Ask HN: Is all of FAANG like this? • Hacker News Board

Re: Ask HN: Is all of FAANG like this?

#61

Post by plafl » Thu, Jul 23, 2020, 7:59 AM UTC

neixidbeksoxyd wrote: post #30

I think being part of a big company will always be like that. The 10x performers will get paid 1.3x and the .5 performers will get paid .8x, so if you're smart and not particularly passionate about your work it makes much more sense to be a .5x performer. Also, usually the codebases tend to be quite complex with little to no documentation since that kind of work is not rewarded. This means the hundreds of engineers w…

> This is why I'm convinced places that use proprietary tech are going to fail in the future since the natural forces of competition will cause the internal technology to stagnate.

I doubt proprietary tech is going to fade completely, but it's true that maybe there are forces that are pushing for big companies to make more and more projects open source. If you think about it it makes sense: the employees are happier because their work has more impact, they also benefit because they can showcase it in their CV. For the company they externalize testing, quality improves because employees are going to be more careful when their code is in the open and they are more motivated. It can also make hiring easier.

Re: Ask HN: Is all of FAANG like this?

#62

Post by dr3ad » Thu, Jul 23, 2020, 8:05 AM UTC

This is an opportunity and a test of character.

Will you put in your best effort and do your best work only when conditions are ideal, or will you cultivate the habit of always doing good work?

By doing one day's work and spreading it out over a week, you are selling yourself short by developing poor habits.

Whatever you do, do not consciously develop bad habits. Analyse why it takes a long time to get anything done. Try to identify the reasons, do small tests to validate your theories on what would improve the process. Rinse and repeat. If nothing else, you would learn a lot from the process.

Re: Ask HN: Is all of FAANG like this?

#63

Post by jacknews » Thu, Jul 23, 2020, 8:07 AM UTC

Don't be the shrug-shoulders guy, try to do something about it.

Re: Ask HN: Is all of FAANG like this?

#64

Post by throwaway3354 » Thu, Jul 23, 2020, 8:33 AM UTC

Googler here. I used to feel very guilty during my first year here, because my productivity was so ridiculously low. Yet I was being praised for being fast and productive (both by my team, and by my manager). Then over time this feeling started fading away (since I could clearly see that everyone was unproductive, not just me), and I started seeing this as the new normal. Everyone works way below their potential, and a lot of time is wasted through internal processes, subpar development tools, and massive overengineering. Part of me believes that many people are hired so that they don't go build competing products.

Re: Ask HN: Is all of FAANG like this?

#65

Post by nullc » Thu, Jul 23, 2020, 9:30 AM UTC

This sounds like a general description of life at a big company.

At least your company isn't as dysfunctional as this: https://sites.google.com/site/forgottenemployee/

:)

Re: Ask HN: Is all of FAANG like this?

#66

Post by _y5hn » Thu, Jul 23, 2020, 9:33 AM UTC

kaiwren wrote: post #53

jupiter90000 wrote: post #49

This doesn't directly answer your question and you didn't ask it, but I feel it relates directly to the source of your frustration potentially: you may never find a job that is fully satisfactory in terms of what you hope to find. I used to be in a similar boat striving to work towards and find some magical job that would make me feel fulfilled and purposeful. They all ended up having things I didn't like and would q…

I think you are right, and that makes me sad.

There's much more to life than working a job. Work-life balance can be tricky, especially if you seek fulfillment, it may take years/decades to find what you seek, be fulfilled and then contribute from your own source.

This is a healthy thing, and one would do well to pay attention and focus on what matters.

Re: Ask HN: Is all of FAANG like this?

#67

Post by Jaruzel » Thu, Jul 23, 2020, 10:16 AM UTC

nullc wrote: post #65

This sounds like a general description of life at a big company. At least your company isn't as dysfunctional as this: https://sites.google.com/site/forgottenemployee/ :)

This. As someone who has spent the last 25 years working for large blue chip companies, they all suffer a lack of inertia. It commonly can take weeks in a large co. to implement something that would only take a couple of days in a smaller firm or startup. If you prefer a faster paced work life, then the large company structure is not for you, FAANG or otherwise.

Re: Ask HN: Is all of FAANG like this?

#68

Post by andyjohnson0 » Thu, Jul 23, 2020, 10:17 AM UTC

jupiter90000 wrote: post #49

This doesn't directly answer your question and you didn't ask it, but I feel it relates directly to the source of your frustration potentially: you may never find a job that is fully satisfactory in terms of what you hope to find. I used to be in a similar boat striving to work towards and find some magical job that would make me feel fulfilled and purposeful. They all ended up having things I didn't like and would q…

I agree. Don't look for personal fulfilment in work: that's not what it's for.

Work for money, and use it as one of the tools you have for seeking fulfilment, not as an end in itself. Life isn't short but it's not long either, and the only thing you really have is time.

Re: Ask HN: Is all of FAANG like this?

#69

Post by catsarebetter » Thu, Jul 23, 2020, 10:17 AM UTC

This is difficult to answer not only b/c of all the other variables listed below: context of team, the department, your team, manager, the company you're at, maybe the time we're going thru right now is changing your experience, etc. -- but also consider that this might be more frustrating to you than other people. You could just be the type of person that hates working in a big company FAANG environment and prefer something else and you're just now discovering it. Talk to everyone you know and be honest about how you feel and see how they respond. The ones that really enjoy working at a big company, the careerists will brush you off b/c they don't understand, if they relate then you know that's just how it is.

Re: Ask HN: Is all of FAANG like this?

#70

Post by Thev00d00 » Thu, Jul 23, 2020, 10:20 AM UTC

CoolGuySteve wrote: post #15

At Apple, the amount of debate, code review delays, and interdepartmental meetings made everything take forever. I once waited 2 months for a code review there. A feature I wrote and pushed for Leopard didn’t actually ship until Lion. Back then there was severe priority inversion, anything the desktop needed got delayed by iOS priorities but also the senior engineers with magic rubber stamp powers were working on iOS…

Most interesting post of this whole thread!