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Culture Change at Google

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Re: Culture Change at Google

#41

Post by glompers »

petesergeant wrote: post #18

Other than people who worked there, and miss the old days … who cares? Google has transitioned into a mature tech company, which basically means they’re just an investment vehicle now managing assets. They’ll buy the innovation they need, but otherwise management’s job is to predictably manage share prices and profit. The nostalgia is nice for people who worked there, but the maturity of the business being presented…

If historic Broadway theaters in NYC transitioned to blocks of server farms, then many people would have a feeling, "Singing and dancing and live art used to happen here, and that history is worth continuing, here," even if for economic reasons it wouldn't and couldn't anymore. . . and so I don't think it's only wistful or wishfulness speaking.

It's positive to believe that places where creativity happened and was on display and at least nominally prized were places that need to continue in some form or fashion. I agree with you that the form and fashion may just be less visible now to these people wherever it has moved on to, now.

Re: Culture Change at Google

#42

Post by ulfw »

nequo wrote: post #28
brcmthrowaway wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So the real answer is to join the next Google.. :) OpenAI?

What is the company culture of OpenAI like? How does it compare to early Google?

I didn't see Google's board fire it's CEO and then he gets reinstated and basically fires the board.

Instead Google had more drama with the inappropriate behavior kind.

Re: Culture Change at Google

#43

Post by travisgriggs »

ptmcc wrote: post #11
siliconc0w wrote: post #7

There is no evidence layoffs are a good idea from a fiscal perspective either, except in the short term. They're basically random so you loose good talent and you demoralize the best that stay. It should be reserved for dire circumstance.

And if you must, cut deep and cut only once. Trickling out monthly layoffs is far more demoralizing and instills a culture of fear and uncertainty.

It has always been my theory/belief that long periods of demoralization actually get rid of a disproportionately higher amount of good talent. When the company starts to smell, those that can move on, because they’re in demand elsewhere as well, will do so. You’re then left with those that hope you don’t let them go, but are less confident or capable in their abilities to find employment elsewhere.

Re: Culture Change at Google

#44

Post by jacquesm »

kderbyma wrote: post #27

Alphabet has ruined it's entire portfolio if measured by the initial vision of each product. They have decimated the once great platforms they developed in pursuit of ever canabalizing their consumers

As well as lots of stuff they acquired and left to rot.

Re: Culture Change at Google

#45

Post by CobrastanJorji »

nequo wrote: post #28
brcmthrowaway wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So the real answer is to join the next Google.. :) OpenAI?

What is the company culture of OpenAI like? How does it compare to early Google?

Well, it seems like it's got some cool tech based on providing access to everybody else's copyrighted content in novel ways, a bunch of promise to make a lot of money without knowing 100% what the plan is, messy politics at the top, and it's around the San Francisco area, so....

Re: Culture Change at Google

#46

Post by neilv »

29athrowaway wrote: post #32

Pro tip: Turn reader mode on

This article's site is a rare one for which Firefox's built-in reader mode doesn't currently have a silent cost: the reader mode bypasses uBlock Origin protection against some kinds of trackers.

Re: Culture Change at Google

#47

Post by CSSer »

ulfw wrote: post #42
nequo wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What is the company culture of OpenAI like? How does it compare to early Google?

I didn't see Google's board fire it's CEO and then he gets reinstated and basically fires the board. Instead Google had more drama with the inappropriate behavior kind.

To be fair one could argue that was still in vogue at the time…

Re: Culture Change at Google

#48

Post by 0xpgm »

zamfi wrote: post #24

Is any company still like this? I was at Google in ‘06-07, and again ‘09-11, and already there were obvious differences. You just can’t scale “total internal transparency” when the company doubles in size every year. And at some point you need just plain-old-“good” engineers to make the A/B tests happen and all the other stuff that doesn’t excite the PhDs. And at some point you need product people too, because you st…

I wonder if there's a way to prevent the growth at all costs that is demanded by the financial markets.

Maybe become profitable and pay off the VCs then don't go public?

Then you can resist the pressure for growth quarter by quarter, and remain the 'right size' that your internal culture demands.

Did Valve corporation do something like that?

Re: Culture Change at Google

#49

Post by pants2 »

siliconc0w wrote: post #7

There is no evidence layoffs are a good idea from a fiscal perspective either, except in the short term. They're basically random so you loose good talent and you demoralize the best that stay. It should be reserved for dire circumstance.

Are the layoffs actually completely random? Is there some reason to do that instead of performance-based layoffs?

Re: Culture Change at Google

#50

Post by neilv »

zamfi wrote: post #24

Is any company still like this? I was at Google in ‘06-07, and again ‘09-11, and already there were obvious differences. You just can’t scale “total internal transparency” when the company doubles in size every year. And at some point you need just plain-old-“good” engineers to make the A/B tests happen and all the other stuff that doesn’t excite the PhDs. And at some point you need product people too, because you st…

Thread from yesterday on this question: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39035569
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