Why Google Fired Me • Hacker News Board

Re: Why Google Fired Me

#31

Post by neilsense » Tue, Dec 22, 2020, 11:42 AM UTC

peteretep wrote: post #19

Orthw2020 wrote: post #11

> The reason Google never hired an HBCU student straight out of undergrad into one of their key engineering roles is because they didn’t believe talent existed at these institutions- until I showed up. I pity white working class American males: no classic class privilege and no modern victim privilege.

Ironically, my understanding is they're also the most likely to vote against minimum wages, social security, universal health care, Pell Grants and so on, and to have bought into specious arguments about meritocracies. Hat tip to this book[0] "issues of race point to underlying problems in society that ultimately affect everyone, not just minorities". [0] https://www.amazon.com/Miners-Canary-Enlisting-Resisting-Tra..…

Maybe they aren't looking for an easy way out like others.

Re: Why Google Fired Me

#32

Post by peteretep » Tue, Dec 22, 2020, 11:44 AM UTC

HuwytNashi_004 wrote: post #22

peteretep wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ironically, my understanding is they're also the most likely to vote against minimum wages, social security, universal health care, Pell Grants and so on, and to have bought into specious arguments about meritocracies. Hat tip to this book[0] "issues of race point to underlying problems in society that ultimately affect everyone, not just minorities". [0] https://www.amazon.com/Miners-Canary-Enlisting-Resisting-Tra..…

I'm probably biased, but I find that honorable. I'd rather be on the street than accept a dime forcefully extracted from a hardworking stranger. I find it unconscionable that so many foreigners come to Western countries with already-generous welfare systems and countless programs specifically established to materially benefit non-indigenous people, and still vote overwhelmingly in support of increased public benefits…

Federal spending per person is $14,652. If you’ve ever earned less than ~$70k you’ve accepted a dime forcibly extracted from a stranger.

Re: Why Google Fired Me

#33

Post by neilsense » Tue, Dec 22, 2020, 11:45 AM UTC

t_away_for_now wrote: post #24

She mentions that someone told her about being “intimidated” by her. Is this really something we shouldn't tell other people or should we work on it? If someone has a tick accent that I can't understand or uses too much of slang that I cannot interpret without thinking about it or if someone acts as if they are simply a puppeteer of a persona(like if they bring up their identity all the time as if everything is about…

The new thing is that 'professionalism' is a "white" thing and so it somehow suppresses other races. Somehow brown people like myself, Asians, hispanics, and most black people don't have an issue with it but for others it's a hill they wish to die on.

So now you have to understand slang of about 10 different cultures because speaking correct English is apparently oppressive. Also, being polite and not aggressive is also racist to other cultures, but not really other cultures, just a vocal minority of one culture. It's pathetic and it makes it really hard to Just Get Shit Done.

Re: Why Google Fired Me

#34

Post by pizza234 » Tue, Dec 22, 2020, 12:14 PM UTC

peteretep wrote: post #21

pizza234 wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I had a similar takeaway. The overall poor wording - odd number(s), bad words and grandeur - support the impression that it's a rage post, rather than a (at least attempted) faithful, balanced, report of the fact.

"Tone policing is an ad hominem (personal attack) and anti-debate tactic based on criticizing a person for expressing emotion. Tone policing detracts from the validity of a statement by attacking the tone in which it was presented rather than the message itself." [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tone_policing

Well, yes and no.

This isn't a post about, say, lock-free algorithms, which are, in nature, decoupled from human behavior.

Her attitude _is_ part of the contention itself; for example, there's mention of a career block because she was perceived as intimidating, there's frequent self-flattery, there's an unprofessional insulting of the employer, and so on. Her position is supposed to be covered by a people's person.

Of course, there is also at least one mention of colleagues' behavior that is, I suppose, straight illegal, and this is alarming.

As I wrote, verbatim, this supports an impression. I didn't write she's wrong.

Re: Why Google Fired Me

#35

Post by username90 » Tue, Dec 22, 2020, 1:47 PM UTC

peteretep wrote: post #21

pizza234 wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I had a similar takeaway. The overall poor wording - odd number(s), bad words and grandeur - support the impression that it's a rage post, rather than a (at least attempted) faithful, balanced, report of the fact.

