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The really great thing about being in software in Silicon Valley is that you can more or less write your own meal ticket somewhere else. My advice to anyone el

The really great thing about being in software in Silicon Valley is that you can more or less write your own meal ticket somewhere else. My advice to anyone else in this situation is to do just that. The first time abuse happens, just walk out, have a laugh about it (it reflects on them not you), and find another gig. There are a lot of great jobs out there. I have a lot of empathy now for all the crummy jobs where people don't have that agility to move - we are really privileged in that we don't have to put up for this.

njs12345 11y ago
I would second that. Not in SV, in London, but I had a similar experience with an abusive work environment. Stayed way too long and some of my shares vested. Now they're worth some money on paper, but it wasn't worth it - my advice for anyone in a similar situation would be to get out as early as possible.
- sdickert 11y ago
  Seriously? In London? Now that is intriguing.
- maxxxxx 11y ago
  Although leaving early creates an incentive for the company to abuse their workers before their shares vest.
  - WizKid 11y ago
    If enough people leave the shares will not be worth much anyway
  - eru 11y ago
    Don't put value on shares vesting late when comparing offers, then.
VikingCoder 11y ago
...which is why we should all be particularly angry when companies in Silicon Valley agree to not try to recruit each-other's employees. It doesn't just hold down wages, it makes it more likely some employee is going to suffer abuse because they don't know what options they have.
- fweespeech 11y ago
  Yep. Fuck all those companies.
- dwightgunning 11y ago
  I thought the 'agreements' were related to active poaching. I wouldn't bat an eyelid hiring somebody who's already quit or is genuinely on the verge of doing so.
  - st3v3r 11y ago
    Nope. Someone at Google also was let go because they hired someone from Apple who came of their own volition.
  - arebop 11y ago
    The agreements were variously related to active recruiting (don't cold-call employees of X), passive recruiting (don't hire employees of X), and active retribution for exploring career options (if you at company Y learn of any employees of X seeking jobs at Y, notify management at X). See http://www.hightechemployeelawsuit.com/case-documents.aspx http://www.hightechemployeelawsuit.com/case-documents.aspx for details about which companies made which commitments.
LargeCompanies 11y ago
Or record or livestream the abuse using Google Glass and point the media to it like Business Insider.
jonesb6 11y ago
To abuse your metaphor a little bit not everyone has the ink or the paper to write a new meal ticket just like that.
- outside1234 11y ago
  This is a good point. I am mid career so I was able to find a great job somewhere else in literally days because I (ironically) worked at Google before Nest. Not everyone has that experience or personal network to be able to do that - I was profoundly lucky and I realize that.
bravura 11y ago
The first time abuse happens, just walk out, have a laugh about it (it reflects on them not you), and find another gig. With all due respect, why not look them directly in the eye and reply: "Don't speak to me that way" and wait? That sort of response helps other employees see how inappropriate it is.
- st3v3r 11y ago
  Agreed. And if the next thing out of their mouth is anything but an apology, then walk out.
- pound 11y ago
  and wait for what? performance-improvement plan as paper trail for firing? "company culture" term is exactly that: company-wide culture. it's not that there is one fucked-up individual and it just happened that his(her) bosses/peers are just not aware of what's going on. it's accepted there, for whatever their rotten reasons are
  - geomark 11y ago
    Correct. You'll get a PIP and, given that management are such a-holes, you will soon be terminated for cause. Not a great thing to have following you if you are early in your career.
    - sokoloff 11y ago
      In my experience (on the employer side), you will terminated for performance, terminated at will, or at worst terminated for insubordination, but not terminated "for cause". Terminated for cause is very serious and generally means a serious breach of some sort: embezzlement, harassment, breach of contract, etc. Termination of any of the other sorts is much less serious, usually results in severance and unemployment eligibility, and if you're coming from a place that mistreats its workers, it's generally not a hard story to sell that you stood up for yourself and got whacked for it. Other employers know the jackass employers by reputation, at least in the local area.
ryandrake 11y ago
I think that's simply not true. It's the "shortage of engineers" meme that just won't die. While there may be a lot of tech companies in SV hiring (debatable--there are certainly lots of them _interviewing_, but hiring?) there are only so many Alphabets and Facebooks in the area. Outside of opportunities at companies like these, you'll have to sacrifice some "career and income stability" which the parent poster pointed out. Definitely leave if you're being abused, but it would be foolish not to prepare for a salary hit and/or 3-6 months of joblessness.

