Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Working at Netflix 2017

brendangregg.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

141–150 of 162 posts

Re: Working at Netflix 2017

#141

Post by orisa2 »

tshibley wrote: post #99
Antrikshy wrote: post #92

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You have sources for these?

I totally understand the need for sources in informed discussions, but I also feel like these topics have been so well documented that they have reached a point where asking someone for a source every time they throw out the fact that companies are "Tracking people across the web" is a contrived roadblock at best, and purposely stifling to discussion at worst. With that said, I don't want to just single you out since…

I somewhat agree, however in I don't think the parent should have been down voted. If someone doesn't regularly follow tech news then it is completely reasonable for them to have never heard of any of these incidents. In addition, the original comment was ambiguously worded as to whether he/she was talking about Netflix or acts done at other companies.

Re: Working at Netflix 2017

#142

Post by lern_too_spel »

specialist wrote: post #100
Freak_NL wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, being limited to 720p because you run a free software operating system is not my idea of 'not shady' (Netflix is keeping their streams on Firefox and Chrome on 720p as a matter of policy, 1080p requires IE11, Edge, or Safari on a non-free operating system, or their proprietary app on an approved operating system). The only way this makes sense is if the purpose of this blockade is to push people towards devices…

Have both Amazon Prime and NetFlix. Still fetch torrents, so I can control playback speed (watch faster).

You can control play speed for both in your web browser.

Re: Working at Netflix 2017

#143

Post by pfarnsworth »

ryandrake wrote: post #139
phamilton wrote: post #101

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't know why people are so adamant about this being an outlier. Yes, not all tech companies pay $300k+ for senior engineers. But Netflix/Google/Facebook do. I don't know why that should be a problem for people. Denying it, and mocking anyone who brings it up, just depresses wages for engineers across the board.

People are adamant about it because in all cases, those claiming these salaries are common provide no evidence to back up their claims. It's always "I know this guy who..." or "It just is, I'm telling you!" You can argue that glassdoor and other online surveys are self-selecting and suffer from this or that bias, but at least they (presumably) are trying to back their results up with data. Multiple online sites agree…

Typical HN comment making bullshit assertions without any evidence. Look at the links I posted.

Re: Working at Netflix 2017

#144

Post by phamilton »

ryandrake wrote: post #139
phamilton wrote: post #101

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't know why people are so adamant about this being an outlier. Yes, not all tech companies pay $300k+ for senior engineers. But Netflix/Google/Facebook do. I don't know why that should be a problem for people. Denying it, and mocking anyone who brings it up, just depresses wages for engineers across the board.

People are adamant about it because in all cases, those claiming these salaries are common provide no evidence to back up their claims. It's always "I know this guy who..." or "It just is, I'm telling you!" You can argue that glassdoor and other online surveys are self-selecting and suffer from this or that bias, but at least they (presumably) are trying to back their results up with data. Multiple online sites agree…

https://www.paysa.com/salaries/google--senior-software-engin...

https://www.paysa.com/salaries/facebook--senior-software-eng...

https://www.paysa.com/salaries/netflix--senior-software-engi...

Re: Working at Netflix 2017

#145

Post by thirdsun »

Freak_NL wrote: post #9
mimsee wrote: post #3

> We don't do anything shady, and we're proud of that. We're an honest company. Maybe not shady, but surely controversial. [0]: https://www.w3.org/TR/encrypted-media/ [1]: https://blog.archive.org/2017/04/18/drm-for-the-web-is-a-bad... [2]: https://www.defectivebydesign.org/drm-in-web-standards

Yeah, being limited to 720p because you run a free software operating system is not my idea of 'not shady' (Netflix is keeping their streams on Firefox and Chrome on 720p as a matter of policy, 1080p requires IE11, Edge, or Safari on a non-free operating system, or their proprietary app on an approved operating system). The only way this makes sense is if the purpose of this blockade is to push people towards devices…

> Yeah, being limited to 720p because you run a free software operating system is not my idea of 'not shady' (Netflix is keeping their streams on Firefox and Chrome on 720p as a matter of policy, 1080p requires IE11, Edge, or Safari on a non-free operating system, or their proprietary app on an approved operating system)

Wait, really? I did not know that. I'm watching Netflix with Chrome on mac OS and always assumed that they use a poor bitrate for what I thought was 1080p content. This explains a lot. Any workaround on mac other than using Safari?

