It's kinda like an organization designed around the pinnacle of Maslow's Hierarchy of needs.
Things I've learned at Google so far
51–60 of 197 posts
Re: Things I've learned at Google so far
#52This leads to another point of interest. How astoundingly complex the company is. I believe that organizations naturally evolve until they are as complex as the people in them can handle. Well Google is tackling really big, complex problems, and is full of people who can handle a lot of complexity.
What do you mean the company is complex?
It's not clear to me why solving difficult problems merits organizational or operational complexity.
Re: Things I've learned at Google so far
#53Hi there. I was a Noogler in 2005 or so, but it sounds like things haven't changed much, at least on that side. Regarding the stuff you're not supposed to talk about, there are three stages: 1. Amazement at how it all works; wanting to go run and tell all your friends. 2. Fear that talking about Google's advantages would undermine the company (or your position in it) 3. Recognition that nobody would believe you anywa…
Do you think entrepreneurs would be happy there? After all, many compelling ideas would not fair well with Google's data-driven evaluation (at least in the short term).
I think Google tries to use data-driven evaluation as a way to try to minimize the risk of failure seen in many startups. This has a downside too (beyond what I think you are thinking of). Lots of ideas actualize, and though they don't die, they also don't really go anywhere...witness the various non-monetizing products google has out there with fairly minimal user communities -- particularly against the competition.
Re: Things I've learned at Google so far
#54Earlier quoted context omitted.
I normally don't do that. However for perspective I really wanted to give an idea of how intelligent I consider myself to be, and giving that relatively objective number sounded like the least assholish way I had to convey that to people who don't know me. You'll note that immediately upon giving the number I pointed out that there are issues with that method of measurement and gave an honest self-assessment whose up…
That's a fairly common thing to do though. "My IQ is 200, but I don't believe in IQ tests. By the way did I mention my IQ was 200?" (Joking aside, I think you conveyed it pretty well, though I have no real clue what a GRE score of nearly 20 years ago means relatively speaking, or how you can convert it into a measure of intelligence at all...)
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Re: Things I've learned at Google so far
#55While I enjoyed the article, and I appreciate you posting it, one quibble: it's off-putting whenever anyone mentions a number they got on a test as evidence for intelligence. If you write intelligently, I'll happily consider you intelligent.
I guess it's a bad sign that it took me a few seconds to figure out whether he included the analytical section in his score.
Re: Things I've learned at Google so far
#56While I enjoyed the article, and I appreciate you posting it, one quibble: it's off-putting whenever anyone mentions a number they got on a test as evidence for intelligence. If you write intelligently, I'll happily consider you intelligent.
I normally don't do that. However for perspective I really wanted to give an idea of how intelligent I consider myself to be, and giving that relatively objective number sounded like the least assholish way I had to convey that to people who don't know me. You'll note that immediately upon giving the number I pointed out that there are issues with that method of measurement and gave an honest self-assessment whose up…
I'm surprised you don't know your own IQ score. I couldn't even make it to middle-school without having undergone a battery of at least a half-dozen IQ and aptitude evaluations. By the time I made it out of High School I knew probably more than any person should know about their own intelligence and had a pretty clear idea of the range my IQ would fall into as well as my learning styles, cognitive strengths and weaknesses, perceptual processes, learning disabilities, talents and gifts and aptitude scores on at least 3 standardized exams, and various other cognitive measures.
And I went to Public School.
Re: Things I've learned at Google so far
#57I am blown away by some of the stuff Google puts out, I can only imagine what their internal technologies and tools must look like. To me, that more than anything validates their approach to hiring, development and business strategy, of which I would otherwise be very sceptical. I'd never get hired at Google, and rightly so; I look at some of their stuff and know that I could never do that. I used to think (not witho…
I think that you can. To date, Google really only has one successful product (success meaning "makes money for Google") and that's Ad-sense.
Sure it's wildly successful. But if that stopped making money for Google tomorrow (for example, I automatically mentally filter out all advertisements in my search results, how long before everybody does that), what would their revenue and profitability picture look like? In almost every other product area outside of web search and perhaps email, where Google competes against another company, they haven't done well at all -- both in terms of users and in terms of dollars.
In other words, Google's first product, designed by a couple of grad students, is the loss leader that drives people to their one and only money making product that supplies 99% (not 30%, or 60% or even 80%, 99%!) of their operating capital.
Re: Things I've learned at Google so far
#58This article really made me want to go work for Google. Is it possible to get tours and meet real employees?
Official tours are only for 'official' visitors (and big parties). There's a program to get students visiting if you're in that boat, otherwise, I'm sure a HN Googler would be happy to host you if you're local. What sort of work would you be interested in - engineering? product management?* anything specific within that you'd want to see?
Of course, you do get a nice tour and lunch if you get interviewed :)
Edit: Ha. Somewhat appropriately, were you to have a campus tour of Mountain View around about today, and should you visit a bathroom in that time, you'd see a quote from pg's "Maker's Schedule, Manager's Schedule" on the back of the stall door...
Re: Things I've learned at Google so far
#59While I enjoyed the article, and I appreciate you posting it, one quibble: it's off-putting whenever anyone mentions a number they got on a test as evidence for intelligence. If you write intelligently, I'll happily consider you intelligent.
Having read this article, numerous other articles, heard from Google Employees in large and small settings, and knowing a few Google Interns, I can say one thing with absolute confidence.
Google Engineers know that they're the best engineers, ever.
I've always found it offputting, but maybe I'm just jealous or something.
edit: Worth adding that this is a common thing among many engineers. Also, I know and like a number of Google interns (and engineers). All that said though, the one expression I've heard more than anything else is "Google hires smart people".
Re: Things I've learned at Google so far
#60"You are expected to. . . solve problems . . . Usually by email. The result is an organization which is in a constant state of flux . . . With . . . very large volumes of email."
So now we understand Google Wave - they built it for themselves!