Workers Leaving the Googleplex • Hacker News Board

Re: Workers Leaving the Googleplex

#151

Post by AlexC04 » Sat, Apr 30, 2011, 1:52 PM UTC

geuis wrote: post #116

What first-world, over privileged bullshit. (Paraphrasing) "The yellow badges don't get the same fancy meals, backpacks, get to ride the multi-colored bicycles, or listen to authors talking for an hour". What utter non-sense bullshit. "Oh, its a good thing I got fired because I have to go back to grad school." "I'm going to talk in a post-adolescent semi-deep but monotonous tone for 11 minutes to talk about how Racis…

Despite the downvotes you've gotten (I know PG removed them, but I can still tell by color) I really think you've got a good point.

I honestly felt at least some of the same vitrol that comes across in your post, but suppressed it for the purposes of discussion.

In reading your response, I had quite a cathartic reaction. I actually felt myself relax. (I hadn't even realized I was holding tension - neat!)

Regardless of any other votes you get, thanks for putting up an honest reaction.

Re: Workers Leaving the Googleplex

#152

Post by glenra » Sat, Apr 30, 2011, 1:54 PM UTC

JabavuAdams wrote: post #134

tkahn6 wrote: post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You missed the part where he kept talking about race and unequal treatment and the ScanOps people of being mostly 'people of color'. He said these things explicitly in his letter that Google Legal reviewed. That is exactly why he was fired. Google did the absolutely correct thing. They don't want to deal with that shit. There's no conspiracy.

> You missed the part where he kept talking about race and unequal treatment and the ScanOps people of being mostly 'people of color'. He said these things explicitly in his letter that Google Legal reviewed. That was a huge mistake on his part. > Google did the absolutely correct thing. They don't want to deal with that shit From whose perspective? What I mean is that it's possible for them to do something that is "…

OP sounded like a muckraking moron, a wanna-be Michael Moore. If you go around interviewing people with an agenda and you get to re-cut the footage however you like, it's possible to get it to seem to support whatever conclusion you want it to - that's why they wanted the tape back. If this guy wants to make a video "as a personal project" to "deal with race and class issues", whatever that means, he should do this entirely on his own, not as a part time project while employed at Google using any Google resources.

It's clear from his tone that OP has a point of view he wants to push - he wants to feel aggrieved at oppression, whether or not there is any. Given that OP was dumb enough to do things the way he did it's not clear he's smart enough to understand that he's being a moron. In this litigious culture, firing OP was a good idea and explaining to OP why he was being a moron wasn't necessarily a good idea. Besides, "some folks, if they don't know, you can't tell 'em."

Re: Workers Leaving the Googleplex

#153

Post by motters » Sat, Apr 30, 2011, 1:57 PM UTC

Sapient wrote: post #55

Uhhrrr wrote: post #2

Note to young videographers: When a company asks whether you're working on an expose, the phrase "I’m interested in issues of class, race, and labor" will not defuse the situation.

When I read that phrase, I was thinking he MUST have known it was going to get him fired.

Why would being interested in sociological issues get him fired?

Re: Workers Leaving the Googleplex

#154

Post by looper888 » Sat, Apr 30, 2011, 1:58 PM UTC

this is the most interesting read I've found on HN in a long time. Thank you for publishing it.

Re: Workers Leaving the Googleplex

#155

Post by patrickk » Sat, Apr 30, 2011, 1:58 PM UTC

leon_ wrote: post #147

systems wrote: post #84

Hey, first I am from Egypt. Second, I have to admit, I am kind of struct by most of the comments here. Most of the comment are pro google and think andrew here got it for himself. I believe this have to do a lot with cultural differences here. Most people in Egypt, would stand with the employee against the corporation. Most egyptians would definitely be pro andrew. I believe the reason here is that most Egyptians are…

Germany here. I'm with you on this one. But you must understand that HN is full of to-be-millionaires who are pursuing the american dream. Morality has no place in their lives.

Is there some law that says it's impossible to pursue riches and simultaneously be a moral person?

I'm European too by the way. Your comment is inflammatory and unnecessary.

Re: Workers Leaving the Googleplex

#156

Post by ditojim » Sat, Apr 30, 2011, 2:00 PM UTC

he was there to cause trouble and google got rid of him. smart.

Re: Workers Leaving the Googleplex

#157

Post by jcnnghm » Sat, Apr 30, 2011, 2:00 PM UTC

scotty79 wrote: post #108

It's a funny thing when secret rules you have never agreed to and are not the part of the law get you fired despite you complete honesty and openness. It has very totalitaristic look&feel when you have to be careful all the time so you always obey unknown rules, breaking of which might lead to severe consequences.

The secret rule that your employer may not want to pay you, allow you on-site, and provide you access to their resources while you film an exposé on their labor practices that could potentially open them to outside scrutiny, legal and otherwise. Especially as you try to paint them as racists when they ask what you're doing. They would have been justified for firing him for stupidity.

Re: Workers Leaving the Googleplex

#158

Post by motters » Sat, Apr 30, 2011, 2:03 PM UTC

I think someone from Google needs to explain what went on here. Why is what's going on in the 3.14159 building regarded as top secret? If they're just OCRing documents surely that's no big deal. People shouldn't be fired simply because they're interested in sociology.

Re: Workers Leaving the Googleplex

#159

Post by adaml_623 » Sat, Apr 30, 2011, 2:04 PM UTC

AlexC04 wrote: post #137

paganel wrote: post #98

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 2)... are mostly people of color and cannot eat Google meals That's a bummer, because those were indeed people of color who were not allowed to eat Google meals. Well, at least I know why it took you guys in the States 100 years to actually give equal rights to your fellow black citizens: you were all too afraid of losing your jobs.

Assume each "Google Meal" costs $5 in preparation labour, materials, plates & utensils (washing), fittings and fixtures, etc... 261 working days a year 1 employee $5 = $1305 per employee, per year How many workers in the 3.14 building? At 400 employees, that's half a million dollars. Does the board of director's fiduciary duty to their shareholders allow them to pay for the Scan Ops lunches? I don't know what minimum…

You've presented some arithmetic and no information at all. If the story is that these employees are being employed at minimum wage then that's something that contradicts the "Don't be evil" ethos.

Re: Workers Leaving the Googleplex

#160

Post by jcnnghm » Sat, Apr 30, 2011, 2:04 PM UTC

guard-of-terra wrote: post #39

jrockway wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Getting paid to go to lectures about books is a "human right" now?

Being treated equally to the people around you is a human right, should be anyway. Because being treated inequally, deprived of things people around you take for granted, can damage oneself seriously.

So if everyone is treated equally, with the same pay and the same benefits, why would anyone choose to work a hard job? What incentive do you have to spend years and considerable amounts of money learning a skill set when you could just be an artist or something instead?

Sorry, but not everyone's work is worth the same. It isn't fair or equal, and it shouldn't be.