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I've never heard of a company not hiring a qualified developer because their former employer is "unpopular". Job hopping from company to company based on popula

I've never heard of a company not hiring a qualified developer because their former employer is "unpopular". Job hopping from company to company based on popularity just seems like a bad career move. It sounds like you're happy with the work environment, which is not something that should be taken for granted. Stay on board and continue to put in your best effort.

engatuber 10y ago
Maybe I'm overreacting to comments on HN and other social media. The CEO of a successful startup publicly said he wouldn't hire someone from Uber. Many HN comments on articles about Uber share the same opinion. Several of these commenters were founders of software companies.
- ergo14 10y ago
  Well, I'd say those are jerks that I would not want to work with in the first place. So because Uber made some mistakes it is OK to blame random workers board failings? Fuck logic. Google, FB, $INSERTWHATVER here can also make a mistake, as a worker you should not be punished because of that. Discriminate someone because their employer probably discriminated someone - so tolerant...
- EduardoBautista 10y ago
  Well then that company probably has a terrible culture as well.
- savethefuture 10y ago
  Yes you are, stay with Uber and stop listening to everyone else and listen to yourself.
- DINKDINK 10y ago
  >The CEO of a successful startup publicly said he wouldn't hire someone from Uber Would you really want to work at a company where a CEO is so prejudicial? I know I wouldn't (and I find the publicized culture of Uber incredibly repugnant). If you're happy at your current position and aren't complicit in the abuse that's going on (seeing abuse but not doing anything about it) then stay. If you're concerned that in a subsequent interview that your position will color you, volunteer for a noble cause: -Encouraging young women to pursue STEM education / careers -Domestic Abuse NGO etc
  - brudgers 10y ago
    A CEO might prejudge a person coming from one company to another based on perceived risk to workplace culture the same as when assessing someone just out of school or coming from or into enterprise or out of military service or out of prison or back to the workforce from raising a family or when switching vocations or with gray hair or lip piercings. Of course it could also be based on direct empirical observation, or just liking to hear the sounds of one's own tweets. On the other hand, the would-you-want-to-work-at-a-company-where position probably falls flat in the case of Uber...it already ate the cake.
    - panarky 10y ago
      Fact: Uber has a well earned reputation for tolerating or even encouraging a work environment that is hostile toward women. Fact: If you're a male Uber employee, you're somewhat tainted by this association. Maybe just a little, or maybe more. Conclusion: If you're competing against another candidate who is identical in all other respects except they don't have this association, you're at a disadvantage. It's not fair to you, but that's the inescapable conclusion. The bigger question is, do you believe that Uber is ultimately a force for good? In addition to your salary and benefits, is it important to you that your efforts contribute to making the world a little bit better?
      - brudgers 10y ago
        I don't disagree with the potential for it being seen as a disadvantage. I don't think 'I saw it as a force for good' is ordinarily going to dissuade someone who sees it as a disadvantage at best it might be an excuse. The problem with excuses for one's own behavior is that they are often taken as a mark of character (whereas excuses for others' behaviors are often seen as a hallmark of judgment).
      - taway_1212 10y ago
        > Conclusion: If you're competing against another candidate who is identical in all other respects except they don't have this association, you're at a disadvantage. How many hiring managers actually care about this? I know it's PC to say that you care, but I doubt it would affect the actual decisions of many managers.
- brandon272 10y ago
  It sounds like you are basing the opinion of the company you work for more on online comments than your own experience of working there! Things change quickly. Uber has had some hiccups lately, but reports of its death are greatly exaggerated. There is a strong chance that "sexual harassment" and "toxic managers" will not be attributes people think of when they think of Uber in a year from now, assuming the company works to resolve those internal issues in an effective manner.
- obsidience 10y ago
  Yes, you would be overreacting. If a CEO is going to classify all male Uber employees as male chauvinists and not hire them I would see that as stereotyping and discrimination of a class. The world is not black and white and I would definitely not want to work for that CEO. That being said, I see issues with Uber long term. Not just Travis issues but also in the business model. Eventually all car manufacturers will have level 5 autonomy. At that point the car manufacturers will be Uber. They will be able to produce the car at cost and watch it drive away from the car manufacturing plant to be rented out wherever it's destination state/country is. Uber doesn't have a chance in the long term.
