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Fired by Google for creating the Google workspace CLI

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Re: Fired by Google for creating the Google workspace CLI

#291

Post by whstl »

magicalist wrote: post #223
whstl wrote: post #216

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The repo is still online and is official [1], so Google doesn't really seem to care about its existence. [1] https://developers.google.com/workspace/drive/api/samples

It's a fair point that it's still up, though looking just now for two minutes there are at least some issues with auth[1] which would make me really not trust it. It was just speculation about what could be bad enough if they really did have permission to release it, but the OP is being so cagey below now I'm just wondering if they got release permission but misrepresented what they would be releasing or something. >…

If that's a real problem and fireable offence, then there's people at Google that should be fired ASAP for failing to delete this repository.

Re: Fired by Google for creating the Google workspace CLI

#292

Post by justinwp »

Ferret7446 wrote: post #78
justinwp wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To clarify, I was on the Google Workspace Developer Relations team, the majority of my work was that exact OSS release process. It is not clearly documented and always changing. You can read some of it here, https://opensource.google/documentation/reference/releasing/... , but like I said it is always changing. Relevant: https://www.theregister.com/software/2023/01/27/what-is-goog...

The OSS release process has always stated that you can't use Google branding for a unilateral launch. You aren't making yourself look better

The "G" logo is a GitHub organization setting that applies to all repos in GitHub.com/googleworkspace and has for years.

Re: Fired by Google for creating the Google workspace CLI

#293

Post by etothepii »

stevage wrote: post #272

The text of their "tweet that got me fired" is: > Introducing the Google Workspace CLI: https://github.com/googleworkspac e/cli - built for humans and agents. > Google Drive, Gmail, Calendar, and every Workspace API. 40+ agent skills included. Yeah, that absolutely looks like an official product announcement from Google. Surely it was obvious they'd get in trouble for that.

Is the issue primarily caused by the English language?

(Google Workspace) CLI vs Google (Workspace CLI)

Because Google has there name in the product for which the CLI was produced it looks like he's using the Google brand when he's only using a descriptor of what his CLI was for. Trademarks are funny, but if I build a thing that only works with Google Workspace wouldn't it be a bit weird to not say that?

Re: Fired by Google for creating the Google workspace CLI

#294

Post by kazinator »

gedy wrote: post #263
sib wrote: post #242

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is that relevant here, given that Google was creating an official thing quite close to his thing at the same time? (And why are we writing like this?)

Would you like them in a house? Would you like them with a mouse?

AI am Sam ...

Sam AI am ...

My program made green eggs and ham ...

Re: Fired by Google for creating the Google workspace CLI

#295

Post by itemize123 »

IncreasePosts wrote: post #177
pydry wrote: post #132

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This seems pretty plausible. This tool probably did threaten some product line or other with cannibalisation.

Is it plausible? Imagine any leader that is not sundar trying to get this person fired. At some point, that leader would need to justify to either their leader, or a similarly leveled peer why they budgeted x SWE-years(where x is probably > 25) for a project that took this person far less than 1 SWE-year.

sounds even more plausible under that scenario?

Re: Fired by Google for creating the Google workspace CLI

#296

Post by whstl »

hn_throwaway_99 wrote: post #288
ashdksnndck wrote: post #247

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It seems like the guy believed he was just doing his job for Google, not moonlighting? He released the project on Google’s own GitHub. It seems more like he misunderstood the necessary steps before making that release.

> It seems more like he misunderstood the necessary steps before making that release. Dude worked there for 7 years . Saying "oh, he just didn't understand the policy for going through legal/management approval" just does absolutely not pass the sniff test.

Plus there are 57 projects in that workspace from the same team, most using the same API, in quite a few the fired dev is participating. On top of that, the CLI project wasn't even deleted.

If there were/are real problems there, Google hasn't acted on them in any proper manner, and has not communicated properly with any of the parts involved, which is natural when legal/HR is involved.

Re: Fired by Google for creating the Google workspace CLI

#297

Post by whstl »

lokar wrote: post #209
bonsai_bar wrote: post #159

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is it so extreme? If you work at Google, there's a very clear policy for doing any outside "work" (volunteering, an open source side project, a business, being on a board, etc.): if it's related to your day-to-day work and/or related to Google's business (which virtually anything software is), you need to fill out a disclosure form and get a go-ahead from legal. Obviously a Google Workspace CLI is related to Google.…

Even setting the legal process aside, I would ask the team before releasing a tool for their product. Seems kind of rude.

The tool was publicly announced by the person's manager.

It clearly wasn't moonlighting or done without management's support/knowledge.

Re: Fired by Google for creating the Google workspace CLI

#298

Post by vintermann »

matheusmoreira wrote: post #215
WheelsAtLarge wrote: post #199

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Bottom line, he did something that affected the company without any authority. His action implied the product was Google blessed without the company fully knowing about it. Google has spent billions to protect its reputation and then you have a random guy put out a self create product without the company even knowing. They had a case for suing him for millions. Of Course, they wouldn't have been able to collect but i…

> and then you have a random guy put out a self create product Random guy? He was a Google employee. Looks like he was just doing his job. > Google has spent billions to protect its reputation Not sure billions are enough here, since Google's reputation is terrible in spite of it, and this episode certainly isn't helping.

Are you suggesting Google's lawyers haven't done a good job at protecting Google's reputation? Watch out, you don't want to get sued by them!

Re: Fired by Google for creating the Google workspace CLI

#300

Post by whstl »

Grombobulous wrote: post #224
davidgay wrote: post #195

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The open source policy described above was in place 16 years ago (I went through it to continue working on some existing projects), and I doubt it was very new then.

And it's not just about open source, it's about the author of this tool using trademarks and effectively impersonating Google. Judging by the screenshot of the repo, I think most people who download this would think that it's official Google software.

This is clearly something done in official capacity, during working hours, with the knowledge and support of his manager, who announced the CLI.

It says "This is not an officially supported Google product" because it's a DevRel sample/experiment, just like dozens of other Google repositories made by Google employees as part of their job.

Even some other tools in github.com/google have as much: https://github.com/google/python-fire / https://github.com/google/pytype/blob/main/docs/index.md / https://github.com/google/dopamine / https://github.com/google/go-tika

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