njs12345 11y ago

I would second that. Not in SV, in London, but I had a similar experience with an abusive work environment. Stayed way too long and some of my shares vested. Now they're worth some money on paper, but it wasn't worth it - my advice for anyone in a similar situation would be to get out as early as possible.

sdickert 11y ago
Seriously? In London? Now that is intriguing.
maxxxxx 11y ago
Although leaving early creates an incentive for the company to abuse their workers before their shares vest.
- WizKid 11y ago
  If enough people leave the shares will not be worth much anyway
- eru 11y ago
  Don't put value on shares vesting late when comparing offers, then.

VikingCoder 11y ago

...which is why we should all be particularly angry when companies in Silicon Valley agree to not try to recruit each-other's employees. It doesn't just hold down wages, it makes it more likely some employee is going to suffer abuse because they don't know what options they have.

fweespeech 11y ago
Yep. Fuck all those companies.
dwightgunning 11y ago
I thought the 'agreements' were related to active poaching. I wouldn't bat an eyelid hiring somebody who's already quit or is genuinely on the verge of doing so.
- st3v3r 11y ago
  Nope. Someone at Google also was let go because they hired someone from Apple who came of their own volition.
- arebop 11y ago
  The agreements were variously related to active recruiting (don't cold-call employees of X), passive recruiting (don't hire employees of X), and active retribution for exploring career options (if you at company Y learn of any employees of X seeking jobs at Y, notify management at X). See http://www.hightechemployeelawsuit.com/case-documents.aspx http://www.hightechemployeelawsuit.com/case-documents.aspx for details about which companies made which commitments.

LargeCompanies 11y ago

Or record or livestream the abuse using Google Glass and point the media to it like Business Insider.

jonesb6 11y ago

To abuse your metaphor a little bit not everyone has the ink or the paper to write a new meal ticket just like that.

outside1234 11y ago
This is a good point. I am mid career so I was able to find a great job somewhere else in literally days because I (ironically) worked at Google before Nest. Not everyone has that experience or personal network to be able to do that - I was profoundly lucky and I realize that.

bravura 11y ago

The first time abuse happens, just walk out, have a laugh about it (it reflects on them not you), and find another gig. With all due respect, why not look them directly in the eye and reply: "Don't speak to me that way" and wait? That sort of response helps other employees see how inappropriate it is.

st3v3r 11y ago
Agreed. And if the next thing out of their mouth is anything but an apology, then walk out.
pound 11y ago
and wait for what? performance-improvement plan as paper trail for firing? "company culture" term is exactly that: company-wide culture. it's not that there is one fucked-up individual and it just happened that his(her) bosses/peers are just not aware of what's going on. it's accepted there, for whatever their rotten reasons are
- geomark 11y ago
  Correct. You'll get a PIP and, given that management are such a-holes, you will soon be terminated for cause. Not a great thing to have following you if you are early in your career.
  - sokoloff 11y ago
    In my experience (on the employer side), you will terminated for performance, terminated at will, or at worst terminated for insubordination, but not terminated "for cause". Terminated for cause is very serious and generally means a serious breach of some sort: embezzlement, harassment, breach of contract, etc. Termination of any of the other sorts is much less serious, usually results in severance and unemployment eligibility, and if you're coming from a place that mistreats its workers, it's generally not a hard story to sell that you stood up for yourself and got whacked for it. Other employers know the jackass employers by reputation, at least in the local area.

ryandrake 11y ago

I think that's simply not true. It's the "shortage of engineers" meme that just won't die. While there may be a lot of tech companies in SV hiring (debatable--there are certainly lots of them _interviewing_, but hiring?) there are only so many Alphabets and Facebooks in the area. Outside of opportunities at companies like these, you'll have to sacrifice some "career and income stability" which the parent poster pointed out. Definitely leave if you're being abused, but it would be foolish not to prepare for a salary hit and/or 3-6 months of joblessness.