  - brandon272 10y ago
    I'm not long on Uber either, for several reasons. But there exists a possibility that Uber's legacy could be that it served an important and pioneering role in the evolution of transportation and that is something that current employees should consider before they want to jump ship due to perceived brand popularity.
    - obsidience 10y ago
      I agree, Travis did indeed disrupt the taxi industry and had to fight tooth and nail to get Uber to where it is today. I respect the hell out of that but unless Uber has enough money saved up to buy a small car manufacturer they are toast in the long term. Regarding brand popularity, there's a quote from Gladiator that I love: "The mob is fickle brother". We're living in an age of the mobile phone app and there's no such thing as brand loyalty anymore. We as consumers and contractors can UNinstall an app such as Uber or SnapChat in 5 seconds. The only thing preventing that with Uber is likely the same thing that keeps Walmart in business: $$$.
- deleted 10y ago
  [deleted]
- thehardsphere 10y ago
  > The CEO of a successful startup publicly said he wouldn't hire someone from Uber. 1. "A successful startup" is one company. Fortunately there are thousands of companies who could employ you and the vast majority of them will not care. 2. CEOs don't typically make hiring decisions for engineers at any company that is "successful" because they have more important things to worry about. I would argue that you should avoid working any where the CEO is engaged in this sort of micromanagerial moral preening. > Many HN comments HN is a bubble. That bubble tends to be a bit more... umm... extreme... in more than one way, than the rest of the software industry or the world.
anexprogrammer 10y ago
I've seen a few large, well-known places downgrade candidates from certain places by dint of ability or technology stack in use. Or to be honest, just plain prejudice. So they'd be less likely to get interviewed in the first place. I'd far rather be an early, perhaps too early leaver, than stick around for six months to not job-hop only to find the Corp blew up. Now there's 3,000 Uber engineers on the market, and quite possibly a lot more bad press. So for OP, consider carefully, including your insider perspective, before deciding either way! (I'd probably lean towards an exit as the bad PR does seem to have reached critical mass).
- brandon272 10y ago
  Maybe I'm not paying close enough attention; is there some evidence that Uber is "blowing up" outside of Silicon Valley conjecture and blogs? People I talk to outside of SV don't know anything about Uber's recent internal issues.
  - scarface74 10y ago
    I wouldn't say uber is blowing up but there business model has a lot of unknowns. Right now, Uber is subsidizing each ride and their marginal cost is high compared to their marginal profit. The only way they can become profitable is either cut drivers pay, increase the cost per ride or both. If they cut driver's pay, will the drivers stay with Uber? The other side of the coin is how elastic is the demand?
    - brandon272 10y ago
      Right, but that's always been the case with Uber and the employee in this case knew that going in. Uber's overall business model doesn't seem to be his or her concern, but rather recent bad press.
      - scarface74 10y ago
        I agree. That reply was more in context of worrying about "3000 Uber employees" in the market at the same time. Unless he is a high level executive, I don't see why anyone would tar him with the ethical lapses of Uber On the other hand, someone mentioned Yahoo. I would definitely ask someone technical why they stick with Yahoo.
donohoe 10y ago
I have heard of it. Also, when there are more than one candidates for 1 spot it can be what makes the difference.
myth_buster 10y ago
Well there are biases involved. If we flip it I do see companies hiring developers because their former employer is "popular". But I do agree with rest of your opinion.
daodedickinson 10y ago
I think Uber won't turn off too many but I obviously work for the Trump campaign is going to significantly change how well your resume works for you.
deleted 10y ago
[deleted]
brudgers 10y ago
I'm not sure "unpopular" is the way I would describe Uber's perception because I think many people's perceptions are framed with consideration of how they might act or feel in the circumstances that have been described. I've observed that companies make quick judgments about hires based on where they have worked all the time. That there are favorable and unfavorable companies to have on one's resume is among the premises of career management. Keyword search bakes that premise into the hiring process. It is worth looking at a case where it is known that working for specific companies excluded candidates from consideration: Silicon Valley's no-poaching cabal. If those companies used key-word search to exclude candidates there was nothing illegal in and of itself in that act (it was the collusion among companies that was illegal). It is as easy as flipping a bit to divert a resume with 'Uber' to the bit bucket as to the advance buffer.

