Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

On Resigning from Google

alphabetworkers.org

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

51–60 of 295 posts

Re: On Resigning from Google

#51

Post by veeralpatel979 »

The solution to climate change is not to make energy producers like oil and gas companies go out of business. The way these companies became so successful was by providing something of value at a low cost. Do you really want to pay substantially more for heating/cool, gas, and almost every good?

Instead, the Tesla model is the way to go. Build products that are 10x better than their fossil fuel reliant competitors. This way, consumers benefit as well.

The government can impose a cost on carbon somehow, so the market is forced to consider the societal cost of carbon. Also, it can incentivize clean energy by providing loans, lower taxes, etc to companies. It can increase R&D spending on clean energy.

Re: On Resigning from Google

#52

Post by aaomidi »

scardycat wrote: post #42

I currently work at Google, but I am a newbie, i.e less than 5 years at Google. I frequently run in to people who are: 1) always been at Google and enjoyed the fruits of its rise or at another similar environment 2) never had to deal with frugality or lack of funding for anything 3) see themselves are superior to everyone else - in terms of how enlightened they are, how they know whats best for everyone 4) feel that…

Hiding behind "it's a business" isn't an argument acceptable to most people.

Sure "it's a business" but does that give it a green card to act how it pleases?

We're getting into the philosophy of what we want businesses to be in our society. More and more people are realizing that the inhumane structure a business operates in isn't acceptable to them, and would like to have a say in what they're doing.

This person left Google because Google was getting into the business of killing people - sure you might be comfortable with that. But your opinion isn't any more valid than someone who doesn't work in Google.

So please, stop telling people how to behave and act and protest. We're not putting in 100 hour weeks because someone before you had the audacity to go say the current system is inhumane.

You don't have to be that person, but you also don't have to be the person who stands in their way.

Re: On Resigning from Google

#53

Post by jodrellblank »

bla3 wrote: post #2

> www.alphabetworkers.org/ > The trouble with deep belief > The reason it’s unlikely to work is that although you can persecute the prophets Sounds a bit full of themselves. They worked for a company, they no longer like the company, they quit. Great, move on. No need to make a big deal about it. It's just a job.

Did you read the post all the way through the concerns about supporting oil and gas industry, delaying of renewable development, comparisons with IBM and the Holocaust, drone warfare and military technologies? Regardless of how accurate those comparisons are or are not, if they are sincerely held by the author, are they not good reasons to make a big deal of things?

If they aren’t, what is?

Re: On Resigning from Google

#55

Post by crdoconnor »

uoaei wrote: post #18
dblohm7 wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It seems to me that "I work for Google" is the new "I'm a member of Mensa" or "I went to Harvard."

Only if their intention is to talk about how useless Mensa is and to break the fetishization of being a member of this club.

I'd probably read an article by a ex member of mensa that wrote that.

Arguing vociferously about how that "wasn't such a big deal" would make me wonder what ax you had to grind with people who talk shit about mensa.

Re: On Resigning from Google

#57

Post by baddox »

scardycat wrote: post #46
pm90 wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Strongly disagree. > In my mind all the "internal activism" happening at Google and others is massively hypocritical. One cannot publicly criticize a company while enjoying cushy paychecks fueled by those very activities they despise. Absolutely incorrect. Paychecks have nothing to do with whether you as a person find the company's policies palatable or not. Google employees provide a lot more value to Google than th…

> Google employees provide a lot more value to Google than they are compensated for. how? can you justify what makes these people (you) so special? IN all honesty, they are probably overvalued in every sense. >Absolutely incorrect. Paychecks have nothing to do with whether you as a person find the company's policies palatable or not You are right because they already made their money and can afford to quit over whate…

> how?

How do we know that employees provide more value than their compensation? Because Google makes profit.

Re: On Resigning from Google

#59

Post by shadowgovt »

agoodthrowaway wrote: post #32

Being principled and high minded is wonderful when you are financially independent. Given Google’s amazing financial success, I’d imagine the author is or should be financially independent and can choose to do whatever he wants. Some of the rest of us are not in a position to be as ideological.

And there's no shame in that. But a person can find shame if they do have the resources and choose to stay in an unacceptable status quo.

Re: On Resigning from Google

#60

Post by bcrosby95 »

pm90 wrote: post #39
paxys wrote: post #26

Random thoughts: 1. I applaud the fact that they are actually quitting the company to voice their disapproval of these policies. In my mind all the "internal activism" happening at Google and others is massively hypocritical. One cannot publicly criticize a company while enjoying cushy paychecks fueled by those very activities they despise. 2. If they think Google is discriminatory towards LGBT employees and minoriti…

Strongly disagree. > In my mind all the "internal activism" happening at Google and others is massively hypocritical. One cannot publicly criticize a company while enjoying cushy paychecks fueled by those very activities they despise. Absolutely incorrect. Paychecks have nothing to do with whether you as a person find the company's policies palatable or not. Google employees provide a lot more value to Google than th…

> Google employees provide a lot more value to Google than they are compensated for.

This is because of the ethics those same employees are complaining about. An ethical Google makes less money, employees will necessarily have to be paid less, they will then go on to the next unethical company that can pay them more. It is completely ridiculous to bring home a huge paycheck and complain about the very thing that enables that huge paycheck.

They want a world where they make the same $$ at ethical as non-ethical companies. It doesn't work that way. If they can't give a shit enough about their own beliefs to sacrifice something - $$ vs ethics -- then how can they expect a faceless corporation to give a shit enough about that person's beliefs to make that sacrifice? It's a completely, ridiculously, unrealistic expectation.

Post reply on HN