Why I left Google (HN search results)

Post by sumeno » Thu, Jan 25, 2018, 9:10 PM UTC

y3sh wrote: post #139

hinkley wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Oh one one _has_ to evangelize. Google has norms, and talking more positively about things is one of them. Going outside of the norms is risky for your career in any political meritocracy.

Post by d1zzy » Thu, Jan 25, 2018, 10:08 PM UTC

collyw wrote: post #53

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.

I always find the "best places to work" type lists a lot of crap. Usually its just a case of biggest and best known companies. I have worked for a real mix of places and the biggest companies haven't been any better than the smaller ones. Usually a good manager makes a far bigger difference.

Post by mrb » Thu, Jan 25, 2018, 10:34 PM UTC

rburhum wrote: post #160

mrb wrote: post #119

Earlier quoted context omitted.

With all due respect, it sounds like your article would be full of pre-conceived ideas since you have never worked at Google. At least those who quit have lived it and know for themselves. (And someone else's experience might be quite different if he had been in that person's shoes.)

Well, this is where you are wrong. I have worked in the core team at several multi-billion dollar companies (e.g. Microsoft, NVIDIA, etc) and have received job offers to lead teams from other similar companies (including the one you mention and one of their fiercest competitor). With all due the respect, your assumption that it would be full of pre-concieved ideas is simply wrong. I just have anti-bodies that fully r…

Post by tormeh » Thu, Jan 25, 2018, 11:43 PM UTC

logfromblammo wrote: post #177

nitrogen wrote: post #97

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It would make for an interesting fashion accessory. Best available alternative: wear tshirt from company A with jacket from company B and backpack from company C

I even have a lab coat with a company logo on it. It was due to an advantageous loophole in the corporate dress code. About 2/3 of the software developers on my team did it. It was as much of an inside joke as the memorial stack of the useless, corporate-branded, brass-plated railway spikes that grew by one every time someone left the company. Every time the c-level poured out more Flavor-Aid, we checked the height o…

Post by uiri » Fri, Jan 26, 2018, 3:18 AM UTC

johan_larson wrote: post #147

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.

In fairness, you really should have a good reason for leaving a company like Google. The pluses of working there are substantial. If you're leaving lightly, you are almost certainly making a mistake.