5 ms·

You should consider Microsoft and Apple... employees there don't really care too much about these things

by paggle 7y ago

techie128 7y ago
Microsoft and Apple employees might care. However, workplace is not an appropriate forum to fight over politics or other non-work related topics. More importantly, it is important to maintain professionalism and focus on the job you've been hired to do. You can be an activist in your spare time. You may also not like your coworkers due to their political views but we live in a diverse world. Acknowledge that and work with them regardless of their political leanings.
- shadowgovt 7y ago
  Some politics isn't work-related. Some is, especially when a company has 100,000 people. I think, perhaps, it is easy for people to forget that when some Googlers fought against the Dragonfly project, it's because they have friends and loved ones who are Chinese expats under threat from China's government (meanwhile, some Googlers are Chinese citizens). When some Googlers fought against project Maven, they were only two or three degrees of separation from people who had lost loved ones as "collateral damage" in US drone strikes during the "war on terror." I think one of the most interesting questions is whether a 100,000 person multinational can survive without a hard "Don't question leadership" culture in a world with simultaneously this easy flow of communication and people and this much inequality and conflict.
  - golemiprague 7y ago
    I am sure some of them also have friends and family in the various American security forces who would have benefited from those projects, not to mention many other Americans protected by those security forces. This is exactly the point, in a big company there are many people with various interests, if you want to lean to a certain political side you will always alienate a lot of people so better just to keep politics out of it as much as possible
- nkrisc 7y ago
  It's also possible to like someone even if you don't like their views. There's one former coworker in particular that comes to mind whose views on politics made my eyes roll nearly to the back of my head, but he wasn't a bad person. He was still a decent guy with interesting hobbies who would probably be there for you if you needed him. I find odious people in general hold a wide variety of beliefs across the entire political spectrum.
- PhasmaFelis 7y ago
  Stirring up political arguments with your officemates is one thing. Objecting to your employers (and thus, potentially, you) building censorship systems for oppressive regimes is something entirely different.
- narrator 7y ago
  Google is a major media company now in that decisions they make about content influence political and social thought. That power leads to it becoming a target of politics and political activists.
filoleg 7y ago
Funny you mention it, because I currently am working at one of those two, and for my next gig am seriously looking at the other one in the pair. Note: I love my current team and project, but nothing is permanent, and it is always good to be on the lookout for the next thing, in case things go sour or if you want to switch things up. Overall, I agree with you, but it isn't that employees there don't care. It just honestly feels like the overall group of employees at Apple/MSFT is truly more diverse (not just in terms of race and such, but in terms of socioeconomic upbringing, culture, and diversity of thought), hence why they are used to being respectful of other people's views (even if they totally disagree with those) and not succumbing to the monoculture kind of thought, because it would be almost impossible to have a monoculture there in the first place. There are definitely a few small enclaves like that at Google as well, but it feels more like a giant monoculture with some small enclaves, while I get the inverse feeling about Apple/MSFT (a giant diverse non-monoculture group, with a few small enclaves of monoculture). Anecdotally, I have many friends working at all 3 of those (Apple/MSFT+Google), and they (independently of each other) brought up the same point when conversations got there.

You should consider Microsoft and Apple... employees there don't really care too much about these things

by paggle 7y ago

You should consider Microsoft and Apple... employees there don't really care too much about these things

Microsoft and Apple employees might care. However, workplace is not an appropriate forum to fight over politics or other non-work related topics. More importantly, it is important to maintain professionalism and focus on the job you've been hired to do. You can be an activist in your spare time. You may also not like your coworkers due to their political views but we live in a diverse world. Acknowledge that and work with them regardless of their political leanings.

shadowgovt 7y ago
Some politics isn't work-related. Some is, especially when a company has 100,000 people. I think, perhaps, it is easy for people to forget that when some Googlers fought against the Dragonfly project, it's because they have friends and loved ones who are Chinese expats under threat from China's government (meanwhile, some Googlers are Chinese citizens). When some Googlers fought against project Maven, they were only two or three degrees of separation from people who had lost loved ones as "collateral damage" in US drone strikes during the "war on terror." I think one of the most interesting questions is whether a 100,000 person multinational can survive without a hard "Don't question leadership" culture in a world with simultaneously this easy flow of communication and people and this much inequality and conflict.
- golemiprague 7y ago
  I am sure some of them also have friends and family in the various American security forces who would have benefited from those projects, not to mention many other Americans protected by those security forces. This is exactly the point, in a big company there are many people with various interests, if you want to lean to a certain political side you will always alienate a lot of people so better just to keep politics out of it as much as possible
nkrisc 7y ago
It's also possible to like someone even if you don't like their views. There's one former coworker in particular that comes to mind whose views on politics made my eyes roll nearly to the back of my head, but he wasn't a bad person. He was still a decent guy with interesting hobbies who would probably be there for you if you needed him. I find odious people in general hold a wide variety of beliefs across the entire political spectrum.
PhasmaFelis 7y ago
Stirring up political arguments with your officemates is one thing. Objecting to your employers (and thus, potentially, you) building censorship systems for oppressive regimes is something entirely different.
narrator 7y ago
Google is a major media company now in that decisions they make about content influence political and social thought. That power leads to it becoming a target of politics and political activists.

filoleg 7y ago

Funny you mention it, because I currently am working at one of those two, and for my next gig am seriously looking at the other one in the pair. Note: I love my current team and project, but nothing is permanent, and it is always good to be on the lookout for the next thing, in case things go sour or if you want to switch things up. Overall, I agree with you, but it isn't that employees there don't care. It just honestly feels like the overall group of employees at Apple/MSFT is truly more diverse (not just in terms of race and such, but in terms of socioeconomic upbringing, culture, and diversity of thought), hence why they are used to being respectful of other people's views (even if they totally disagree with those) and not succumbing to the monoculture kind of thought, because it would be almost impossible to have a monoculture there in the first place. There are definitely a few small enclaves like that at Google as well, but it feels more like a giant monoculture with some small enclaves, while I get the inverse feeling about Apple/MSFT (a giant diverse non-monoculture group, with a few small enclaves of monoculture). Anecdotally, I have many friends working at all 3 of those (Apple/MSFT+Google), and they (independently of each other) brought up the same point when conversations got there.