Re: Working at Netflix 2017

#146

Post by bmwe30is »

toomuchtodo wrote: post #79
bmwe30is wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wouldn't say it's easy to get a job here. I've been working here for nearly 2 years now. The interview process is as challenging as it needs to be to find the right people for the job. This varies from team to team. We don't follow a corporate set of rules to hire engineers. This company is more adamant about letting folks go whom don't get the work done or aren't able to perform. They want good engineers to solve…

> They want good engineers to solve challenging problems. Serve bits. Suggest movies based on coarse signals. Is there much left? Netflix is not SpaceX nor Tesla; its an online Blockbuster Video. Serving video in 2017 is not complicated.

> Serve bits. Suggest movies based on coarse signals. Is there much left?

I didn't want to answer your question right away since it felt like you were trolling at first. But here's my answer. There's indeed, quite a bit more than just serving bits and title suggestions.

The "left over" portion includes things such as getting those bits to move effortlessly to the multitude of TV's, set-top boxes, and streaming sticks, not to mention the effort and engineering to get those movies and shows streaming effortlessly to your mobile devices.

We attempt to optimize every part of the user experience so you can get to watching your shows immediately regardless of what device you choose to pick up.

Re: Working at Netflix 2017

#147

Post by dasmoth »

steven777400 wrote: post #129
fooey wrote: post #11

Netflix's culture deck is one of the most horrific things in the tech industry I've ever seen. It's so ruthlessly mercenary, I have a hard time understanding how why people put up with them.

As someone who works in the totally opposite situation (government job, permanent, no one gets fired for performance), I respect that Netflix publishes this deck. I would much much much rather have a company publish a clear set of expectations, pre-interview, than have those expectations be "read between the lines" or find out the hard way. I try to be equally clear when I'm hiring. I make it clear to the candidates…

I try to be equally clear when I'm hiring. I make it clear to the candidates that this is not a place for individualism, not a place for innovation, not a place for cutting edge tech. We are heavily team oriented, process oriented, CRUD application maintaining, older stable tech platforms with interchangable teams. I want to make that clear, not because I want to "horrify" candidates (though no doubt many on HN are horrified) but so that people who want the exciting startup lifestyle aren't bamboozled by some swarmy HR position description that tries to sell something that isn't.

Thanks for making this stuff clear. While it's disappointing to me that so much of the field has gone down this kind of path, it's good to know up front.

Re: Working at Netflix 2017

#148

Post by dasmoth »

dominotw wrote: post #127
dasmoth wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't know how close the thing you read is to what's on slideshare, but the public version has a slide which explicitly addresses the "this is not for everyone" issue, and says they're trying to filter out the people who won't like it. I suspect questions about the culture deck are more about making sure you're coming in with open eyes than about ensuring you've memorised every last phrase.

Thats nice. Play nasty games with people trying to find a job and put food on the table. What is wrong with these people.

I don't get this at all.

Wouldn't the "nasty game" be to hire them then fire them after a few weeks because they don't bring the level of intrinsic motivation that the environment requires?

Or are you saying that no employer should be able to demand this level of motivation, even if they're totally up-front about it?

Re: Working at Netflix 2017

#149

Post by 4ad »

thirdsun wrote: post #145
Freak_NL wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, being limited to 720p because you run a free software operating system is not my idea of 'not shady' (Netflix is keeping their streams on Firefox and Chrome on 720p as a matter of policy, 1080p requires IE11, Edge, or Safari on a non-free operating system, or their proprietary app on an approved operating system). The only way this makes sense is if the purpose of this blockade is to push people towards devices…

> Yeah, being limited to 720p because you run a free software operating system is not my idea of 'not shady' (Netflix is keeping their streams on Firefox and Chrome on 720p as a matter of policy, 1080p requires IE11, Edge, or Safari on a non-free operating system, or their proprietary app on an approved operating system) Wait, really? I did not know that. I'm watching Netflix with Chrome on mac OS and always assumed…

> Any workaround on mac other than using Safari?

Yes, The Pirate Bay. If users don't vote with their money nothing will ever change.

Re: Working at Netflix 2017

#150

Post by nrki »

I somehow picked up "Australian vibes" from this article, without any proof in the article that Brendan is Aussie.

The cricket ball on the desk then helped, with the "G'day" on the front page of his site proving it. :)

Post reply on HN