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Why I left Google (HN search results)

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Re: Why I left Google (HN search results)

#41

Post by minimaxir »

I incidentally made the same search yesterday because I had the same question regarding the tone, in light of how the most recent viral post (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16220666) utterly slams Google.

Unless there's corporate malfeasance, it's counterproductive in the long run to talk so badly about a former employer, especially on a forever-archived blog post. Even if it does feel good to let out pent-up thoughts.

When I wrote a blog post about leaving Apple (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14270897), I made a conscious effort to be objective with the rationale why I left (to grow my technical skills), and not emotionally judge Apple as a company (I still strongly support Apple).

Re: Why I left Google (HN search results)

#42

Post by freehunter »

JanLaussmann wrote: post #37
freehunter wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Excellent, I haven't tried this one. I'll give it a shot, thanks!

Re: Why I left Google (HN search results)

#43

Post by anowlcalledjosh »

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.

There's also:

- cloud storage

- shared document editing

- translate

- instant messaging

- calendar

- maps

Not that any of those have no non-Google alternative, but they're all things that Google offers.

Re: Why I left Google (HN search results)

#44

Post by epaga »

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.

A coworker uses DDG and each time we are talking about a problem at work (software development) and need to search something, I am disappointed by the lack of good results and make him use Google instead. It is currently 5 - 0 for Google if I recall correctly.

I would switch in a heartbeat if the results were comparable. Every time I’ve given it (or Bing) a shot for a few weeks, Google was simply better.

Re: Why I left Google (HN search results)

#47

Post by ocdtrekkie »

minimaxir wrote: post #41

I incidentally made the same search yesterday because I had the same question regarding the tone , in light of how the most recent viral post ( https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16220666 ) utterly slams Google. Unless there's corporate malfeasance, it's counterproductive in the long run to talk so badly about a former employer, especially on a forever-archived blog post. Even if it does feel good to let out pent-u…

When Yegge made his infamous platforms rant, he was clearly hoping to convey (internally, to other Googlers) important criticism on Google's mistakes, which is a productive conversation to have. I have seen a lot of tweets in particular from Google employees that can only be described as 'butthurt' regarding this blog post... but if, with any luck, the right Googlers read his post, with a little self-reflection, "slamming" Google might be good for Google. Because like any other company, Google could change, and could improve.

And this is hardly a slam, he still specifies that he believes it is basically the best place to work, and his follow-up post provides a bit more context to the main quote from the previous blog.

Re: Why I left Google (HN search results)

#48

Post by Sir_Cmpwn »

epaga wrote: post #44
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.

A coworker uses DDG and each time we are talking about a problem at work (software development) and need to search something, I am disappointed by the lack of good results and make him use Google instead. It is currently 5 - 0 for Google if I recall correctly. I would switch in a heartbeat if the results were comparable. Every time I’ve given it (or Bing) a shot for a few weeks, Google was simply better.

DDG requires a shift in habits to get good results. Google gives you better results because it knows you and you can be less specific. Search for "django framework" instead of "django", for example.

Re: Why I left Google (HN search results)

#49

Post by hinkley »

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.

If you have to evangelize about how awesome it is to work there, that sounds like a cult and not culture.

It also sounds like Microsoft in the 90’s, when they were stepping on necks and didn’t give a shit about anybody else. Because they were better than everybody else and why should you worry about inferior people?

Although in MS’s case they took it a step further: we are the best people in the world.

Re: Why I left Google (HN search results)

#50

Post by fullshark »

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…

> 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.

It actually seems like this is frequently the case to me. A lot of people get to the point where they simply don't like coming into work everyday, and have to come up for a reason why they feel that way.

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