Reddit Chief Engineer Quits After Less Than Two Months on the Job • Hacker News Board

Re: Reddit Chief Engineer Quits After Less Than Two Months on the Job

#21

Post by zentiggr » Tue, Jul 14, 2015, 2:52 PM UTC

Cacti wrote: post #10

untog wrote: post #6

The way she describes it, it was a sensible choice. Various things are being promised that she, as Chief Engineer, does not think will happen. Given what happened with Ellen Pao it's not unreasonable for her to assume that responsibility for those failures could easily be put on her when the inevitable happens.

What's the point of being a Chief Engineer if you can't even get some software (the mod tools) written? That seems like an awfully low bar for someone in that position, and to throw in the towel after she barely started seems to speak more to her character than any problems with Reddit. I mean... you hire someone for a top technical position and they quit when the first bump comes along? That's ridiculous.

Unless she got in the position, took one look around and realized there was no way to get to the goals stated... in the long term, better to move on, do something else than get stuck with the bag of poop once the musical chairs are done.

I have no idea what's going on inside reddit, just my two cents / devil's advocate thing.

Re: Reddit Chief Engineer Quits After Less Than Two Months on the Job

#22

Post by minimaxir » Tue, Jul 14, 2015, 2:52 PM UTC

Cacti wrote: post #10

untog wrote: post #6

The way she describes it, it was a sensible choice. Various things are being promised that she, as Chief Engineer, does not think will happen. Given what happened with Ellen Pao it's not unreasonable for her to assume that responsibility for those failures could easily be put on her when the inevitable happens.

What's the point of being a Chief Engineer if you can't even get some software (the mod tools) written? That seems like an awfully low bar for someone in that position, and to throw in the towel after she barely started seems to speak more to her character than any problems with Reddit. I mean... you hire someone for a top technical position and they quit when the first bump comes along? That's ridiculous.

> That seems like an awfully low bar for someone in that position

Given that Reddit has repeatedly said "our infrastructure/codebase is super-complicated" every time users have complained about server stability and the lack of features, that might actually be the truth, and being Chief Engineer is a task that's doomed to fail.

Re: Reddit Chief Engineer Quits After Less Than Two Months on the Job

#23

Post by argos » Tue, Jul 14, 2015, 2:53 PM UTC

Cacti wrote: post #10

untog wrote: post #6

The way she describes it, it was a sensible choice. Various things are being promised that she, as Chief Engineer, does not think will happen. Given what happened with Ellen Pao it's not unreasonable for her to assume that responsibility for those failures could easily be put on her when the inevitable happens.

What's the point of being a Chief Engineer if you can't even get some software (the mod tools) written? That seems like an awfully low bar for someone in that position, and to throw in the towel after she barely started seems to speak more to her character than any problems with Reddit. I mean... you hire someone for a top technical position and they quit when the first bump comes along? That's ridiculous.

there is not only the fact that they need to be developed... if I remember correctly they gave dates to have them in production. maybe she felt she could not have them done on time.

Re: Reddit Chief Engineer Quits After Less Than Two Months on the Job

#24

Post by jasonlotito » Tue, Jul 14, 2015, 2:53 PM UTC

seunosewa wrote: post #5

3 female employees gone from the Reddit team in such a short time. This could create the probably false perception that Reddit seems like a hostile working environment for women. I wonder what they'll do to address this probably false perception.

Are you suggesting Bethanye is lying? Her reasoning for leaving has nothing to do with being a women, and everything to do with being a smart engineer who won't take shit. Remember, Ellen was instituting policies to make the place more equal for woman.

Frankly, this has nothing to do with being a woman at Reddit, and everything to do with Reddit seeming like a hostile working environment. It just so happens that these 3 people are woman.

Re: Reddit Chief Engineer Quits After Less Than Two Months on the Job

#25

Post by belovedeagle » Tue, Jul 14, 2015, 2:54 PM UTC

amyjess wrote: post #17

seunosewa wrote: post #5

3 female employees gone from the Reddit team in such a short time. This could create the probably false perception that Reddit seems like a hostile working environment for women. I wonder what they'll do to address this probably false perception.

Pao is the only one of the three who left for any reason that might be gender-related, though. And, yeah, the harassment of Pao was very misogynistic -- and racist to boot (people were calling her a "ching chong cunt") -- but there's nothing to indicate that the other two had any problems due to their gender.

And, lest we forget, Pao has a documented history of misogyny and gender-based hiring/firing decisions. So if there is a hostile culture, it probably is being mitigated by her departure, rather than fueled.

Re: Reddit Chief Engineer Quits After Less Than Two Months on the Job

#26

Post by pjc50 » Tue, Jul 14, 2015, 2:57 PM UTC

seunosewa wrote: post #5

3 female employees gone from the Reddit team in such a short time. This could create the probably false perception that Reddit seems like a hostile working environment for women. I wonder what they'll do to address this probably false perception.

Why are people downvoting this comment?

Re: Reddit Chief Engineer Quits After Less Than Two Months on the Job

#27

Post by ThrustVectoring » Tue, Jul 14, 2015, 2:58 PM UTC

jgrowl wrote: post #20

From what I've seen, being a CEO, CTO, etc is almost inherently a glass cliff. You either keep things running smoothly or you will get let go. Besides, Ellen wasn't even fired. She resigned no?

"Resigned" is how executives get fired.

Re: Reddit Chief Engineer Quits After Less Than Two Months on the Job

#28

Post by kej » Tue, Jul 14, 2015, 3:00 PM UTC

jgrowl wrote: post #20

From what I've seen, being a CEO, CTO, etc is almost inherently a glass cliff. You either keep things running smoothly or you will get let go. Besides, Ellen wasn't even fired. She resigned no?

Well, "resigned by mutual agreement" which isn't quite the same thing.

Re: Reddit Chief Engineer Quits After Less Than Two Months on the Job

#29

Post by tzakrajs » Tue, Jul 14, 2015, 3:01 PM UTC

I highly doubt that Reddit leadership is/will be responsible for their massive rise or fall in popularity. The people have coalesced around this platform in such numbers that as long as the most basic needs are met for the community to thrive, they will continue to thrive. The few who leave because of this executive turmoil or changes in moderation have already been supplanted by new users who enjoy the system as it is today.

Re: Reddit Chief Engineer Quits After Less Than Two Months on the Job

#30

Post by mrgoldenbrown » Tue, Jul 14, 2015, 3:02 PM UTC

Cacti wrote: post #10

untog wrote: post #6

The way she describes it, it was a sensible choice. Various things are being promised that she, as Chief Engineer, does not think will happen. Given what happened with Ellen Pao it's not unreasonable for her to assume that responsibility for those failures could easily be put on her when the inevitable happens.

What's the point of being a Chief Engineer if you can't even get some software (the mod tools) written? That seems like an awfully low bar for someone in that position, and to throw in the towel after she barely started seems to speak more to her character than any problems with Reddit. I mean... you hire someone for a top technical position and they quit when the first bump comes along? That's ridiculous.

You have no basis on which to attack her character. Circumstances have changed significantly since she started. Why is your first assumption that she's weak? Victoria was fired for standing up for users. Maybe Bethanye was being put in a similar position and wanted to leave on her own terms rather than compromise her ideals.