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There was some point in the past year I read a comment here about the problem with Google is that when people wants to get promoted at Google to a senior or Sta

There was some point in the past year I read a comment here about the problem with Google is that when people wants to get promoted at Google to a senior or Staff (PE?) position they need to invent those big changes or projects. It results in adding bloat into existing software or abandon one. I am having that feeling at this point in my career. Without a moonshot project I wouldn’t expect to get pass an assessment committee. It’s sad. One of my colleagues working for Netflix tells me that they don’t have any fancy titles except senior SDE there. They pay you more if you’re that worthy, though. I can’t stop wondering what if tech companies follow this practice. Then, people would just focus on making stuff better instead of chasing the carrots waved in front of them.

dmitriid 6y ago
> Then, people would just focus on making stuff better And yet, Netflix had autoplaying videos at full volume that didn't even show trailers, but some random snippet from the movie/show
- nostromo 6y ago
  I actually close Netflix because of this. However, Netflix is full of smart people, so I have to assume that they've tested it and it increases engagement. Perhaps we're the outliers.
  - x2f10 6y ago
    FYI: You can turn it off in settings.
    - bostonvaulter2 6y ago
      But it took them a long long time to add that setting.
  - luhn 6y ago
    Netflix is well-known as a very data-driven company, so you can assume almost any change is backed by data. But solely data-driven decisions can be a bit myopic—You're likely to end up in a local maximum. For example, Netflix selects the "optimal" categories to display on your home screen. For several years, "My List" and "Continue Watching" were part of those categories, meaning they would change position and sometimes not show up at all, with no way to access them. It drove me crazy that I specifically chose shows I wanted to watch and Netflix would sometimes choose not to show me them.
  - dmitriid 6y ago
    > they've tested it and it increases engagement That's the key: engagement. Which is basically "how many times a user interacts with objects on screen". This says nothing about whether a product is good or bad. In case of Netflix, no doubt, engagement was through the roof as users scrambled to mute, pause, or move to the next screen.

dmitriid 6y ago

> Then, people would just focus on making stuff better And yet, Netflix had autoplaying videos at full volume that didn't even show trailers, but some random snippet from the movie/show

nostromo 6y ago
I actually close Netflix because of this. However, Netflix is full of smart people, so I have to assume that they've tested it and it increases engagement. Perhaps we're the outliers.
- x2f10 6y ago
  FYI: You can turn it off in settings.
  - bostonvaulter2 6y ago
    But it took them a long long time to add that setting.
- luhn 6y ago
  Netflix is well-known as a very data-driven company, so you can assume almost any change is backed by data. But solely data-driven decisions can be a bit myopic—You're likely to end up in a local maximum. For example, Netflix selects the "optimal" categories to display on your home screen. For several years, "My List" and "Continue Watching" were part of those categories, meaning they would change position and sometimes not show up at all, with no way to access them. It drove me crazy that I specifically chose shows I wanted to watch and Netflix would sometimes choose not to show me them.
- dmitriid 6y ago
  > they've tested it and it increases engagement That's the key: engagement. Which is basically "how many times a user interacts with objects on screen". This says nothing about whether a product is good or bad. In case of Netflix, no doubt, engagement was through the roof as users scrambled to mute, pause, or move to the next screen.