Ex-Google recruiter: I was fired because I resisted “illegal” diversity efforts • Hacker News Board

Re: Ex-Google recruiter: I was fired because I resisted “illegal” diversity efforts

#171

Post by Cthulhu_ » Fri, Mar 02, 2018, 3:21 PM UTC

gpm wrote: post #87

People should check out the actual complaint [0]. It includes a lot of things the article doesn't including: A screenshot of an email from Allison Alogna to "Team" stating > Please continue with L3 candidates in process and only accept new L3 candidates that are from historically unrepresented groups. Another stating in part > And we should only consider L3s from our underrepresented groups. It also tells us that thi…

Another interesting thing there is that it's only L3's, which (it seems) are juniors / new people; you could argue that that too is discriminatory and it enables the "white male" stereotype to remain in leading positions while the "grunt work" is done by underrepresented groups.

Re: Ex-Google recruiter: I was fired because I resisted “illegal” diversity efforts

#172

Post by pmarreck » Fri, Mar 02, 2018, 3:22 PM UTC

walshemj wrote: post #148

xxcode wrote: post #85

I work at Google. It is the most unpleasant place to work, largely because work evaluation is almost 80% politics (might be 100%). I am a senior engineer. You get stuck here because the pay you better than elsewhere, but I think it is a very bad and very sad place to work. My stomach curdles every morning before going to work and I wonder if it is worth it. Many of my peers talk in the same vein. Please consider not…

Performance systems are always political and if you are unlucky driven by Dogbert in hr who's bonus is based on cutting the pay quanta.

I have nothing but loathing for performance evaluation metrics... which is partly why I’m a solo dev right now

Re: Ex-Google recruiter: I was fired because I resisted “illegal” diversity efforts

#173

Post by gedy » Fri, Mar 02, 2018, 3:22 PM UTC

colmvp wrote: post #126

I have to say, as an Asian male I found this comment by dirtyid in the article to be succinct and all too true: > "Pour one out for Asian males. Get screwed by affirmative action in education, media representation and now employment but can't get screwed on dating apps." Asian men constantly get grouped as a single entity when it comes to tech and aren't considered an added element of diverseness within the industry…

Agreed, and it's a failing of humanity that we lump people together based on their appearances. That ironically includes the people who try and "fix" discrimination.

Re: Ex-Google recruiter: I was fired because I resisted “illegal” diversity efforts

#174

Post by ComputerGuru » Fri, Mar 02, 2018, 3:24 PM UTC

masterleep wrote: post #162

wheaties wrote: post #107

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This definitely changes the tone of things. That's pure discrimination. It would be one thing to set quotas that favor a group, it's another to exclude any group at all. Sounds like someone above the manager is responsible for this and the manager is carrying out orders. You don't get a historic paper trail like that by not being told to continue on.

> It would be one thing to set quotas that favor a group, it's another to exclude any group at all. Both of those are illegal.

Affirmative action is definitely not illegal, regardless of whether it should or shouldn’t be.

Re: Ex-Google recruiter: I was fired because I resisted “illegal” diversity efforts

#175

Post by nojvek » Fri, Mar 02, 2018, 3:24 PM UTC

xxcode wrote: post #85

I work at Google. It is the most unpleasant place to work, largely because work evaluation is almost 80% politics (might be 100%). I am a senior engineer. You get stuck here because the pay you better than elsewhere, but I think it is a very bad and very sad place to work. My stomach curdles every morning before going to work and I wonder if it is worth it. Many of my peers talk in the same vein. Please consider not…

Oh man. That is quite a twist to the Google of 2010. But I guess any company that crosses 10,000 people mark will have heavy politics.

Google makes so much money from ads, it doesn’t know what to do. Like Microsoft, so much middle management that from customer pain to engineers, requirements are loaded with a ton of personal agenda and political gain.

Re: Ex-Google recruiter: I was fired because I resisted “illegal” diversity efforts

#176

Post by Cthulhu_ » Fri, Mar 02, 2018, 3:24 PM UTC

latencyloser wrote: post #114

bitL wrote: post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Actually your experience is not unique; you could see on Googlers in Mountain View or Zurich that many of them are one step from a burn-out, they are also often crammed next to each other in larger noisy rooms; most of them seemed pretty stressed out, not joyful, starting from receptionists. Such a huge contrast in attitude comparing to Microsoft (content/happy) or Facebook (high-energy).

