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Ask HN: Is all of FAANG like this?

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

#301

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm probably not one to be giving advice but I feel like your family might gain more from having a happy fulfilled parent with less wealth possibly? How that might affect you/the way you act/the things you do day to day could be more valuable long term. Obviously thats ignoring a lot e.g. finances, practicality.

That would be nice, but I'm responsible for all our bills and I can't get a job that pays the same or better due to my experience in obscure tech, like Neoxam. I'll just continue to grind in this job until I get fired, die, or hopefully can retire someday (maybe coastFI).

Yeah, it's never simple unfortunately. Good luck all the same.

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

#302

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think you're incorrect, although I hope you're not. This idea will never become a reality for the vast majority of companies, for the exact same reason that companies fear piracy. If I open source my product then anyone who uses that open source code is a lost sale. A lost sale means I make less money, less money means the board is mad, on and on and on... The bottom line is money, and open sourcing their code mean…

Well, that’s only true if you plan to sell the code. Much code exists not for its own sake, but to support the business. Maybe you need to build an in house inventory system for some kind of complex product you’re building. You were never gonna sell that software, but you still won’t open source it because that would help your competitors...

Well, and if it's so tied into an in-house inventory system just tossing a bunch of code into a Github repo is about 99% useless. There is almost zero value to just tossing some open source code over the wall.

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

#303

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is meant to be helpful, but it does not help. And you cannot say to someone that is depressed - most out there are worse off than you. It will not help with the depression.

Not all feelings of "this sucks" are necessarily depression, though.

And also, we are not his therapist. I am not concerned with helping his depression.

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

#304

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Counterpoint: All iOS apps, and the OS itself, are built macOS. Measuring importance in terms of sales seems shortsighted to me.

And that means if you care about writing iOS apps, you have to buy a Mac whether you like it or not.

It also means, if a critical mass hate developing on Macs, then iOS software will suffer. App store fees are already a business pain point for app developers. And web browsers are getting capable enough now that it's probably feasible for a lot of apps to go back to being browser only.

It's going to be hard to reverse a trend away from Apple if it starts. Imagine what would happen if Microsoft Visual Studio becomes the IDE of choice for iOS development after devs ditch macOS in droves. Microsoft won't play nice.

Apple isn't watching their flanks by letting macOS atrophy and a competitor will step in if they don't cover it.

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

#305
> I normally work about one day trickle out my changes during the the week. The other days I only open my computer for standup and if I get an IM.

There is a term for this called "sandbagging."

> I don't feel what I'm doing is ethnically wrong, because the company is evidently pleased with my current productivity, but I find it unsatisfying and like a waste of my time on earth.

Sounds like you have a motivation and procrastination problem. Pleasing someone or some organization != ethics.

> The dev tools, docs and tech debt impart such a slow iteration speed

Help streamline how the dev tools are used. Tools alone don't solve for much, they need a solid and frictionless process to follow. Document that process to help yourself and your team. Find some common threads or repetitive issues in the tech debt and fix it without waiting for someone to ask you to fix it. Those kids of work may even help get you promoted and open up more interesting projects.

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

#306
>If the market value of such incompetence if FAANG salary, how can I do good work and get paid preportionally?

You're going to have to learn that, as a laborer at a firm, the quality of work you do is, at best, loosely correlated to your monetary compensation. Sometimes you can do good work, sometimes you can do bad work, but how much you're paid is going to depend greatly on a number of surrounding factors.

So, accepting that there is perhaps not a strong link between doing work that you're proud of at work and being paid well, which would you rather have first?

If you finish work at the well-paid FAANG job feeling like you still have energy to do good work, you can contribute to open source, build some side project, or, even better, none of those things. You can use your extra time an energy learning new things or engaging in a hobby. You don't need to define yourself by your profession.

If, on the other hand, you'd rather not feel like you're just collecting a check from your job, there are certainly positions and fields that will actually ask employees to move mountains. I'd imagine that firms like SpaceX don't have room for desk fillers. There are lots of scrappy upstarts trying to solve big problems, but you will almost certainly make more if you stay parked in FAANG.

I personally am a game developer; the challenges are unique and satisfying and i don't have to worry about whether I'm contributing to something worthwhile. I also make probably less than 50% of what my friends at Amazon and Microsoft are making. C'est la vie.

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

#307

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No 'M' in FAANG ;-) (Sorry, couldn't help myself! Many people still refer to it as a FAANG company)

FAAMG is so much more appropriate to describe the dominant tech players. People just like the sound of "FAANG". Netflix doesn't come close to matching Microsoft or the others.

In France the acronym that stuck was GAFA, or GAFAM if you want to includes Microsoft. I always prefered GAFA / GAFAM to FAANG.

However GAFA probably sounds better to the ear when pronounced the French way than the English way. This may explains that.

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

#309

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is meant to be helpful, but it does not help. And you cannot say to someone that is depressed - most out there are worse off than you. It will not help with the depression.

Not all feelings of "this sucks" are necessarily depression, though.

Of course not. I was reaching for an analogy

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

#310
1. There's more to the job than coding. If you think that's all there is, you have much to learn.

2. "only a few very small changes get done,"

To me, you can learn to make large changes. Your skill level determines how many changes you get done. You can work harder to get more done.

3. When you work harder, your skills grow, your compensation will grow. FAANG is usually good at this. If they aren't, you can quit, but this takes at least a year because promotions are lagging.

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