7 ms·

Google X employee collapsed on the job due to harsh working conditions

105 points by Jerry2 10y ago

boomzilla 10y ago
This is a better link: http://www.businessinsider.in/an-ex-military-contractor-working-for-google-x-collapsed-on-the-job-and-his-coworkers-say-corporate-culture-is-to-blame/articleshow/57949746.cms http://www.businessinsider.in/an-ex-military-contractor-work...
- Johnny555 10y ago
  That article gives some more details about when and where it happened: On a cold morning in February 2015, a group of men left the spacious Google X headquarters in Mountain View, California, before daybreak. They traveled more than two hours east to some trailers parked in the middle of nowhere, on private ranch lands in California's Central Valley...And on this day, their complaints turned into terror. One of their team members, a man in his mid-50s, collapsed on the job... While the Central Valley can have searing heat in the summer, it's generally less so in the winter... so I looked up the weather for Merced, CA in Feb 2015 and temperatures were: Max: 75 °F Avg: 67 °F Min: 55 °F [1] While 75 is warm when doing heavy labor, it sounds like the article is exaggerating when it refers to "...extreme temperatures of the Central Valley..." [1] https://www.wunderground.com/history/airport/KMCE/2015/2/13/MonthlyHistory.html?req_city=Merced&req_state=CA&reqdb.zip=95340&reqdb.magic=1&reqdb.wmo=99999 https://www.wunderground.com/history/airport/KMCE/2015/2/13/...
  - staz 10y ago
    Max: 24°C Avg: 20°C Min: 13°C For the non imperialists
    - BukhariH 10y ago
      24°C is considered room temperature in the UK. That doesn't sound hot at all.
      - RugnirViking 10y ago
        ? I am also from the UK and I sure as hell wouldn't want to walk/drive for two hours outside in that temprature. Sure it wouldn't kill me but then I'm not in my mid-50s (and perhaps not having enough water on hand)
        Johnny555 10y ago
        I can't believe someone would look at the forecast and say "Oh no, it's slightly above room temperature today, way too hot to go for a hike!" I'm in my early 50's and would (and do) gladly go for a 6 hour bike ride in that weather...
  - DKnoll 10y ago
    Humidity is a big factor as well.
- minxomat 10y ago
  Not only a better link, but the only true link. HN is supposed to link the source, not reports on the source.
faitswulff 10y ago
It's clearly not an apples-to-apples comparison, but for comparison, Gabe Newell's response when an employee (Erik Wolpaw) was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis: > Expecting his condition to require a departure from the company, he spoke with managing director Gabe Newell, who surprised him by offering an extended leave with pay. "Your job is to get better," Newell said. "That is your job description at Valve. So go home to your wife and come back when you are better." - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erik_Wolpaw#Personal_life https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erik_Wolpaw#Personal_life We can't all work at the most lucrative game company on earth, but that sure was classy.
- nerdponx 10y ago
  Then again, this is the same Gabe Newell who fired the host of an international gaming tournament, in the middle of the tournament, and then took directly to Reddit only to call him "an ass": https://www.reddit.com/r/DotA2/comments/47sc46/update_from_the_shanghai_major/ https://www.reddit.com/r/DotA2/comments/47sc46/update_from_t...
  - logical42 10y ago
    To be fair, that guy could have been an ass..
    - deleted 10y ago
      [deleted]
    - rapsey 10y ago
      He is a complete ass. That is why people like him. Being completely professional in a video game tournament is bland and boring.
  - PhasmaFelis 10y ago
    The host in question introduced himself to his co-hosts by telling them all about his pre-tournament porn search and jerkoff session, on live camera, and then continued in much the same vein. He was an ass, and the only thing Valve did wrong was letting him host in the first place. He's always been like that, and they should have known what would happen.
s3r3nity 10y ago
Not sure one data point signals a "systemic" issue within Google. Nor do I fully appreciate, as a reader, the unnecessary connection to Uber's sexism complaints as an editorial addition to portray sensationalist chaos in the Valley. I don't work for Google or Uber, or anywhere in California - I am just frustrated at how bad tech journalism can be at times.