engatuber 10y ago

Maybe I'm overreacting to comments on HN and other social media. The CEO of a successful startup publicly said he wouldn't hire someone from Uber. Many HN comments on articles about Uber share the same opinion. Several of these commenters were founders of software companies.

ergo14 10y ago
Well, I'd say those are jerks that I would not want to work with in the first place. So because Uber made some mistakes it is OK to blame random workers board failings? Fuck logic. Google, FB, $INSERTWHATVER here can also make a mistake, as a worker you should not be punished because of that. Discriminate someone because their employer probably discriminated someone - so tolerant...
EduardoBautista 10y ago
Well then that company probably has a terrible culture as well.
savethefuture 10y ago
Yes you are, stay with Uber and stop listening to everyone else and listen to yourself.
DINKDINK 10y ago
>The CEO of a successful startup publicly said he wouldn't hire someone from Uber Would you really want to work at a company where a CEO is so prejudicial? I know I wouldn't (and I find the publicized culture of Uber incredibly repugnant). If you're happy at your current position and aren't complicit in the abuse that's going on (seeing abuse but not doing anything about it) then stay. If you're concerned that in a subsequent interview that your position will color you, volunteer for a noble cause: -Encouraging young women to pursue STEM education / careers -Domestic Abuse NGO etc
- brudgers 10y ago
  A CEO might prejudge a person coming from one company to another based on perceived risk to workplace culture the same as when assessing someone just out of school or coming from or into enterprise or out of military service or out of prison or back to the workforce from raising a family or when switching vocations or with gray hair or lip piercings. Of course it could also be based on direct empirical observation, or just liking to hear the sounds of one's own tweets. On the other hand, the would-you-want-to-work-at-a-company-where position probably falls flat in the case of Uber...it already ate the cake.
  - panarky 10y ago
    Fact: Uber has a well earned reputation for tolerating or even encouraging a work environment that is hostile toward women. Fact: If you're a male Uber employee, you're somewhat tainted by this association. Maybe just a little, or maybe more. Conclusion: If you're competing against another candidate who is identical in all other respects except they don't have this association, you're at a disadvantage. It's not fair to you, but that's the inescapable conclusion. The bigger question is, do you believe that Uber is ultimately a force for good? In addition to your salary and benefits, is it important to you that your efforts contribute to making the world a little bit better?
    - brudgers 10y ago
      I don't disagree with the potential for it being seen as a disadvantage. I don't think 'I saw it as a force for good' is ordinarily going to dissuade someone who sees it as a disadvantage at best it might be an excuse. The problem with excuses for one's own behavior is that they are often taken as a mark of character (whereas excuses for others' behaviors are often seen as a hallmark of judgment).
    - taway_1212 10y ago
      > Conclusion: If you're competing against another candidate who is identical in all other respects except they don't have this association, you're at a disadvantage. How many hiring managers actually care about this? I know it's PC to say that you care, but I doubt it would affect the actual decisions of many managers.
brandon272 10y ago
It sounds like you are basing the opinion of the company you work for more on online comments than your own experience of working there! Things change quickly. Uber has had some hiccups lately, but reports of its death are greatly exaggerated. There is a strong chance that "sexual harassment" and "toxic managers" will not be attributes people think of when they think of Uber in a year from now, assuming the company works to resolve those internal issues in an effective manner.
obsidience 10y ago
Yes, you would be overreacting. If a CEO is going to classify all male Uber employees as male chauvinists and not hire them I would see that as stereotyping and discrimination of a class. The world is not black and white and I would definitely not want to work for that CEO. That being said, I see issues with Uber long term. Not just Travis issues but also in the business model. Eventually all car manufacturers will have level 5 autonomy. At that point the car manufacturers will be Uber. They will be able to produce the car at cost and watch it drive away from the car manufacturing plant to be rented out wherever it's destination state/country is. Uber doesn't have a chance in the long term.
- brandon272 10y ago
  I'm not long on Uber either, for several reasons. But there exists a possibility that Uber's legacy could be that it served an important and pioneering role in the evolution of transportation and that is something that current employees should consider before they want to jump ship due to perceived brand popularity.
  - obsidience 10y ago
    I agree, Travis did indeed disrupt the taxi industry and had to fight tooth and nail to get Uber to where it is today. I respect the hell out of that but unless Uber has enough money saved up to buy a small car manufacturer they are toast in the long term. Regarding brand popularity, there's a quote from Gladiator that I love: "The mob is fickle brother". We're living in an age of the mobile phone app and there's no such thing as brand loyalty anymore. We as consumers and contractors can UNinstall an app such as Uber or SnapChat in 5 seconds. The only thing preventing that with Uber is likely the same thing that keeps Walmart in business: $$$.
deleted 10y ago
[deleted]
thehardsphere 10y ago
> The CEO of a successful startup publicly said he wouldn't hire someone from Uber. 1. "A successful startup" is one company. Fortunately there are thousands of companies who could employ you and the vast majority of them will not care. 2. CEOs don't typically make hiring decisions for engineers at any company that is "successful" because they have more important things to worry about. I would argue that you should avoid working any where the CEO is engaged in this sort of micromanagerial moral preening. > Many HN comments HN is a bubble. That bubble tends to be a bit more... umm... extreme... in more than one way, than the rest of the software industry or the world.

