111–120 of 142 posts
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How does one get into HFT?
Learn Rust, C++, Haskell or OCaml. Or get a PhD in mathematics or physics. Other languages or domains might work, too.
I don’t think it’s possible for me to go down a PHD path.
HFT seems like a cool gig if you can get it
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> Overwork? I don't know anyone working at Google, nor anyone who worked at Google in the past (except a single intern). Hell, I don't even live anywhere near a Google campus! But I always assumed that Google wants you to spend your whole day there, from morning until evening. Because big tech is usually implicitly aiming at that. - Serve three major meals a day, + you can bring your dog to your office, which elimina…
> I always assumed that Google wants you to spend your whole day there, from morning until evening. People always cynically assume that's why Google has the perks but in all the Google offices I've worked from or visited, the building is a ghost town after 6:00pm. The real reason is that Google is competing with other tech companies and perks are an effective incentive to get people to pick your company over another…
I'm sitting here thinking "News flash: you can just buy lunch for yourself at a restaurant using the $400,000 they pay you per year"
Those perks are the real deal. They do pull people in
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I have lots of coworkers for whom I don't have personal contact information. It's very common to just use work email or work phones.
Linkedin is a hellscape but it has its usefulness once in a blue moon.
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> I always assumed that Google wants you to spend your whole day there, from morning until evening. People always cynically assume that's why Google has the perks but in all the Google offices I've worked from or visited, the building is a ghost town after 6:00pm. The real reason is that Google is competing with other tech companies and perks are an effective incentive to get people to pick your company over another…
yeah, I've heard a crazy amount of bellyaching at other FAANG companies about not having the same perks as Google I'm sitting here thinking "News flash: you can just buy lunch for yourself at a restaurant using the $400,000 they pay you per year" Those perks are the real deal. They do pull people in
The magic of free food as a perk is that it's a non-zero value proposition for both employees and the company.
Before I worked at Google, I worked at a software job without free food. We could afford to eat out for lunch every day and we did.
But it meant at least twenty minutes of driving every day. The food was more expensive because it didn't have the same economies of scale as cafeteria style service. It was less healthy because restaurant food tends to go over the top with salt and fat to amp up the flavor and entice people in. There were never any serendipitous conversations with new coworkers because I always went with the same team every time.
Conversely, when I eat at Google now, it's a five minute pleasant walk. There's no wasted time sitting waiting to get served. There are fewer options so I don't get stupid analysis paralysis deciding where to go to lunch or what I want to eat. I eat more salads and smaller meals because I don't feel compelled to get my money's worth. When I travel to other offices, I know I can easily get breakfast and lunch there without having to navigate an unfamiliar city if I don't feel like it.
Meanwhile, the cost of driving to restaurants and eating out each day is quite a bit higher than the total cost of feeding employees in a cafe. So for companies that don't offer this perk, they have to compensate employees enough for them to feed themselves and I suspect that the total comp for that is more expensive than just feedling them.
Free food is my absolute favorite perk at Google, and I treasure it deeply.
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yeah, I've heard a crazy amount of bellyaching at other FAANG companies about not having the same perks as Google I'm sitting here thinking "News flash: you can just buy lunch for yourself at a restaurant using the $400,000 they pay you per year" Those perks are the real deal. They do pull people in
> "News flash: you can just buy lunch for yourself at a restaurant using the $400,000 they pay you per year" The magic of free food as a perk is that it's a non-zero value proposition for both employees and the company. Before I worked at Google, I worked at a software job without free food. We could afford to eat out for lunch every day and we did. But it meant at least twenty minutes of driving every day. The food…
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If they're just hiring them back, then yes, demand is the same?
You and I appear to disagree on the April 2023 vs 2021 demand. I think April 2023 will have a lot less demand for SWEs than 2021.
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I think many people would disagree with this assessment. It's akin to saying that the only thing that matters in a job is "compensation", and everything else is useless. While some people hold this view, many others like to be treated nicely in other ways: good working facilities, nice colleagues, fun perks, etc. Same thing about getting laid off: it's never nice to lose your job, but even if the severance is good it…
It's not that the things you mentioned don't matter, it's that employee employer relationships are transactional. While I maintain a friendly relationship with all the people I work with, very few are actually friends. If they are, we'll still talk after the relationship with my employer ends. Unless you have a contract with your employer around the severing of that relationship, neither parties are beholden to each…
But layoffs can still feel like being cast out of your tribe. You lose the daily casual social interactions that humans tend to want and need, and maintaining actual friendships becomes much harder. Not to mention losing your livelihood, social status, and health insurance.
The way companies communicate to employees that they've been laid off (locked out of the building, passwords stop working, maybe an email if you're lucky, etc.) is explained well by economics and company priorities, but from the human perspective it does rub salt in the wound.
For hiring and retention purposes, companies will often claim that they treat employees well. The truth is you might be treated OK until the day you aren't, and layoff day is absolutely one of those days.
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People have been notified about their “delayed exit”. Like you get an email that says “your job ends in October” type of notice. It’s not confidential, afaik, since people were told about it. I’m surprised no one offers up their status as part of it in discussions.
so he can just announce another delayed exit... every layoff so far has had a month or more between announcement and implementation
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You and I appear to disagree on the April 2023 vs 2021 demand. I think April 2023 will have a lot less demand for SWEs than 2021.
That's great, but has nothing to do with the original comment I was responding to