"Tone policing is an ad hominem (personal attack) and anti-debate tactic based on criticizing a person for expressing emotion. Tone policing detracts from the validity of a statement by attacking the tone in which it was presented rather than the message itself." [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tone_policing

When a person complains in a toxic way about being unfairly fired then I'll believe that they got fired for being toxic rather than whatever thing they want to tell you. It isn't tone policing, it is just common sense.

In other words, in this scenario her tone adds extra information, discussing it is therefore not an ad-hominem.

Re: Why Google Fired Me

#36

Post by username90 » Tue, Dec 22, 2020, 1:53 PM UTC

beagle3 wrote: post #26

duiker101 wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Of course it's a rage post, she feels awful, she even says it herself that she is still coping. That doesn't mean that it's any less credible, if you discredit it for those reasons the issue will just remain and keep going.

You are correct, of course. It doesn’t make it less credible, but it also doesn’t make it automatically credible. I have not yet had a chance to read the letter and all commentary, but I hear echos of Max Howell’s “google didn’t hire me because I cannot invert a binary tree”. It was obviously a rage post; it was obviously his impression of the interview (even though “inverting a binary tree”, being an ill-defined ope…

It makes her post less credible, since it significantly raises the likelihood that she got fired for being toxic at work instead of whatever reason she didn't even mention.

Re: Why Google Fired Me

#37

Post by mam2 » Tue, Dec 22, 2020, 2:29 PM UTC

peteretep wrote: post #21

pizza234 wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I had a similar takeaway. The overall poor wording - odd number(s), bad words and grandeur - support the impression that it's a rage post, rather than a (at least attempted) faithful, balanced, report of the fact.

"Tone policing is an ad hominem (personal attack) and anti-debate tactic based on criticizing a person for expressing emotion. Tone policing detracts from the validity of a statement by attacking the tone in which it was presented rather than the message itself." [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tone_policing

Yes but OP is not tone policing to hide the truth.

It's literally trying to understand the truth from the messages

Re: Why Google Fired Me

#38

Post by mam2 » Tue, Dec 22, 2020, 2:33 PM UTC

duiker101 wrote: post #12

elicash wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

THAT was your takeaway? That when she said she took it from 0 HCBU students to 300 students she also incorrectly said 300%?

Really, even in the comments of the thread the fact that so many people are hung up on that is absolutely baffling. Of all the awful stuff that is said in there, that's the comment they want to make?

Trying to understand the facts should never be attacked.

Re: Why Google Fired Me

#39

Post by silicon2401 » Tue, Dec 22, 2020, 2:40 PM UTC

t_away_for_now wrote: post #24

She mentions that someone told her about being “intimidated” by her. Is this really something we shouldn't tell other people or should we work on it? If someone has a tick accent that I can't understand or uses too much of slang that I cannot interpret without thinking about it or if someone acts as if they are simply a puppeteer of a persona(like if they bring up their identity all the time as if everything is about…

> It's not about races or communities or genders, some people are acting as if they try to get upset, they are fishing for a chance to bring up their agenda or make everything about themselves.

Behavior is often determined by incentives. Today one of the quickest ways to get positive attention, affirmation, encouragement, etc is to be a victim. For real victims who would've been stigmatized in the past, like people with mental illness, this is great. However it also means everybody has a low-risk/high-reward incentive to portray themselves as victims in almost any scenario too.

Re: Why Google Fired Me

#40

Post by defertoreptar » Tue, Dec 22, 2020, 3:09 PM UTC

peteretep wrote: post #19

Orthw2020 wrote: post #11

> The reason Google never hired an HBCU student straight out of undergrad into one of their key engineering roles is because they didn’t believe talent existed at these institutions- until I showed up. I pity white working class American males: no classic class privilege and no modern victim privilege.

Ironically, my understanding is they're also the most likely to vote against minimum wages, social security, universal health care, Pell Grants and so on, and to have bought into specious arguments about meritocracies. Hat tip to this book[0] "issues of race point to underlying problems in society that ultimately affect everyone, not just minorities". [0] https://www.amazon.com/Miners-Canary-Enlisting-Resisting-Tra..…

Not ironic when you consider people don't always just vote for what will improve their present financial position. Wouldn't you agree that some vote based on their principles?