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The Difference Between Working at Facebook, Google, and Microsoft

businessinsider.com

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Re: The Difference Between Working at Facebook, Google, and Microsoft

#11

Post by StephenGL »

pconner wrote: post #4
thurn wrote: post #2

> "I prefer startups because I like to be surrounded by people who are not just working 9-5 but prefer to get things done" Not a big fan of this attitude. You can get quite a lot done in a standard work day without the same risk of burnout.

I don't get this attitude. It's decently well known that there are diminishing returns once you pass a 6-8 hour workday. Why would anyone want to spend more time working to produce worse results?

Quality and scope are different aspects of a result. You can focus your diminishing returns on getting less done at a similar quality level. Meaning the returns may diminish, but your contribution is still a net positive.

Re: The Difference Between Working at Facebook, Google, and Microsoft

#12

Post by jusben1369 »

pconner wrote: post #4
thurn wrote: post #2

> "I prefer startups because I like to be surrounded by people who are not just working 9-5 but prefer to get things done" Not a big fan of this attitude. You can get quite a lot done in a standard work day without the same risk of burnout.

I don't get this attitude. It's decently well known that there are diminishing returns once you pass a 6-8 hour workday. Why would anyone want to spend more time working to produce worse results?

Well if you've got to sow your field before the snow comes then it's not real helpful to have the guy next to you telling you that after 8 hours you're producing diminishing returns and should call it quits. That's going to be interesting advice next spring when you don't have a crop.

Re: The Difference Between Working at Facebook, Google, and Microsoft

#13

Post by StephenGL »

nugget wrote: post #6
thurn wrote: post #2

> "I prefer startups because I like to be surrounded by people who are not just working 9-5 but prefer to get things done" Not a big fan of this attitude. You can get quite a lot done in a standard work day without the same risk of burnout.

When I read ''9 to 5'' in this context I take it to represent a culture and mindset of limited engagement and responsibility, not necessarily the literal physical presence for only those hours of the day.

This is the "I got in today at 8:30 and will leave at 5:30 after taking a one hour lunch" mindset or the "Even if I am inspired at 5:20 I'm out of here at 5:30 and if I get into something right before lunch it doesn't matter because I have lunch plans every day" mentality. I don't think people should be overworked, but clock watchers are productivity killers.

Re: The Difference Between Working at Facebook, Google, and Microsoft

#15

Post by azakai »

The comparisons are interesting, but for some of those companies his information is several years out of date already (especially for the first company he started to work at, way back in 2007, Google). Things can change quite a lot over such time periods.

Re: The Difference Between Working at Facebook, Google, and Microsoft

#16

Post by justicezyx »

thurn wrote: post #2

> "I prefer startups because I like to be surrounded by people who are not just working 9-5 but prefer to get things done" Not a big fan of this attitude. You can get quite a lot done in a standard work day without the same risk of burnout.

Agreed, one friend told me, 'if regular overtime work is needed, then you did not do a good job in the first place'.

Re: The Difference Between Working at Facebook, Google, and Microsoft

#18

Post by ulfw »

sockgrant wrote: post #7
thurn wrote: post #2

> "I prefer startups because I like to be surrounded by people who are not just working 9-5 but prefer to get things done" Not a big fan of this attitude. You can get quite a lot done in a standard work day without the same risk of burnout.

I'm strongly in your camp. However, to play devils advocate, a founder has to make the company the focus of their life. They're gonna be working long hours, 6-7 days a week, with little to no vacation. There's diminishing returns on that time, but the pressure is on and the clock is ticking. Naturally, founders want to hire people who also make the startup their life. If you're working all day, don't you want to buil…

Totally understandable for founders who have skin in the game. An engineer hired as employee 10+ with less than half a percent equity, which will get diluted to 0.05% or less before an eventual exit (if ever!) shouldn't feel like he HAS to work 100 hours/week - especially if he's getting maybe 2/3s of his market value in salary.

Re: The Difference Between Working at Facebook, Google, and Microsoft

#19

Post by jedberg »

jusben1369 wrote: post #12
pconner wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't get this attitude. It's decently well known that there are diminishing returns once you pass a 6-8 hour workday. Why would anyone want to spend more time working to produce worse results?

Well if you've got to sow your field before the snow comes then it's not real helpful to have the guy next to you telling you that after 8 hours you're producing diminishing returns and should call it quits. That's going to be interesting advice next spring when you don't have a crop.

The diminishing returns only applies to creative work, not physical labor. (Yes there is diminishing returns there too but clearly you're still getting additional useful work done)

Re: The Difference Between Working at Facebook, Google, and Microsoft

#20

Post by sockgrant »

ulfw wrote: post #18
sockgrant wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm strongly in your camp. However, to play devils advocate, a founder has to make the company the focus of their life. They're gonna be working long hours, 6-7 days a week, with little to no vacation. There's diminishing returns on that time, but the pressure is on and the clock is ticking. Naturally, founders want to hire people who also make the startup their life. If you're working all day, don't you want to buil…

Totally understandable for founders who have skin in the game. An engineer hired as employee 10+ with less than half a percent equity, which will get diluted to 0.05% or less before an eventual exit (if ever!) shouldn't feel like he HAS to work 100 hours/week - especially if he's getting maybe 2/3s of his market value in salary.

Yeah. I agree with you. Just saying each side has a valid point. As employee 10+ with 0.5% equity, there's no chance I'm going to work as much as a founder.

But as a founder or a very early employee, I'm going to try to hire people that work as hard/efficiently as I do.

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