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My Time Working at Stripe

jondlm.github.io

321–330 of 396 posts

Re: My Time Working at Stripe

#321
I read it but ohhhh my gawwwwd what compels you all to write stuff like this about an employer, why is this any part of your identity at all? This is the opposite of having a life.

Serious question, what is this mentality?

tl;dr Look at this guy! He left a job without another job lined up after making half a million for 4 consecutive years! but only thought it was a big deal because he learned how to write but was disillusioned by his masters in other ways.

Really, I don't get resignation posts. Like the ones on linkedin, or other social media. Just surreptitiously go like all the other people who just weren't there the next day. Whose slack randomly said (deactivated).

Live your life

But sure, whats the other perspective?

Re: My Time Working at Stripe

#323

I kinda applaud OP for sharing their personal story. However, I personally never understood why people give a shit about objectives which aren't tied to business objectives. I mean the build improvement of 10x is great, but so what ? Also, Stripe is barely profitable. As an engineer in big tech, I wouldn't even consider applying. You're better off targeting Principal engineer at Big Tech since it implies doing some r…

I'm glad someone else mentioned this, i think too often engineers think they've done something huge because it was technically challenging but how does any of this impact the business? why would speeding up dashboard builds by 10x matter at all?

Re: My Time Working at Stripe

#324

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It’s pretty nuts, putting out your dirty laundry in public is a surefire way to self sabotage - especially in a work setting. In American culture, there’s a lot of “positive self help” talk about being open about these things. But the reality is - it actually just provides drama and ammunition to people who might not have your best interests at heart. Some things are best kept between your close trusted friends and f…

This happened to me. The result: - secret slack room to help me overcome my depression (wasn't invited of course, I just spotted it several times while looking at my colleagues' screens) - lowest paid member in the team, while also being one of if not the most productive. 12x: verified. 30x: speculated if I had control over the architecture. - 70h/week, no vacations, for 3 years. No paid overtime of any form. - Doubl…

"- 70h/week, no vacations, for 3 years. No paid overtime of any form."

jesus, i don't know how you managed that for 3 years

Re: My Time Working at Stripe

#325
She, and apparently others she gathered feedback from, felt like I hadn’t done a good enough job pulling other engineers into the project. She spoke of how proud she was of the outcome but that it didn’t excuse my less than ideal methods.

I gather from what he wrote that he's a software engineer. How is it his duty to "pull other engineers into the project"? What does management at this company do, besides invent contrived criticism to mash into a compliment sandwich? American corporate management culture has become laughably toxic over the last several decades.

Re: My Time Working at Stripe

#326
The common sentiment here that the manager's "10% vulnerable" exercise was inappropriate or even abusive is a little surprising to me.Maybe I'm just showing my age a bit, but my immediate reaction would have just been that this is a stupid team building exercise (whether accurate or not, that's just how I'd see it).Assuming I generally like my boss I wouldn't be a jerk about it, but I wouldn't be interested in participating and would say that as matter-of-fact as I could. Especially if the manager led with "if your willing to..." that should be that, I'd be on with my day no harm no foul.

For anyone coming by that would read the situation as inappropriate or abusive, what's different? Why do you see it abusive where I might see it a waste of time that I would just opt out of?

Re: My Time Working at Stripe

#327

>he asked the team, “for this meeting I’d like us to try and introduce ourselves a little differently. If you’re comfortable, I’d like us to try and be 10% more vulnerable than we normally would in a work setting.” I remember feeling a mix of anxiety and excitement rise in my chest. I sat pondering what I would share. I decided to go for more than 10%. I shared about how my marriage had almost collapsed a couple year…

In recent years I had a manager who read a lot of pop-psychology and self-help books. His 1:1s turned into pseudo therapy sessions where he tried to assume the role of therapist. He and I did not get along because I politely changed the subject back to work and the office every time he tried to get me to “open up” about my childhood, my home life, my fears and anxieties, and other topics. I thought he was a weird out…

This is wild to me. As someone who's done some eng management and has also read a lot of psychoanalytic theory, the only things I would actively ask my reports to "open up" about emotionally are what they like and dislike about tasks and processes, so I can better distribute work that satisfies them and remove frictions. That said if they want to tell me more, I'm happy to listen.

Otoh when dealing with peers at director or C level, things tend to get significantly more psychological, likely because their facility of judgment, which is ultimately psychological and moral, is functioning with far higher leverage due to their organizational authority.

Re: My Time Working at Stripe

#328

The bigger lesson is that no company in the world (except maybe your own) should trigger so much emotional involvement from day one. With time you learn to put everything in perspective. I am worried that the author did not learn that lesson in the end since he quit with no job behind, which is not a sign of emotional stability.

Unless it's your own company, I mean really yours and not "I own 1/1,000,000 of it in stock".

Re: My Time Working at Stripe

#329
post #92

There's a lot of comments on the "10% more vulnerable" part of the post in here that amount to "I just owe the company work hours, and they owe me money", and a strong aversion to showing anything resembling human connection going slightly further than "how are you", "fine". One commented even called the question by the manager "abuse", and suggested the manager should be fired. But if on most days we're spending mos…

It is abuse and the manager forced everyone to respond either by participating or by refusing to participate or by lying or by exposing that they actually have literally nothing interesting to say. If you don't get that, then you are probably out their making life 5% hell for half the people around you, in blissful ignorance thanks to the effort they all put in to catering to your inconsiderate interactions.

> making life 5% hell

Not even sure what this means

Re: My Time Working at Stripe

#330
post #167
post #87

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's why they said "if you're comfortable". It was totally optional. I don't understand your strong reaction to this.

I promise you I mean this sincerely, and not in a memey internet insult kind of way - are you perhaps autistic? I ask because this is exactly the type of comment one of my siblings would make, and she is on the spectrum. She wouldn't be able to understand the social dynamics at play here, whereas for other folks it's just common sense. "Optional" is not really optional in some social settings, and that's something au…

After reading all the comments, I'm starting to wonder.
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