Live data from Hacker News

Why I Quit Oracle (2010)

eweek.com

61–65 of 65 posts

Re: Why I Quit Oracle (2010)

#61
post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Protip: don't believe everything you see on TV.

Allow me to remix my earlier statements: While not scientifically proven, the State of California currently classifies RoundUp as "probably carcinogenic". More than 800 cancer patients have joined the lawsuit against Monsanto. I don't know about you, but being exposed, for years and years, to something that requires a mask to administer. Hmmm gonna have to go with "more cancerous than a banana".

Lots of things are more cancerous than a banana. Fries and steak for example. And sure, if you're spraying it without the proper precautions for "years and years", it probably will negatively affect your health, though even there the cancer link is not clear.

But in spite of tons of research all over the world no one was able to establish a causal link for dietary glyphosate residue. The herbicides before glyphosate were truly vile, look it up. Glyphosate is very targeted for plants, and based on its mechanism of action it's unlikely to be toxic or carcinogenic in humans or animals, including even fish and invertebrates.

So my money is on State of California being full of shit as usual. Put simply, between glyphosate and the alternatives it's not even a question that glyphosate is much safer.

Re: Why I Quit Oracle (2010)

#62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Pitiful. Oracle India was even worse than Oracle. I truly feel terribly for the exploited workes there. You all had it way way worse than us.

Can you share some anecdotes that make you think that Oracle India had it way way worse than the Oracle US counterparts?

Not sure why you are being down voted. It is worth knowing.

Besides the poor hours of course, I can remember the following:

1) Unpaid overtime. 2) Spiteful, political management. 3) Revolving door of employees due to firings. 4) Replacements were not trained, so nobody was set up for success and growth.

These are just things I remember experiencing second or third-hand, but so much of the grunt work and broken processes flowed to my counterparts in Oracle India.

Their reward for trying to make sense of everything was being fired, regardless of performance.

Oracle US employees were usually spared a few years of runway until being laid off, regardless of performance.

Re: Why I Quit Oracle (2010)

#63
post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Allow me to remix my earlier statements: While not scientifically proven, the State of California currently classifies RoundUp as "probably carcinogenic". More than 800 cancer patients have joined the lawsuit against Monsanto. I don't know about you, but being exposed, for years and years, to something that requires a mask to administer. Hmmm gonna have to go with "more cancerous than a banana".

Lots of things are more cancerous than a banana. Fries and steak for example. And sure, if you're spraying it without the proper precautions for "years and years", it probably will negatively affect your health, though even there the cancer link is not clear. But in spite of tons of research all over the world no one was able to establish a causal link for dietary glyphosate residue. The herbicides before glyphosate…

I agree with you that we don't have the evidence for dietary exposure. My polemic generalization in my earlier comment didn't make it clear that I was only speaking about "commercial and heavy-residential use", that is to say, people whose job or hobby it is to spray RoundUp for hundreds or even thousands of hours a year.

Much like how you shouldn't weld without a mask, you shouldn't spray RoundUp without a mask. But the difference is that things that can be inhaled are very tricky compared to things that are just bright.

So even the right precautions can still lead to problems.

If someone who worked at a fiberglass plant told me not to breathe in fiberglass splinters, I would believe them, regardless of what the research has confirmed.

Re: Why I Quit Oracle (2010)

#64

Pretty much all you need to know about working at Oracle: Making his point about the "creepiness," not only with Ellison but with Oracle's power structure, Gosling said he sparked a notion to try to improve morale amongst the Sun faithful who endured the Oracle acquisition. He said the company decided to rent out the Great America amusement park in Santa Clara, Calif., and allow the Sun folks to have a day of fun. Sc…

Wasn't McNealy on the Sun company ice hockey team back in the old days? It sounded like an incredible place to work back then

Yeah, I've played with him/against him in some practices. Much preferred playing with him, he is bigger than me and could flatten me easily. Pretty decent player, better than me (I coached Los Gatos High hockey so I have some insight into who makes a good player and who doesn't).

Re: Why I Quit Oracle (2010)

#65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To the point about his ego not being fed at Google: when he went there, I wondered what he would be working on and if being another name on a roster if insanely talented engineers and scientists(Norvig, Pike, on and on and on)would help him grow and create more great things, or prove a frustration in some way. What was he working on there, I haven't read many details, does anyone know?

I worked at Google while he was there. It was common knowledge that he did about nothing while there. He wrote a document detailing why Google's development practices were broken, and left in under a (if I remember) year. Again, if I remember, he filed no bugs, committed no code, and wrote no design documents.

I found an article that stated he was only at Google for 5 months.
Post reply on HN