness that surprisingly small cadres of elites run basically everything and reap large rewards at a time when class mobility is at a low, wealth inequality is peaking, the political system is dysfunctional, the economy is sluggish, etc.

And so you get the Brexits and the Trumps, and a new level of scrutiny into just what exactly those wealthy techies are up to. Different people will render different judgments on the phenomenon but in my view it is absolutely all part of a trend where the silent majority starting to make some noise.

Re: Google employees have enjoyed revolving door during Obama administration

#93

Post by nxzero »

asimuvPR wrote: post #78
navahq wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Also check out Nava-- we're a part of the original team and continuing to improve Healthcare.gov and work on other projects, and we're actively hiring for software engineers in SF and DC. See profile for details!

This seems really interesting! Is there a way to learn more before applying? :)

Email: jobs@navahq.com

Background: http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/07/the-se...

Jobs: http://navahq.com/careers

Re: Google employees have enjoyed revolving door during Obama administration

#94

Post by asimuvPR »

nxzero wrote: post #93
asimuvPR wrote: post #78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This seems really interesting! Is there a way to learn more before applying? :)

Email: jobs@navahq.com Background: http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/07/the-se... Jobs: http://navahq.com/careers

Thanks for the info.

Re: Google employees have enjoyed revolving door during Obama administration

#95

Post by rmah »

gedrap wrote: post #74
justinlardinois wrote: post #49

> More than 250 people have moved from Google and related firms to the federal government or vice versa since President Barack Obama took office. Google has over 30,000 employees in Mountain View alone, and that's just a portion of its workforce. The term "Obama administration" in the headline is somewhat misleading considering that the above quote says it's surveyed from "the federal government," which is a huge wor…

I got the same impression. It would be worth taking a second look at if the vast majority of those 250 people were top executives: >> Regulation watchdogs may be just as keen about the moves between Google and the Federal Communications Commission and Federal Trade Commission. Those government bodies regulate many of the programs that are at the heart of Google’s business, and there have been at least 15 moves betwee…

Yes, the impression the article wants you to have is that those people are top (or at least important) execs at both google and the government who are able to make decisions that benefit one or the other or themselves.

The reality, if you dig into the data, is that the vast majority are not.

Re: Google employees have enjoyed revolving door during Obama administration

#96

Post by ocdtrekkie »

DannyBee wrote: post #86
_yosefk wrote: post #82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

TFA mentions ex-Googlers in the FCC, the FTC and the DOD, which are different branches of government from the USDS. TFA also says "there have been at least 15 moves between Google and its lobbying firms and those commissions." The "lobbying firms" probably had people doing less, um, technical things. "Amey said he’s not as concerned about programmers moving over – and quite a few data engineers who worked on Obama’s…

"TFA mentions ex-Googlers in the FCC, the FTC and the DOD," FWIW: Some of the folks they are counting are interns, AFAICT. Otherwise, i have trouble seeing what the hullaboo is about. For example, Matthew Bye (Disclaimer: i've worked closely with Matthew for years) is someone they claim went from the FTC to Google. He got a job at the FTC out of law school for a few years. Then he went to Wilson Sonshini for 3 years.…

From my understanding, Wilson Sonshini counts Google as a client, and works heavily in antitrust matters. Can you not see the issue with someone in the FTC then being handed a position at Google's antitrust lawyer, and then Google itself? Would a FTC member doing their job, being critical of companies like Google, be offered a job with Google's defense?

Similarly, after paid Google shill (literally by his own admission) Joshua Wright finished his stint as the FTC Commissioner (amazingly, an investigation against Google disappeared during his term), he then recently got a job with Wilson Sonshini as well.

Re: Google employees have enjoyed revolving door during Obama administration

#97

Post by toomuchtodo »

asimuvPR wrote: post #89
toomuchtodo wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For a data point, I was offered $130k for a position at the IRS (as a USDS employee) working on taxpayer authorization, authentication, identity management.

Mind sharing location?

Would've been working out of DC, relocating from the Midwest, for a 1-2 year "tour of duty".

Re: Google employees have enjoyed revolving door during Obama administration

#98

Post by TheCoelacanth »

JustSomeNobody wrote: post #53
johnchristopher wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

$13,000 a month is minimum wage ?

It's capped at 160K. This means most are likely making less.

Even a lowly GS-7 is making something like 3 times minimum wage.

They probably are making less than they could in the private sector, but calling it "minimum wage" is just ludicrously out of touch.

Re: Google employees have enjoyed revolving door during Obama administration

#99

Post by gkop »

asimuvPR wrote: post #87
gkop wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Binti makes software that is transforming child welfare services administration. We work together in SF and are growing rapidly. Info in profile.

What's your stack like?

Binti's main SaaS web product is a conventional monolithic Rails/Postgres app that delivers value in heaps and heaps, and remains super fun to hack on. We're building the monolith up higher and higher, and looking forward to soon chipping off a service or two (perhaps in Elixir?). Specific engineering roles we have open are for someone that is highly-opinionated on the front-end stack/practices, a security specialist, and a UX/a11y specialist. We're using Kubernetes for cluster management.

Also hiring in sales and customer success.

Re: Google employees have enjoyed revolving door during Obama administration

#100

Post by hiram112 »

rmason wrote: post #45
Abundnce10 wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

You might also want to try becoming a Code For America fellow for a year working in cities: https://www.codeforamerica.org/do-something/work-with-us/fel...

Looks interesting. Unfortunately they are not currently accepting applications.
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