105 points by Jerry2 10y ago

This is a better link: http://www.businessinsider.in/an-ex-military-contractor-working-for-google-x-collapsed-on-the-job-and-his-coworkers-say-corporate-culture-is-to-blame/articleshow/57949746.cms http://www.businessinsider.in/an-ex-military-contractor-work...

Johnny555 10y ago
That article gives some more details about when and where it happened: On a cold morning in February 2015, a group of men left the spacious Google X headquarters in Mountain View, California, before daybreak. They traveled more than two hours east to some trailers parked in the middle of nowhere, on private ranch lands in California's Central Valley...And on this day, their complaints turned into terror. One of their team members, a man in his mid-50s, collapsed on the job... While the Central Valley can have searing heat in the summer, it's generally less so in the winter... so I looked up the weather for Merced, CA in Feb 2015 and temperatures were: Max: 75 °F Avg: 67 °F Min: 55 °F [1] While 75 is warm when doing heavy labor, it sounds like the article is exaggerating when it refers to "...extreme temperatures of the Central Valley..." [1] https://www.wunderground.com/history/airport/KMCE/2015/2/13/MonthlyHistory.html?req_city=Merced&req_state=CA&reqdb.zip=95340&reqdb.magic=1&reqdb.wmo=99999 https://www.wunderground.com/history/airport/KMCE/2015/2/13/...
- staz 10y ago
  Max: 24°C Avg: 20°C Min: 13°C For the non imperialists
  - BukhariH 10y ago
    24°C is considered room temperature in the UK. That doesn't sound hot at all.
    - RugnirViking 10y ago
      ? I am also from the UK and I sure as hell wouldn't want to walk/drive for two hours outside in that temprature. Sure it wouldn't kill me but then I'm not in my mid-50s (and perhaps not having enough water on hand)
      - Johnny555 10y ago
        I can't believe someone would look at the forecast and say "Oh no, it's slightly above room temperature today, way too hot to go for a hike!" I'm in my early 50's and would (and do) gladly go for a 6 hour bike ride in that weather...
- DKnoll 10y ago
  Humidity is a big factor as well.
minxomat 10y ago
Not only a better link, but the only true link. HN is supposed to link the source, not reports on the source.

faitswulff 10y ago

It's clearly not an apples-to-apples comparison, but for comparison, Gabe Newell's response when an employee (Erik Wolpaw) was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis: > Expecting his condition to require a departure from the company, he spoke with managing director Gabe Newell, who surprised him by offering an extended leave with pay. "Your job is to get better," Newell said. "That is your job description at Valve. So go home to your wife and come back when you are better." - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erik_Wolpaw#Personal_life https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erik_Wolpaw#Personal_life We can't all work at the most lucrative game company on earth, but that sure was classy.

nerdponx 10y ago
Then again, this is the same Gabe Newell who fired the host of an international gaming tournament, in the middle of the tournament, and then took directly to Reddit only to call him "an ass": https://www.reddit.com/r/DotA2/comments/47sc46/update_from_the_shanghai_major/ https://www.reddit.com/r/DotA2/comments/47sc46/update_from_t...
- logical42 10y ago
  To be fair, that guy could have been an ass..
  - deleted 10y ago
    [deleted]
  - rapsey 10y ago
    He is a complete ass. That is why people like him. Being completely professional in a video game tournament is bland and boring.
- PhasmaFelis 10y ago
  The host in question introduced himself to his co-hosts by telling them all about his pre-tournament porn search and jerkoff session, on live camera, and then continued in much the same vein. He was an ass, and the only thing Valve did wrong was letting him host in the first place. He's always been like that, and they should have known what would happen.

s3r3nity 10y ago

Not sure one data point signals a "systemic" issue within Google. Nor do I fully appreciate, as a reader, the unnecessary connection to Uber's sexism complaints as an editorial addition to portray sensationalist chaos in the Valley. I don't work for Google or Uber, or anywhere in California - I am just frustrated at how bad tech journalism can be at times.