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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 thin

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".

jheriko 17y ago
That can't be right... because I /know/ that games programmers are the best engineers, and Google doesn't make games... ;)
- gridspy 17y ago
  The best engineers willing to work in low pay, crunch environments and high staff turnover.
  - chipsy 17y ago
    i.e. the engineers who are more interested in solving problems than in monetary incentives.
- nostrademons 17y ago
  There're a bunch of ex-games-programmers at Google. One of my interviewers used to do 3D shooters and stuff before she came to Google. And Amit Patel, the co-creator of "Don't be evil" and one of the initial architects behind AdWords, runs a pretty popular game programming website.
- neilk 17y ago
  Google makes games... just not very well. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_Lively http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_Lively Ok, that's a bit harsh perhaps. In its favor it was a decent idea to merge social gaming and the web, perhaps a bit ahead of its time. I could easily see 3D elements as commonplace on the web in 2012 or so. And then there's: http://images.google.com/imagelabeler/ http://images.google.com/imagelabeler/ Which is the same concept as Luis von Ahn's ESP Game, only Googlified and drained of any interface elements that would make the thing actually fun.
btilly 17y ago
Actually you'd be wrong about that. The truth is that people don't improve unless they can find shortcomings in themselves that can be improved upon. Which means that good people usually have no problem identifying people who are better at some things than they are. In my experience most have no trouble listing people who are simply better than they are. So sure, I believe I'm pretty good. But am I as good as any of Robert Morris, Damian Conway or Alan Kay? Of course not, and I'd be an idiot to think otherwise.
- alexgartrell 17y ago
  I think it's safe to say that you guys think, at a company-wide level, that you're smarter, on average, than any other Software Company (I hesitate to suggest that Google is merely a Software company, but failed to come up with a better way of putting it) around. That's kind of what I was driving at with what I said before, and I apologize if it came off at all snarky or anything. However, I think it's only fair to add that, in my interactions with "Googlers" in other situations (i.e. not recruitment) have been really fantastic. Namely, I'd say that the Chromium guys have been amazing, and they're making it a joy to try to get involved (related to a school project out of the scope of this conversation). In short, I'd be more swayed by the recruiters (who are often engineers) if I felt like they weren't just trying to intimidate me with Google's prestige all the time. We know already :)

jheriko 17y ago

That can't be right... because I /know/ that games programmers are the best engineers, and Google doesn't make games... ;)

gridspy 17y ago
The best engineers willing to work in low pay, crunch environments and high staff turnover.
- chipsy 17y ago
  i.e. the engineers who are more interested in solving problems than in monetary incentives.
nostrademons 17y ago
There're a bunch of ex-games-programmers at Google. One of my interviewers used to do 3D shooters and stuff before she came to Google. And Amit Patel, the co-creator of "Don't be evil" and one of the initial architects behind AdWords, runs a pretty popular game programming website.
neilk 17y ago
Google makes games... just not very well. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_Lively http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_Lively Ok, that's a bit harsh perhaps. In its favor it was a decent idea to merge social gaming and the web, perhaps a bit ahead of its time. I could easily see 3D elements as commonplace on the web in 2012 or so. And then there's: http://images.google.com/imagelabeler/ http://images.google.com/imagelabeler/ Which is the same concept as Luis von Ahn's ESP Game, only Googlified and drained of any interface elements that would make the thing actually fun.

btilly 17y ago

Actually you'd be wrong about that. The truth is that people don't improve unless they can find shortcomings in themselves that can be improved upon. Which means that good people usually have no problem identifying people who are better at some things than they are. In my experience most have no trouble listing people who are simply better than they are. So sure, I believe I'm pretty good. But am I as good as any of Robert Morris, Damian Conway or Alan Kay? Of course not, and I'd be an idiot to think otherwise.

alexgartrell 17y ago
I think it's safe to say that you guys think, at a company-wide level, that you're smarter, on average, than any other Software Company (I hesitate to suggest that Google is merely a Software company, but failed to come up with a better way of putting it) around. That's kind of what I was driving at with what I said before, and I apologize if it came off at all snarky or anything. However, I think it's only fair to add that, in my interactions with "Googlers" in other situations (i.e. not recruitment) have been really fantastic. Namely, I'd say that the Chromium guys have been amazing, and they're making it a joy to try to get involved (related to a school project out of the scope of this conversation). In short, I'd be more swayed by the recruiters (who are often engineers) if I felt like they weren't just trying to intimidate me with Google's prestige all the time. We know already :)