I too rejected a job at Google after feeling like they just wanted to pigeon-hole me, so to speak. But, as a former Microsoft employee as well, it's not all sunshine there either. While experiences tend to vary, there I was crammed in a small, loud room with too many other people who I'd argue were more complacent than content. Similarly, I've had colleagues at Facebook describe it more as "exhausting" than high ener…

I do feel like Google and co are riding on their reputation a lot - one they built up some years ago with promises of e.g. three meals a day and high pay and only hiring the best and such. I got one recruitment mail which basically said something to the degree of "hi I'm from Google, please apply here". Not convincing.

Re: Ex-Google recruiter: I was fired because I resisted “illegal” diversity efforts

#177

Post by raker » Fri, Mar 02, 2018, 3:24 PM UTC

colmvp wrote: post #126

I have to say, as an Asian male I found this comment by dirtyid in the article to be succinct and all too true: > "Pour one out for Asian males. Get screwed by affirmative action in education, media representation and now employment but can't get screwed on dating apps." Asian men constantly get grouped as a single entity when it comes to tech and aren't considered an added element of diverseness within the industry…

You can use this sort of thing as a measuring point; when something like this is overlooked and inconvenient, you can tell they're making statements based on their agenda (the trend in the MSM, which is why you can see public trust dropping in them; they're not all stupid, they know it's not consistent). On the other hand, you've got people that make statements based on principle, and even if you still disagree with them, you feel it would still be nice to hang out with them, like they didn't establish their relationship with you by trying to lie to you through selective truths?

The cost of raising agenda above both principle and truth comes at the cost of a massive amount of people and freedoms, and their pretty statements about caring about any group of people don't hold water. (I'm looking at you SJWs and Aryan Supremacists)

Re: Ex-Google recruiter: I was fired because I resisted “illegal” diversity efforts

#178

Post by [deleted] » Fri, Mar 02, 2018, 3:24 PM UTC

klausjensen wrote: post #98

xxcode wrote: post #85

I work at Google. It is the most unpleasant place to work, largely because work evaluation is almost 80% politics (might be 100%). I am a senior engineer. You get stuck here because the pay you better than elsewhere, but I think it is a very bad and very sad place to work. My stomach curdles every morning before going to work and I wonder if it is worth it. Many of my peers talk in the same vein. Please consider not…

Friend - Get out. Many of us have been there, and it is not worth that feeling in your stomach every morning, because it drains the life out of you, can cause all kinds of physical and emotional problems. Go take a job somewhere else, where you might earn less - but will be less miserable - or maybe even happy. Get out.

[deleted]

Re: Ex-Google recruiter: I was fired because I resisted “illegal” diversity efforts

#179

Post by kelukelugames » Fri, Mar 02, 2018, 3:25 PM UTC

yupyup wrote: post #113

xxcode wrote: post #85

I work at Google. It is the most unpleasant place to work, largely because work evaluation is almost 80% politics (might be 100%). I am a senior engineer. You get stuck here because the pay you better than elsewhere, but I think it is a very bad and very sad place to work. My stomach curdles every morning before going to work and I wonder if it is worth it. Many of my peers talk in the same vein. Please consider not…

If you don't mind me asking... Why do you continue working there?

Pay attention to what people do more than what people say. People vote with their feet. A senior engineer at Google can easily get a high paying job anywhere else.

Re: Ex-Google recruiter: I was fired because I resisted “illegal” diversity efforts

#180

Post by novembermike » Fri, Mar 02, 2018, 3:25 PM UTC

boomboomsubban wrote: post #43

nugi wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I hold all organizations responsible for their own actions, reguardless of size. Too big to fail is a poor concept, logically, ethically.

This isn't too big to fail, it's "a bad egg doesn't ruin the bunch." Whether that's the case here is arguable, but no one is saying they aren't responsible for their actions.

The saying is "one bad apple ruins the bunch".