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Google cancels TGIF weekly all-hands meetings

cnbc.com

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Re: Google cancels TGIF weekly all-hands meetings

#311

Post by TheReveller »

joshuamorton wrote: post #285
rachelbythebay wrote: post #282

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This, from 2009? "Badging today will allocate funds for your meal tomorrow". And I wrote about it eight years ago. https://rachelbythebay.com/w/2011/10/17/badging/

I'm still unclear on what the badge for meal thing was, but apparently its come and gone before. It was apparently a thing in 09, went away, came back sometime in like 2013 or 14, went away again, and is now again a requirement (and has been since sometime in 2018). It didn't spell any particular doom either of the other times, and other than some dubious tax related stuff, i'm not sure what the impact is/will be. Se…

It's only for IRS reporting purposes, nothing more.

Re: Google cancels TGIF weekly all-hands meetings

#312

Post by bart_spoon »

CydeWeys wrote: post #99
manigandham wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Google and most SV companies are somewhere between left to far-left.

Google is currently fighting unionization efforts. That's not leftist.

A survey in the last year or two of Silicon Valley execs found them to be very left in just about every category except for financial regulation and taxation.

Re: Google cancels TGIF weekly all-hands meetings

#313

Post by dleslie »

nostrademons wrote: post #156
dleslie wrote: post #139

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wish I could bold this comment and pin it to the top. It's absolutely a false dichotomy to assert that there can either be creativity or there can be constraints. As a game developer, I look no further than the numerous game jams with artificial constraints as evidence that creativity can flourish within the confines of constraints. One might even argue that creativity is given constructive direction by way of cons…

I didn't say constraints, I said emotions. I don't believe it's possible to have creativity without emotions, and I've got citations to that point (which are apparently quite controversial, that comment has been fluctuating heavily in score) [1]. It's possible to put constraints on your emotions and to not immediately do something because you feel like doing it. This is the essence of emotional intelligence, and of m…

That's an interesting argument: can creativity exist without emotions?

It speaks directly to the nature of creativity. Is creativity simply the discovery of the new; or is it an expression of desire for the new? Is it something else?

Hmm...

Although, to the original concern: I don't believe constraints on behaviour necessarily constrain emotions; such constraints influence emotions, but I wouldn't expect a general suppression of emotion.

Re: Google cancels TGIF weekly all-hands meetings

#314

Post by ChrisCinelli »

daenz wrote: post #31
acruns wrote: post #18

I turned down an offer from Google (cloud) because I didn't want to work for a company that was so focused on politics internally. This was just after they fired Damore, not that I agree or disagree with his opinion, but because Google seems promote internal fighting. That type of culture doesn't appeal to me.

>not that I agree or disagree with his opinion You just outed yourself. I wish I was joking, but anything other than instant condemnation of what he wrote gets you labelled.

On his twitter account I found this: https://mobile.twitter.com/JamesADamore/status/1115631402119...

> The two companies with the biggest internal social media platforms for their employees (Google and Facebook) also have massive employee turmoil… Anyone surprised?

Re: Google cancels TGIF weekly all-hands meetings

#315

Post by mrkstu »

dredmorbius wrote: post #194
curryst wrote: post #182

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It is adding incendiary meaning. You are assuming the intent of someone else not wanting politics in the workplace. You assume it means that they are content with the status quo and would like to maintain that. The reality is that many people keep politics out of the workplace because they dislike the amount that bringing politics to the workplace can affect the cohesion of their team/department. You're creating a st…

There is a distinction I'm being exceedingly careful to make between intent and effect . The meaning may be absolutely as you describe. The effect, however, is to perpetuate gradients in power, privilege, and control.

There are multitudes of venues for political expression, why cannot the workplace be a refuge from that maelstrom?

Re: Google cancels TGIF weekly all-hands meetings

#316

Post by brigandish »

nostrademons wrote: post #156
dleslie wrote: post #139

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wish I could bold this comment and pin it to the top. It's absolutely a false dichotomy to assert that there can either be creativity or there can be constraints. As a game developer, I look no further than the numerous game jams with artificial constraints as evidence that creativity can flourish within the confines of constraints. One might even argue that creativity is given constructive direction by way of cons…

I didn't say constraints, I said emotions. I don't believe it's possible to have creativity without emotions, and I've got citations to that point (which are apparently quite controversial, that comment has been fluctuating heavily in score) [1]. It's possible to put constraints on your emotions and to not immediately do something because you feel like doing it. This is the essence of emotional intelligence, and of m…

I doubt I'll be the only meditator that disagrees with you, on every point, regardless of citations.

Re: Google cancels TGIF weekly all-hands meetings

#317

Post by redblacktree »

hgytr wrote: post #305

First. Thanks to HN for not demanding phone numbers: anonymity allows to say things that cannot be said. Second. Many googlers read HN. In some sense, HN is the extension of the internal forums. CNBC made a good summary and I can comment on each bullet point. Larry and Brin probably stopped attending because nothing important is said on TGIFs. More people -> more leaks -> less interesting information -> less attenden…

> typical big corporation with typical corporate politics

I don't know why this would surprise anyone. People are people and politics are politics in any large organization. There is no reason to think Google would be exempt.

Re: Google cancels TGIF weekly all-hands meetings

#318

Post by zaptheimpaler »

RcouF1uZ4gsC wrote: post #309
nostrademons wrote: post #37

Earlier 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…

> (It turns out that it's not possible to selectively repress emotions: "I've got to watch what I say about politics" subconsciously spills over into "I've got to watch what I say" which spills over into "I've got to watch what I say about anything new and controversial", and you lose the latter well before the former.) This was the same logic that allowed talented men to turn their workplaces into a very unwelcoming…

Its ridiculous to equate talking about politics to sexual harassment. Talking politics doesn't magically turn you into a chauvinist.

Re: Google cancels TGIF weekly all-hands meetings

#319

Post by viburnum »

acruns wrote: post #18

I turned down an offer from Google (cloud) because I didn't want to work for a company that was so focused on politics internally. This was just after they fired Damore, not that I agree or disagree with his opinion, but because Google seems promote internal fighting. That type of culture doesn't appeal to me.

The dude said whole classes of people were genetically inferior. That makes employee evaluations impossible. He had to go.

Re: Google cancels TGIF weekly all-hands meetings

#320

Post by BurningFrog »

nostrademons wrote: post #37
malvosenior wrote: post #5

I 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…

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…

The informal "just be yourself" spirit can work quite well in a small startup team.

Google used to be just that, and they made untold billions from it, so it's not surprising that they held on to remnants of that spirit for too long.

Now they're a gigantic megacorp, and need to act the part.

...and life goes on, everything is different but also the same...

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