Why I left Google (HN search results) • Hacker News Board

Re: Why I left Google (HN search results)

#31

Post by Sir_Cmpwn » Thu, Jan 25, 2018, 4:30 PM UTC

romanovcode wrote: post #20

Sir_Cmpwn wrote: post #2

I'm curious to see what kind of discussion this generates before the HN mods inevitably kick it off the front page. Most of these links seem to be of employees who quit, but I'll add my article as a user who quit: https://drewdevault.com/2016/11/16/Getting-on-without-Google...

Not using google is much simpler then it sounds. - iPhone - DDG - Firefox/Safari - Some other email then google That's pretty much all you need.

Apple is just a different walled garden, albiet one with better privacy tools.

Re: Why I left Google (HN search results)

#32

Post by stochastic_monk » Thu, Jan 25, 2018, 4:30 PM UTC

Sir_Cmpwn wrote: post #17

tbirrell wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Your twitter link at the bottom of that article goes to an account suspended page.

I left Twitter, too. I can be found on Mastodon now: https://cmpwn.com/@sir I'll update the article, thanks!

Mastodon as a social network makes me happy because it brings to mind the prior glory of Leviathan and Blood Mountain.

...

And then I remember why I stopped using social networks (besides github) years ago.

Re: Why I left Google (HN search results)

#33

Post by havetocharge » Thu, Jan 25, 2018, 4:30 PM UTC

You are focusing on the loud minority and ignoring the silent majority.

Re: Why I left Google (HN search results)

#34

Post by nilkn » Thu, Jan 25, 2018, 4:33 PM UTC

havetocharge wrote: post #33

You are focusing on the loud minority and ignoring the silent majority.

Maybe it's just that it's interesting and useful to look at why folks have left a workplace that is otherwise hyped up as the best place to work in the industry. We hear plenty about Google being a great place to work. We don't hear so much about why people move on from it.

Re: Why I left Google (HN search results)

#35

Post by ProAm » Thu, Jan 25, 2018, 4:33 PM UTC

havetocharge wrote: post #33

You are focusing on the loud minority and ignoring the silent majority.

To be fair that is all media and journalism.

Re: Why I left Google (HN search results)

#36

Post by tzakrajs » Thu, Jan 25, 2018, 4:35 PM UTC

reificator wrote: post #9

corobo wrote: post #8

If you do the same for Facebook it's all users no longer using Facebook rather than employees no longer working there

That's because Facebook is a network and you leave networks. Google is a set of services and you quit services.

Facebook is an addiction I am sure that I quit.

Re: Why I left Google (HN search results)

#37

Post by JanLaussmann » Thu, Jan 25, 2018, 4:36 PM UTC

freehunter wrote: post #25

romanovcode wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not using google is much simpler then it sounds. - iPhone - DDG - Firefox/Safari - Some other email then google That's pretty much all you need.

Yup. The only Google product that I've found hard to replace as someone who frequently needs to semi-coherently communicate in a foreign language is Google Translate. Google Translate still is far from perfect, but it's a decent enough check on my spelling and grammar, but it's lightyears ahead of any competition I've found so far.

https://www.deepl.com/translator is amazing, maybe even better than Google translate.

Re: Why I left Google (HN search results)

#38

Post by utellme » Thu, Jan 25, 2018, 4:37 PM UTC

stochastic_monk wrote: post #29

y3sh wrote: post #6

Tldr politics, glass ceilings, re-orgs, purposeless/abandoned projects. As a former Googler, I can see why people post these: internally Google is hyper-evangelized as the best place to work ever (why would you work anywhere else). When leaving, its a necessary step to form a good argument for yourself as to why you've decided to go against the culture. The personal spin makes it an interesting read.

Yes, one needs a reason for leaving a company. But at the same time, one leaves a company or a religion or a relationship for a reason . The argument and reasoning necessitate the departure; they're not developed post hoc. Of course, additional supporting reasons become clear as one looks for and finds the door, and the understanding for why a person or institution is wrong for you evolves as you separate. I'd be int…

Some people just can't say personally and openly to their boss that there is some problem in policy or system if they think it exists. So they trying to inform this way.

But it's not every case, some experienced specialists can just write story as summary to give some experience to young newcomers, to arouse interest, maybe answer possible questions.

Re: Why I left Google (HN search results)

#39

Post by viach » Thu, Jan 25, 2018, 4:37 PM UTC

Interesting, there are 39 pages for "why I left" vs 8 pages "why I joined". This is because bad news are always more popular, I suppose.

Re: Why I left Google (HN search results)

#40

Post by scottlocklin » Thu, Jan 25, 2018, 4:38 PM UTC

freehunter wrote: post #21

reificator wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's because Facebook is a network and you leave networks. Google is a set of services and you quit services.

Yeah, when you leave Facebook, you're leaving a lot. You're not just stopping using a piece of software, it's more like you're giving up relationships, you're giving up a piece of your social life. For better or worse, you're probably going to miss something when you stop using Facebook, so there is a tradeoff that needs to be made. You're changing your social contract. It's a big deal. Meanwhile when you stop using…

I don't miss a thing from quitting facebook, and despite how addictive the damn thing is, it was easily done and my quality of life increased in obvious ways. Potemkin relationships are not relationships.