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Why I won’t work for Google

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Re: Why I won’t work for Google

#51

Post by davidw »

joeblau wrote: post #5

This is a lot longer than my response I gave the Google recruiter: I appreciate you contacting me, but I'm currently in the process of raising a funding round for my startup which precludes me from looking at other opportunities right now. However; if you know any investors in the IoT space, I would love to chat. Funny thing is that in about 6 months, they are going to probably contact Him, and Me again.

Here's what I wrote them last time, more or less:

> Thank you for your interest and taking the time to discuss employment opportunities, but at this time I have decided not to pursue a further relationship with Google as an employer. I wish you the best in your future endeavors.

Re: Why I won’t work for Google

#53

Post by samstave »

quaunaut wrote: post #19

I'm still waiting on proof from Snowden as to Apple/Google/Facebook's direct, illegal cooperation with the NSA. So far, all I've seen proof of is compliance with warrants(which admittedly are questionable, but Google has a direct financial gain in fighting them, not helping them), claims that they've fought them, and evidence that the NSA is both tapping the trunk as well as decrypting SSL'd communications.

Yeah, so basically nothing with respect to the most egregious violation of every single tenet of what the US is marketed to the globe supposedly is!

So, Cool - its great that Snowden hasn't proved shit to make anyone believe the reality is the inverse of what one may think it to be.

Look, the will of our politicians must only be the whole of the Law! So, we're good here....

Re: Why I won’t work for Google

#54

Post by Intrepidd »

Apachez wrote: post #11
hpaavola wrote: post #7

I think you should work for Google. They might teach you a thing or two about how to handle traffic.

Yeah, I suppose you (hpaavola) have one or more thing to teach Cloudflare about how to deal with traffic (which this host is using as frontend)?

Cloudflare is not having any issue, it's just used here as a proxy to help with caching and static files. The real server hosting the application is down.

However this comment was a bit useless.

Re: Why I won’t work for Google

#56

Post by vixin »

etfb wrote: post #30

The primary reason I won't work for Google is because I'm nowhere near smart enough. But I like to tell myself that the ethical shortcuts they've taken in pursuit of the almighty dollar are a good secondary reason. It's just that I don't need a secondary reason, so yay, consequence-free ethics!

Your honesty is to be applauded.

Re: Why I won’t work for Google

#57

Post by clarry »

etherael wrote: post #50

All mainstream modern technology companies are in a no win tragic situation. They are accountable to the state which overrides their ability to make any kind of actual independent decisions when the interests of the state are at stake. Going against this would be an exercise in futility and you may well end up in prison for doing so. Getting angry at them for what they are forced at gunpoint to do is just wasted ener…

> All mainstream modern technology companies are in a no win tragic situation.

Actually the big companies (and to a lesser degree other significant entities like Wikipedia) that essentially hold the keys to the Internet and have the money -- if anyone, they are in a position to change things. They have tremendous power. Think civil disobedience. Corporate disobedience? There are many legal as well as illegal things these corps could do to flip the bird at the state. And the result might be that they get heard, unlike all the EFF campaigners and individuals who can only complain on Internet forums.

Re: Why I won’t work for Google

#58

Post by mr_schnippel »

It blows my mind that people name ethical issues when choosing an employer when myriads of other more practical considerations come to mind. Well, it really doesn't, it takes all sorts. What blows my mind is to see so many replies to discuss this crazy opinion.

Re: Why I won’t work for Google

#59

Post by provemewrong »

enscr wrote: post #47
p4bl0 wrote: post #35

I can't access the linked blogpost because the website is offline, but from the comments here I understand that the main reason the author is invoking for not working at Google is because of Snowden's revelations and Google implication with the NSA. I think this is strange, we knew way before Snowden's revelations what Google did with the privacy of their users. That in itself should be enough to not want to work the…

cache:qnrq.se/why-i-wont-work-for-google/

I don't know if ironic is the right word, but it certainly is funny reading the Google's cached version of the article.

Re: Why I won’t work for Google

#60

Post by microtonal »

etherael wrote: post #50

All mainstream modern technology companies are in a no win tragic situation. They are accountable to the state which overrides their ability to make any kind of actual independent decisions when the interests of the state are at stake. Going against this would be an exercise in futility and you may well end up in prison for doing so. Getting angry at them for what they are forced at gunpoint to do is just wasted ener…

All they can do is stick to the letter of the law.

That's not all that they can do. Google, Apple, Facebook, Microsoft, Amazon, et al. are some of the most powerful entities in the US besides the oil industry. They matter to the US economy, and for that reason they are clearly in a position to influence government decisions.

This has both positive and negative outcomes. Since trust in terms of privacy is important to Google et al., they are (probably) trying to prevent eavesdropping. This can be witnessed in Google's push to push SSL everywhere, their increased transparency with respect to information requests, and Facebook's lashing out at Obama over domestic spying.

On the other hand, some outcomes are detrimental as a result of a fierce battle between the technology companies, resulting e.g. in blocking of patent reform.

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