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What I learned getting acquired by Google

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Re: What I learned getting acquired by Google

#161

Post by kyteland »

Nekhrimah wrote: post #146
CobrastanJorji wrote: post #79

The "red badge" thing was very real. It was really weird having TVCs on your team. You'd all work hard together to launch a thing, and then everybody except the red badge would get a celebratory team tchotchke or a team lunch or something. If you asked about it, the manager would say "we can't give Jim things directly because that might be like compensation and they'd be like an employee." There'd be all-hands meetin…

>TVC Apologies, could someone de-acronym this one please.

Temps, Vendors, and Contractors

Re: What I learned getting acquired by Google

#162

Post by dgacmu »

Nekhrimah wrote: post #146
CobrastanJorji wrote: post #79

The "red badge" thing was very real. It was really weird having TVCs on your team. You'd all work hard together to launch a thing, and then everybody except the red badge would get a celebratory team tchotchke or a team lunch or something. If you asked about it, the manager would say "we can't give Jim things directly because that might be like compensation and they'd be like an employee." There'd be all-hands meetin…

>TVC Apologies, could someone de-acronym this one please.

Temps, Vendors, Contractors

Re: What I learned getting acquired by Google

#163

Post by sanderjd »

SilverBirch wrote: post #132
izacus wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I mean... it's both? It reads like real life - good things and bad. Which is why the insight is interesting.

To me it reads more like someone with a positive disposition (or someone who has founded a start up and doesn't want to burn bridges) laying out the problems without saying they are problems. I mean come on - the upsides: we "merged cultures", "our app lives on", "careers have bloomed" versus downsides "we quit", and "we don't think we actually delivered what we wanted to". But it's ok because after everyone who care…

Maybe it's ok for writing to not be so editorialized as what you're used to? To me this read like a trip report from which the reader can draw their own conclusions without the author telling them what to think.

I wish more things I read on the internet were written in that style. I don't need to be told what conclusions to draw, I can figure it out myself.

Re: What I learned getting acquired by Google

#164

Post by no_wizard »

Nekhrimah wrote: post #146
CobrastanJorji wrote: post #79

The "red badge" thing was very real. It was really weird having TVCs on your team. You'd all work hard together to launch a thing, and then everybody except the red badge would get a celebratory team tchotchke or a team lunch or something. If you asked about it, the manager would say "we can't give Jim things directly because that might be like compensation and they'd be like an employee." There'd be all-hands meetin…

>TVC Apologies, could someone de-acronym this one please.

Temporary Vendor Contractor

Re: What I learned getting acquired by Google

#166

Post by dgacmu »

decaffjoe wrote: post #68
asdfman123 wrote: post #33

The second passport thing is definitely true. When I'm abroad--even, recently, Buenos Aires--I have access to office space, free food, a gym, and even a music room where I can practice guitar and piano.

It's common for Google offices to have gyms and pianos?!

Google Pittsburgh has (or, had, I haven't been there for four years) a Theremin. Not sure if that counts. :-)

Re: What I learned getting acquired by Google

#167

Post by ccb92 »

sanderjd wrote: post #163
SilverBirch wrote: post #132

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To me it reads more like someone with a positive disposition (or someone who has founded a start up and doesn't want to burn bridges) laying out the problems without saying they are problems. I mean come on - the upsides: we "merged cultures", "our app lives on", "careers have bloomed" versus downsides "we quit", and "we don't think we actually delivered what we wanted to". But it's ok because after everyone who care…

Maybe it's ok for writing to not be so editorialized as what you're used to? To me this read like a trip report from which the reader can draw their own conclusions without the author telling them what to think. I wish more things I read on the internet were written in that style. I don't need to be told what conclusions to draw, I can figure it out myself.

Agreed, very earnest style.

Re: What I learned getting acquired by Google

#168

Post by sangnoir »

pcl wrote: post #117
CobrastanJorji wrote: post #79

The "red badge" thing was very real. It was really weird having TVCs on your team. You'd all work hard together to launch a thing, and then everybody except the red badge would get a celebratory team tchotchke or a team lunch or something. If you asked about it, the manager would say "we can't give Jim things directly because that might be like compensation and they'd be like an employee." There'd be all-hands meetin…

In my time at Cisco, I was impressed with how well they integrated contractors. Wasn’t like this at all.

Cisco has/had an outrageously large contractor contingent (this may be different between Business Units). That's a huge cultural difference between Cisco the tech giant sets

Re: What I learned getting acquired by Google

#169

Post by eloisant »

mikeyouse wrote: post #149
orangecat wrote: post #121

Earlier quoted context omitted.

a company that behaves this way should be run out of town It's literally illegal to treat contractors too well.

It's not illegal - they'd just have to provide them employee-like benefits which would be expensive. So it's just costly to treat contractors too well.

I think the way it works is that if they provide some benefits, then they would have to make them into FTE and give them all the benefits.

Re: What I learned getting acquired by Google

#170

Post by ethbr1 »

no_wizard wrote: post #155
JSavageOne wrote: post #140

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ok but then contractors have the freedom to work whatever hours they want, not show up to the office, and subcontract out their work - right? If so that might be more appealing than being an employee

Not in practice, because they use a hiring entity to dictate the terms. You're expected to show up on a schedule, do the work etc. much like a FTE, but you're not an FTE. I think some folks have this illusion of software contractors that this is somehow common, it really isn't. The norm is you-are-almost-but-not-quite an employee type work environment, and thats at the better places. I've worked at a place where cont…

As a contractor, you are an FTE... just for a different (almost always much worse) company.

And that arrangement exists solely so that the company whose work you're actually doing can fire you more easily or avoid legal liability.

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