That conversation made me realize that I’m not Google. I provide a service to Google in exchange for money.
Why I Quit Google to Work for Myself
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Re: Why I Quit Google to Work for Myself
#42Earlier quoted context omitted.
Nice. Do you think large companies would benefit from a different scheme that rewards employees who "think like an owner"? (pardon the oft-used phrase)
At risk of stating the obvious, not all the medium/large tech companies work as described in this article. At Atlassian, for example, the direct managers are the ones who make promotion recommendations, it’s very much driven by your contributions on your team, whether accompanied by shiny metrics or not.
True, but conversely, many large companies outside of tech have a very similar disconnect between the reward system and the actual work that benefits the firm. I saw this when I was working at a bank. Even in a profit-transparent business, politics and optics played a larger role than raw performance and team support.
Re: Why I Quit Google to Work for Myself
#43Earlier quoted context omitted.
I'm going to be applying there soon, 4 years into my career. It'll involve a loong move and big changes: what advice can you give someone who wants to spend a couple years (or more?) with the big G? Also, any chance of submitting a referral? :)
Author writes article ranting about decision-making by groups of people who know nothing about them. Commenter asks for referral from author who knows nothing about them.
Sounds like his head is already in the game!
Re: Why I Quit Google to Work for Myself
#44I recognized your username from all your work in the Sia community. Thanks for helping to make it better.
While reading your article, I got the distinct impression that Google set up the system that way so they didn't have to give promotions. They get so many applications from the best software engineers in the world that they don't really have to work to retain people, and if they need a manager, there are plenty of those applying, too. I would suspect that in order to be promoted, you truly have to be exceptional and almost worthy of knighthood. The fact that your manager, who has intimate knowledge of your abilities, has no input into your advancement, and the fact that the metrics they look at are naturally difficult to achieve due to project churn makes it appear that they really don't want to promote anyone unless they have a very good reason.
Re: Why I Quit Google to Work for Myself
#45Because you made enough money that it was an affordable risk? Yes, perf is garbage and management is chaos, but let's be honest with ourselves. Four years' worth of GSUs oughta be enough for anybody. "Devoted employee" followed by "expert at gaming the perf system" followed by "project cancelled and adrift" is, sadly, the normal progression for a Googler, from what I've seen.
"Four years' worth of GSUs oughta be enough for anybody."
No. Not even close. There's a reason it's called golden handcuffs. It all depends on where you are in life. If you have a mortgage, it won't be enough depending on the house you have. If you don't have a house, you will have a lot of FOMO. Big time.
It's all about pscyhology - you need exactly 0$ if you are dedicated and don't have dependencies. Ok, let's say just couple thousand for a room and food.
Re: Why I Quit Google to Work for Myself
#46Re: Why I Quit Google to Work for Myself
#47Where is the metric for being a team player? Patrick Lenceoni's book, 'The Ideal Team Player' defines the 3 main traits of a team player: Humble, Hungry, and People-Smart.
Re: Why I Quit Google to Work for Myself
#48> I drastically reduced the time developers spent repairing those failures, but there were no metrics that tracked developer time. For several jobs in a row, I've felt that helping others on a team is undervalued and under-recorded. I've been planning to implement the "assist" metric, similar to basketball, on my own team for a while. The idea would be something along the lines of everyone gets a set of assist points…
The idea would be something along the lines of everyone gets a set of assist points they must distribute to people who help them the most.
There is a really great idea in there somewhere - create incentives for helping others - but I'm struggling to come up with a good way to implement it that doesn't just water everything down.
The closest I can think of is how repo commits can be counted/graphed per user. Works easily for code jockeying, but less so for softer talents like pair programming.
Re: Why I Quit Google to Work for Myself
#49I'm also a Googler. Upon joining I was also given the keys to an ancient data pipeline, due a redesign for at least five years at that time. The person handing me the keys left almost immediately. My task was also keeping the thing adrift and nursing it back to health, whatever it takes. I did get promoted for that. The metric I used was pretty much the amount of developer time that went into supporting it that was saved by my damn ugly hacks. It was collected by asking nicely for the affected folk to confirm their lives got better.
I can't say why it worked only for one of us.
Re: Why I Quit Google to Work for Myself
#50> I drastically reduced the time developers spent repairing those failures, but there were no metrics that tracked developer time. For several jobs in a row, I've felt that helping others on a team is undervalued and under-recorded. I've been planning to implement the "assist" metric, similar to basketball, on my own team for a while. The idea would be something along the lines of everyone gets a set of assist points…
That's what's dysfunctional about a lot of companies/our society. You persuade others to do/[help with] your work you are showing leadership and get promoted.
Sorry, you got duped into having sympathy and showing teamwork.
The better you are at convincing others we're a team and hard work is it's own reward when it's really just dog eat dog the higher up the food chain you go.