anexprogrammer 10y ago

I've seen a few large, well-known places downgrade candidates from certain places by dint of ability or technology stack in use. Or to be honest, just plain prejudice. So they'd be less likely to get interviewed in the first place. I'd far rather be an early, perhaps too early leaver, than stick around for six months to not job-hop only to find the Corp blew up. Now there's 3,000 Uber engineers on the market, and quite possibly a lot more bad press. So for OP, consider carefully, including your insider perspective, before deciding either way! (I'd probably lean towards an exit as the bad PR does seem to have reached critical mass).

brandon272 10y ago
Maybe I'm not paying close enough attention; is there some evidence that Uber is "blowing up" outside of Silicon Valley conjecture and blogs? People I talk to outside of SV don't know anything about Uber's recent internal issues.
- scarface74 10y ago
  I wouldn't say uber is blowing up but there business model has a lot of unknowns. Right now, Uber is subsidizing each ride and their marginal cost is high compared to their marginal profit. The only way they can become profitable is either cut drivers pay, increase the cost per ride or both. If they cut driver's pay, will the drivers stay with Uber? The other side of the coin is how elastic is the demand?
  - brandon272 10y ago
    Right, but that's always been the case with Uber and the employee in this case knew that going in. Uber's overall business model doesn't seem to be his or her concern, but rather recent bad press.
    - scarface74 10y ago
      I agree. That reply was more in context of worrying about "3000 Uber employees" in the market at the same time. Unless he is a high level executive, I don't see why anyone would tar him with the ethical lapses of Uber On the other hand, someone mentioned Yahoo. I would definitely ask someone technical why they stick with Yahoo.

donohoe 10y ago

I have heard of it. Also, when there are more than one candidates for 1 spot it can be what makes the difference.

myth_buster 10y ago

Well there are biases involved. If we flip it I do see companies hiring developers because their former employer is "popular". But I do agree with rest of your opinion.

daodedickinson 10y ago

I think Uber won't turn off too many but I obviously work for the Trump campaign is going to significantly change how well your resume works for you.

deleted 10y ago

[deleted]

brudgers 10y ago

I'm not sure "unpopular" is the way I would describe Uber's perception because I think many people's perceptions are framed with consideration of how they might act or feel in the circumstances that have been described. I've observed that companies make quick judgments about hires based on where they have worked all the time. That there are favorable and unfavorable companies to have on one's resume is among the premises of career management. Keyword search bakes that premise into the hiring process. It is worth looking at a case where it is known that working for specific companies excluded candidates from consideration: Silicon Valley's no-poaching cabal. If those companies used key-word search to exclude candidates there was nothing illegal in and of itself in that act (it was the collusion among companies that was illegal). It is as easy as flipping a bit to divert a resume with 'Uber' to the bit bucket as to the advance buffer.