Ad company cancels all hands meeting. Why is this news?
Because that "ad company" is one of the highest valued companies in the world, and Google's TGIF is something even many people outside of Google are familiar with.
Google cancels TGIF weekly all-hands meetings
231–240 of 600 posts
Re: Google cancels TGIF weekly all-hands meetings
#232I wonder if companies like Google and GitHub that actively courted activists are now regretting their decision. For a long time it was common knowledge that you would try to keep stuff like that out of the workplace. The past 10 years have been an about face to that strategy and now we're seeing more or less complete chaos internally at these previously pro-politics (some kinds of politics) workplaces. My guess is th…
Interviewed at Etsy about a year or two ago and the interviewer was asking me about politically charged topics. How I would handle workplace gender complaints. How they should handle racial diversity in the work place, etc.
It was really clear I was giving wrong answers. I told them flat out that I think people should be judged by the quality of their character, not the color of their skin and that the company should just try to be fair and hire the best people.
I mean I get that companies want to do the right thing but you can only really do ONE thing well.
Re: Google cancels TGIF weekly all-hands meetings
#233I wonder if companies like Google and GitHub that actively courted activists are now regretting their decision. For a long time it was common knowledge that you would try to keep stuff like that out of the workplace. The past 10 years have been an about face to that strategy and now we're seeing more or less complete chaos internally at these previously pro-politics (some kinds of politics) workplaces. My guess is th…
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Re: Google cancels TGIF weekly all-hands meetings
#234RIP I'm one of those people who go work at Google once every few years. The transformation of culture from about 2013 onwards has been somewhat sad to experience. Interestingly, most people who have been continuously employed there have not felt the very slight gradient. However, the changes in culture, freedom, food quality, etc are fairly obvious when one returns after ..say.. 18 months. Here are some semi-concrete…
> No decorations..
Where does this apply? Just reception, or more?
Can I have a poster or art? A plant?
Re: Google cancels TGIF weekly all-hands meetings
#235Earlier quoted context omitted.
I think it's more that they actively courted assertive people with opinions and then created a culture where you can bring your whole self to work. They did this so that they could get the benefits of creativity, which inherently requires emotional engagement, which requires that you not repress your emotions. (It turns out that it's not possible to selectively repress emotions: "I've got to watch what I say about po…
How did being assertive and bringing your whole self to work work out for James Damore?
If you're saying his 'whole self' was 'women are inherently inferior to me' than I'd say it worked out as it should have.
Re: Google cancels TGIF weekly all-hands meetings
#236As an Xoogler (left in 2015) I find that news highly disappointing. I think that without honest, regular Q&A at events like TGIF, the company will become more and more out of touch. When I was there, TGIF was watered down, but we still asked uncomfortable questions of management. I remember asking a question of Sundar when he was head of Android when the Nexus 6 came out questioning our chasing Apple into the high en…
Do you remember other "uncomfortable" or probing questions that were asked? Just out of curiosity. I work for a company that holds similar "town halls" where employees are able to ask anonymous questions of management and they can get pretty brutal sometimes ("why is turnover so high?", "why is upper management's compensation so much higher than others?", etc).
My work has this too and it gets a little embarrassing when people reveal they fundamentally misunderstand the relationship they have with their employer.
Re: Google cancels TGIF weekly all-hands meetings
#237Earlier quoted context omitted.
To be clear, "keep politics out of the workplace" is another way of saying "I'm okay with the status quo, and if you don't like it I don't want to hear about it at work".
To be clear, Kafkatrapping, which is what you’re doing, is the most insidious manifestation of this culture because it turns everyone who isn’t trying to out-do the next one into a potential “enemy”.
Perhaps you’re also amping up the discussion. It’s one thing to say “you have no complaints because it works for you”. It’s another to say “you can’t say anything useful because of your white privilege and class alliance “
Re: Google cancels TGIF weekly all-hands meetings
#238RIP I'm one of those people who go work at Google once every few years. The transformation of culture from about 2013 onwards has been somewhat sad to experience. Interestingly, most people who have been continuously employed there have not felt the very slight gradient. However, the changes in culture, freedom, food quality, etc are fairly obvious when one returns after ..say.. 18 months. Here are some semi-concrete…
Point taken, but how is badging for meals a ‘facepalm’? Re: decorations, https://www.androidpolice.com/2019/10/04/google-seattle-hall... ?
Re: Google cancels TGIF weekly all-hands meetings
#239I wonder if companies like Google and GitHub that actively courted activists are now regretting their decision. For a long time it was common knowledge that you would try to keep stuff like that out of the workplace. The past 10 years have been an about face to that strategy and now we're seeing more or less complete chaos internally at these previously pro-politics (some kinds of politics) workplaces. My guess is th…
They're not keeping it out of the workplace, or at least that's one complaints that is public.
Employees have been objecting to the hiring of conservative activists into influential positions.
E.g. there were objections about support for the Trump administration's extreme positions on immigration and activist positions opposed to trans people.
Re: Google cancels TGIF weekly all-hands meetings
#240Sounds like Googlers spoiled the well. I'm not sure exactly why but Google employees always seem to be in the news about something and have leaked conversations that management had with them. In some instances the controversy is warranted (Rubin Payout, etc.) but it must be annoying from a management perspective.
Pichai is making over $100,000,000 a year. That is more than enough to deal with all the annoying crap that goes on.