> At most of the companies I've worked, if a VP or senior exec likes you they make it known to the committee or a key person on it. Like, half of OP's blog pos

> At most of the companies I've worked, if a VP or senior exec likes you they make it known to the committee or a key person on it. Like, half of OP's blog post is about how Google specifically is not most of the companies you've worked for. Your advice would be useful virtually anywhere else, and were the subject anywhere else I would likely agree. However, in this specific case, "Look kids, this is just how the business world works" is poor advice and treats industry as homogeneous, despite your statement to the contrary. Google's insanely profitable market position allows them to be wronger for longer on many things, ranging from server design to management practices. There was a time in which Larry Page fired all project managers, and I've seen no accounts saying 'This was a triumph -- huge success.' So if the rest of society has converged on a solution where management should be in charge of level promotions, this doesn't mean Google has adopted this (likely efficient) method. Which is the point of this article: a warning to those that would fill his empty seat, that social norms, rules and processes are vastly different than you expect, and may persist despite not working in anyone's favor.