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The Google+ project and exec team

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Re: The Google+ project and exec team

#171

Post by rpeden »

ganeshkrishnan wrote: post #124
brianberns wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree. They just need to make this clear to him before he agrees to the job.

Job offers don't come with project guarantees. What next? A guaranteed table spot next to the window?

I think it depends on how much leverage you have, doesn't it?

If your skillset is in huge demand, and a company needs you badly enough, they might just be willing to guarantee in writing what project you'd be working on - and maybe even give you a window seat, too.

Though if you're in demand, and want project guarantees, you'd probably be happier as a consultant - that way you're sort of always guaranteed to be working on the project you want, because completing that project is the entire reason the company hired you.

Re: The Google+ project and exec team

#173

Post by kthejoker2 »

threatofrain wrote: post #169
zinclozenge wrote: post #106

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Talent only even begins to matter when you're at levels roughly 4-5 standard deviations away from the mean.

Then how do police forces argue that intelligence is a legitimate criteria in hiring?

How do they measure intelligence? Whatever test they give, I promise it doesn't reveal intelligence, only aptitude, knowledge, and whatever latent biases the exam preparer had.

Re: The Google+ project and exec team

#174

Post by kthejoker2 »

paulddraper wrote: post #13
whack wrote: post #10

Controversial opinion here. I know that exaggerating and complaining is a surefire way to get clicks, but it's hard to take the author's criticisms seriously when he complains about so many different things. Some as minor as the noogler orientation. Others as petty as putting down colleagues who haven't worked as designers before. Regarding the main event in question: I like that Google allows people to party in the…

"If you run into an asshole in the morning, you ran into an asshole. If you run into assholes all day, you're the asshole." - Raylan Givens

So since the author calls out many people he enjoyed working with at Google, this quote isn't all that relevant.

Re: The Google+ project and exec team

#175

Post by joe_momma »

Flow wrote: post #80
adverbly wrote: post #74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Totally agree. Sounds like conflict management is not handled very well by anyone in these situations.The author certainly could have handled it better, and "Greg" should have handled it way better. Very disappointing to hear, but at the same time these kinds of conflict are usually local and only affect a few individuals, so it is probably not very fair to describe the whole project and exec team as operating in thi…

Management above Greg should have seen through Gregs behavior a long time ago and acted on it. People like Greg are poison to a workplace, IMHO.

Naw, people that think they are always right and don't recognize other talented people are the poison.

Re: The Google+ project and exec team

#176

Post by softawre »

Meekro wrote: post #83
whack wrote: post #10

Controversial opinion here. I know that exaggerating and complaining is a surefire way to get clicks, but it's hard to take the author's criticisms seriously when he complains about so many different things. Some as minor as the noogler orientation. Others as petty as putting down colleagues who haven't worked as designers before. Regarding the main event in question: I like that Google allows people to party in the…

It was a hard lesson for me to learn in the past: if you care wildly more than the people around you -- so much that you work late into the night while your grandmother is dying and your coworkers are pounding drinks with their counterparts at a competitor -- you'll just end up really hurt and frustrated and they'll all think that you are the problem. The author seems like the kind of person that I'd love to do a 3-p…

He did get into an env like that, later on in the thread he mentions he started shift.com which just raised 140m.

Re: The Google+ project and exec team

#177

Post by AstralStorm »

marcinzm wrote: post #157
didibus wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree the writing style, it's not constructive. That said, I think the main point is that his manager and some of his colleagues ganged up on him because they felt threatened, and that resulted in him being let go. That does indicate a problem for Google if true. This is often the slow death people talk about when big company culture turns like this. This is made stronger by the fact Google+ failed, and they're shu…

>That said, I think the main point is that his manager and some of his colleagues ganged up on him because they felt threatened, and that resulted in him being let go. >That does indicate a problem for Google if true. I mean, if his writing is a reflection of how he behaves then why is this a problem for Google? Getting rid of toxic people in a company is a positive and not a negative.

This is assuming they are actually toxic and not a scapegoat. Can't tell that from a single post as it usually takes more than one instance for a person to blow a gasket just like that. (unless there is something really wrong)

People on bad projects like scapegoats.

Ganging up on one guy, especially new young upstart, is a sign of a dysfunctional team too.

Re: The Google+ project and exec team

#178

Post by appleflaxen »

ganeshkrishnan wrote: post #27
whack wrote: post #10

Controversial opinion here. I know that exaggerating and complaining is a surefire way to get clicks, but it's hard to take the author's criticisms seriously when he complains about so many different things. Some as minor as the noogler orientation. Others as petty as putting down colleagues who haven't worked as designers before. Regarding the main event in question: I like that Google allows people to party in the…

Employees like these quickly wear you down if you are leading then. I am surprised Google is not doing a personality test before recruiting. When I was a recruiter for ibm I always made sure to check if the potential was an asshole or not before going ahead with tech. Talent can always be learned by those willing. Attitude is permanent.

how would you check? what was your test?

Re: The Google+ project and exec team

#179

Post by [deleted] »

pavlov wrote: post #68

It’s just a side note, but this mention of his brief tenure at a “failing startup” rubs me the wrong way: ”In a couple of months I knocked out more work than they could have built in a year with their eng team.” No startup deserves a designer with this kind of attitude. Your job isn’t to produce pie-in-the-sky concepts for your portfolio but to work on the product together with the engineers.

[deleted]

Re: The Google+ project and exec team

#180

Post by rizwan »

brianberns wrote: post #21
tjoff wrote: post #8

If your team, say on Gmail or Android, was to integrate Google+’s features then your team would be awarded a 1.5-3x multiplier on top of your yearly bonus. Your bonus was already something like 15% of your salary. Suddenly it makes sense why we can't use + to force a word in google searches anymore.

Is that why they got rid of it? I liked using + more than putting the word in quotes, which is what you have to do now.

A while back they added it again, so you can use + in your searches now.
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