Google Tried to Patent My Work After a Job Interview • Hacker News Board

Re: Google Tried to Patent My Work After a Job Interview

#91

Post by paul7986 » Fri, Nov 30, 2018, 8:45 AM UTC

I met/had a similar experience with Google ATAP in 2013 (was Motorala ATAP then; Google recently bought them) though not for a job interview but to discuss working together to build our tech SpeakerBlast into the Moto X.

They asked if we ever thought about selling our technology to them before the meeting and at the meeting they baited us for how our tech worked saying we'd like to work with you tell us how it works. Once we did they left the room (Dugan's 2nd right hand man at the time and another) & 3 minutes later showed us the door saying the "race is on."

They have since been awarded patents for audio syncing across phones.

Many here will say that's just how Silicon Valley works.... takes advantage and stomps on the little guy innovators & their dreams. That's not professional and I met with many other companies like Samsung who acted with the utmost respect & professionalism towards us. Yet, Google whose motto is "Don't Be Evil," can't act in the same fashion?

Re: Google Tried to Patent My Work After a Job Interview

#92

Post by perfunctory » Fri, Nov 30, 2018, 8:50 AM UTC

Patents must be abolished.

Re: Google Tried to Patent My Work After a Job Interview

#93

Post by kreetx » Fri, Nov 30, 2018, 8:50 AM UTC

rurban wrote: post #56

CalChris wrote: post #34

Regina Dugan is a former head of DARPA as well as ATAP. She has an impressive resume. Why would she do something like this? For a not particularly important patent, LED popup books? It seems bizarre. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regina_E._Dugan

Someone needs to add this incident to her Wikipedia page.

Not saying it's not Wikipedia material, but perhaps a site nice and searchable site of misdeeds so we won't forget? Does something like this already exist?

Re: Google Tried to Patent My Work After a Job Interview

#94

Post by georgeek » Fri, Nov 30, 2018, 8:52 AM UTC

Just a reminder that Google, or any company for that matter, has a fiduciary duty towards their shareholders to file a patent for everything they have learned about and that hasn't been patented yet.

Re: Google Tried to Patent My Work After a Job Interview

#95

Post by perfunctory » Fri, Nov 30, 2018, 8:54 AM UTC

_drimzy wrote: post #63

Dang, it's incredible that google didn't fire the "inventors" listed on the patent. This is blatant stealing.

Why would they fire somebody for following company's policy?

Re: Google Tried to Patent My Work After a Job Interview

#96

Post by tormeh » Fri, Nov 30, 2018, 8:54 AM UTC

eksemplar wrote: post #12

thaumasiotes wrote: post #2

> I was even invited to share my work directly with Regina Dugan, the director of ATAP at that time! I was excited, thinking perhaps I would be invited for a summer internship. It turned out they found my work so relevant that they offered me a job on the spot. > It was a tough choice: I had just started the first year of my PhD and would’ve had to take a leave from the program to pursue this project. After asking ma…

It’s almost always better to achieve for yourself instead of others. A PhD. is infinitely more valuable than a couple of years working for any company, especially if your subject is interesting enough to on-spot hire you before you finish. And I say that as a manager who’s hired a lot of people before they earned X because their work was interesting. I don’t do it anymore, as a rule, because it crushed a lot of those…

Can't you offer them the job with starting date when they are scheduled to finish?

Re: Google Tried to Patent My Work After a Job Interview

#97

Post by raverbashing » Fri, Nov 30, 2018, 8:56 AM UTC

Now interviewing at Google is not only an exercise in futility and alienation, you can also have your ideas stolen as part of it.

Good to know

Re: Google Tried to Patent My Work After a Job Interview

#98

Post by setquk » Fri, Nov 30, 2018, 9:04 AM UTC

It’s down to individuals rather than culture in these things. By purely statistics, an organisation of any size has less than ethical people in it even if they have the best outward impression. Unfortunately these sorts of people tend to favour power and slowly work their way to positions that give them that. Then the whole org is a bad apple.

Having been in a similar situation before, the correct answer is “I’ll get my lawyer to contact you with our NDA process” or if you’re really worried “fuck off”.

It’s probably better to file patent first though. The patent is what you need to sell them.

Re: Google Tried to Patent My Work After a Job Interview

#99

Post by markdown » Fri, Nov 30, 2018, 9:04 AM UTC

geezerjay wrote: post #86

logifail wrote: post #78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>> She has an impressive resume. >> Why would she do something like $badthing? Am I the only one wondering why anyone would think a person's resume should be any kind of predictor of good or bad behaviour?

You're not the only one wondering that. In fact, one way to get an impressive resume is to railroad others and use people as stepping stones to your way to the top.

Thomas Edison had a great resume.

Re: Google Tried to Patent My Work After a Job Interview

#100

Post by blablabla123 » Fri, Nov 30, 2018, 9:04 AM UTC

Had this already 3 times that interviewers ask me out about their Engineering problems, and how I would solve them. Initially I got good or very good feedback but then afterwards was rejected. It feels weird, also if I consider that they might do this with every person interviewed. Crowdsourcing knowledge through interviews, yay ;)

Seems far more appropriate to get toy problems, if that is needed at all, or to get scoped problems but then get reimbursed if it takes several hours.