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“Facebook turned me down” (2009)

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Re: “Facebook turned me down” (2009)

#191

Post by blueskin_ »

chadillac wrote: post #106
herokusaki wrote: post #105

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> he botched a 2AM code push to production I have come to think that pushing code to production when your person is noticeably compromised in some way should be prevented thorough technical means. Perhaps a CAPTCHA is an acceptable solution (which probably should also get more difficult the later the hour).

Tailing syslog while under the influence and patching an error should be a senior developer right of passage. ;) http://www.wired.com/business/2008/10/googles-mail-go/ edit: As an aside, it was entertaining watching a drunk man use Emacs under the gun.

I thought you had to be drunk to even consider Emacs.

Re: “Facebook turned me down” (2009)

#192

Post by blueskin_ »

aestra wrote: post #167
herokusaki wrote: post #105

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> he botched a 2AM code push to production I have come to think that pushing code to production when your person is noticeably compromised in some way should be prevented thorough technical means. Perhaps a CAPTCHA is an acceptable solution (which probably should also get more difficult the later the hour).

If you're so drunk you can't solve a CAPTCHA then you also probably can't sit at a chair and type on a keyboard.

Exactly this. I've done/said inadvisable things while drunk enough to do so, and not even made typos. I guess the function of using a computer is just natural due to practice.

Re: “Facebook turned me down” (2009)

#193

Post by blueskin_ »

shutupalready wrote: post #51
lolwutf wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Any word on if either were married?

And if they were, I hope they were also smart enough to have prenups. This brings up a question: Is it even possible to make a prenup that covers future windfills? E.g., a prenup that protects your wealth in a company that hasn't yet been founded.

>Is it even possible to make a prenup that covers future windfills? E.g., a prenup that protects your wealth in a company that hasn't yet been founded.

Yes. It's a contract; you can do what you like within the normal legal boundaries (although certain provisions, e.g. child custody are likely to be thrown out if ever challenged).

Re: “Facebook turned me down” (2009)

#194

Post by rhizome »

spinlock wrote: post #174
matwood wrote: post #142

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Honestly, Google calls me regularly wanting to set up an interview and I'm no one special. I just view it as the market really is getting tight for talent.

I got one of those calls and went in for a day of interviews. Half of the interviewers were incapable of making eye contact and the others half were only interested in Fermie problems. I suggested that Glass was a terrible product and they should have started with a beachhead market like skiing goggles before building a mass consumer product. Needless to say, they didn't like my ideas and didn't make an offer. Then,…

After spending a day at LinkedIn and being declined, when they did their resume churn a year later and pinged me I asked if there was a specific job they had in mind and they said they'd find out and get back to me. Crickets.

I think this persistent inquiry from the large companies is an attempt to gauge the market and basically waste peoples' time. They interview in the hopes that the person will fit enough to slot into an available headcount, but it's pretty generic and highly unspecific. It's something like, hey, if you're looking to change jobs, come spend a day and take a chance that we'll be able to find something for you. I think it biases toward cookie-cutter employees and is by no means an indication of real interest.

Re: “Facebook turned me down” (2009)

#195

Post by mhartl »

jaimebuelta wrote: post #152
alecco wrote: post #147

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"I want to stress the importance of being young and technical," Facebook's CEO (now 28) told a Y Combinator Startup event at Stanford University in 2007. "Young people are just smarter. Why are most chess masters under 30? I don't know. Young people just have simpler lives. We may not own a car. We may not have family. Simplicity in life allows you to focus on what's important." http://www.sfgate.com/business/bottoml…

Eh? What? Is that for real? While it is true that GREAT developers can also be young, they are not magically getting dumber when they age. Also it may be easier to be disruptive if you're young (meaning you are naïve enough to think you can change stuff, most of the times you'll be wrong, though) but smarter? Really? I find this a quite stupid statement, to be honest...

I was there. It's for real. He's wrong about chess masters, too, Magnus Carlsen notwithstanding. (Chess players typically peak in their mid-30s or early 40s.)

Re: “Facebook turned me down” (2009)

#197

Post by smsm42 »

vonmoltke wrote: post #144
smsm42 wrote: post #111

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Unfortunately, there aren't. Or, rather, there are, but not easy to find and not so many. Not enough for the amount of work that is out there.

Bullshit. If you are turning down people for "culture fit" or perceived ramp-up time, there is no shortage.

You are assuming "culture fit" is just an excuse to interview somebody, waste all that valuable time on evaluating them and then reject them under a transparent ruse. Why would a company do that, where's a upside in that? Culture fit is a real thing and if the person does not fit the team, it would be an expensive mistake to hire that person. Shortage of talent does not mean the company would hire anybody. It just means it is hard to find people that they want to hire. There could be plenty of people that they don't want to hire, still.
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