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Google Protest Leader Leaves

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Re: Google Protest Leader Leaves

#31

Post by dmix »

gtfratteus wrote: post #12

As a googler, I say good. People like her have made going to work exhausting. Leave your politics at home and let me do my job in peace.

I was amazed there was even a Resist@Google group within Google. I’m okay with people protesting the companies actions but Google seemed to be internally supporting protests on company time and property. Which has pitted employees against each other across political lines.

I don’t see why Google cant just keep it apolitical in the work environment while being open to critiques externally and not caring what their employees do politically in their spare time.

Re: Google Protest Leader Leaves

#33

Post by duxup »

AdmiralAsshat wrote: post #24
dmix wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What retaliation have they faced from Google exactly?

https://www.wired.com/story/google-walkout-organizers-say-th... >In a message posted to many internal Google mailing lists Monday, Meredith Whittaker, who leads Google’s Open Research, said that after the company disbanded its external AI ethics council on April 4, she was told that her role would be “changed dramatically.” Whittaker said she was told that, in order to stay at the company, she would have to “abandon”…

If you don't like the ethics council... and you protest it, and then they disband it ... that would involve a dramatic change if your role was on it.

Retaliation or not, there would be some change. So any change, not sure I buy is/isn't retaliation.

Re: Google Protest Leader Leaves

#34

Post by ulfw »

dmurdoch wrote: post #19
ulfw wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Many great people are hired not necessarily to move Google forward, but so that they don’t move a Google-competitor forward.

This makes me think about something. I don't work at a FAANG company, nor have I ever been to SV, nor do I know anyone who works at one of the many enormous tech companies around SV. In the TV show Silicon Valley they have characters who sit around unassigned doing nothing at the Google-like company in the show. Does this actually happen? Are there people hired at these companies who just don't have a project? Its en…

What happens is that some people work on projects that never see the light of day because they’re not fully thought through or fully staffed or really as important enough. But they can still spend years working on them.

The show is (by design) over the top. But there is a piece of truth in it. That’s why it’s funny for everyone who has been at these companies because everyone can see real-life resemblances.

Before someone downvotes me: I am implying that SOME people are like this. By no means the majority or god-forbid everyone. Resting till vesting is a real thing though.

Re: Google Protest Leader Leaves

#35

Post by neilv »

mtgx wrote: post #7

Google is going to shoot itself in the foot over the long term with the type of decisions it has been making lately both against its users and against its employees. I imagine that since the protests started they've already begun filtering out the people with a higher level of ethics in their interviews - but the new class of people they hire are not going to give them the same results in the long-term, especially if…

I've figured for a long time that the hazing interview process is partly to select for people who'll play along with whatever the company does.

Re: Google Protest Leader Leaves

#36

Post by spamizbad »

cobookman wrote: post #20
ulfw wrote: post #4

Googlers haven’t realised yet that they have different leadership now. The open culture of discussing and opposing things that Google does is slowly degrading.

Realize Meredith and her crew are a minority of employees. We are talking Majority of googlers wanted maven. They wanted search in China. Biggest change to culture is people getting tired of SJW outrage. And a focus back on our users and business

"Helping the Chinese to own the libs" is a new one for me.

Re: Google Protest Leader Leaves

#37

Post by geofft »

kodz4 wrote: post #21

Interesting to see as polarization increases, as it will given the environment, whether a company can break into two along political lines. Has that happened before in history? I wouldn't mind a seperate conservative google and a liberal google. Let the quality of the product offered decide which is better.

[flagged]

Re: Google Protest Leader Leaves

#38

Post by medecau »

dmix wrote: post #18
AdmiralAsshat wrote: post #13

I thought this story had already been reported a month ago. But no, I was wrong, that was the other organizer of the Google Protests, Claire Stapleton: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2019/jun/07/google-wa... So to clarify, both of the female Google employees who lead/organized the protests have now left because they say they faced retaliation. That looks very bad for Google.

What retaliation have they faced from Google exactly?

Maybe read the article?

> Google soon nixed the board.

> Whittaker said her Google manager told her to "abandon [her] work on AI ethics" and blocked a request to transfer internally.

Re: Google Protest Leader Leaves

#39

Post by JustSomeNobody »

AdmiralAsshat wrote: post #13

I thought this story had already been reported a month ago. But no, I was wrong, that was the other organizer of the Google Protests, Claire Stapleton: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2019/jun/07/google-wa... So to clarify, both of the female Google employees who lead/organized the protests have now left because they say they faced retaliation. That looks very bad for Google.

> That looks very bad for Google.

No, it doesn't. Just read most of the comments here.

Re: Google Protest Leader Leaves

#40

Post by geofft »

cobookman wrote: post #20
ulfw wrote: post #4

Googlers haven’t realised yet that they have different leadership now. The open culture of discussing and opposing things that Google does is slowly degrading.

Realize Meredith and her crew are a minority of employees. We are talking Majority of googlers wanted maven. They wanted search in China. Biggest change to culture is people getting tired of SJW outrage. And a focus back on our users and business

> Majority of googlers wanted maven. They wanted search in China.

Genuinely curious about this - was there a poll or something?

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