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I'm guessing at the specific knowledge some of these employees have is valued, and they probably wouldn't take kindly to having to study for a coding test just

I'm guessing at the specific knowledge some of these employees have is valued, and they probably wouldn't take kindly to having to study for a coding test just to keep their job. I'm guessing they automatically hire some, and interview others who are maybe less core to the business. They can always layoff later if it doesn't end up being a fit.

capableweb 6y ago
> They can always layoff later if it doesn't end up being a fit. Such a fucked up thing that that's legal in some parts of the world. "Ah I don't know if we should hire these people or not, let's just hire them now and if we don't need them, fire them later. We can tell them a week before or something" just fills the air with smug MBAs not understanding that some people work for a living, not for fun.
- dvt 6y ago
  > Such a fucked up thing that that's legal in some parts of the world. It's legal basically anywhere in the United States, as most states follow at-will employment laws. Is it even surprising that young people (20s-30s) job hop every 2-3 years?
  - at-fates-hands 6y ago
    They've been talking about a 100% transient (read: contract) worker population for some time now. A lot of the developers I know rotate between contracting and FTE work. They're FTE timeframes line up with your assertion. They stay at one place, get some new tech knowledge, work a few projects and then move on after a few years. The think the age range has greatly expanded though since most of my group is in their mid 30's now. Maybe more people are starting to contract younger so to them, they see it as a more normalized work career than some other people who want to get one gig, settle in and be there for 20+ years?
    - llamataboot 6y ago
      I've actually had it brought up as a negative in an interview that I stayed somewhere for 5+ years.
- schoolornot 6y ago
  I take it you’ve never dealt with conflicting cultures post-acquisition. I have and it was extremely frustrating fighting with people to follow and respect the parent company’s conventions. At some point you realize that someone is so set in their ways they are affecting the team’s deliverables.
  - Closi 6y ago
    > It was extremely frustrating fighting with people to follow and respect the parent company’s conventions This post is a tutorial on how not to handle an acquisition! It's generally a bad sign for an acquisition if staff from the parent company say words like that they are "fighting to impose the parent companies culture and conventions"! It's an acquisition, but companies are made of people, and just because a parent company does something one way doesn't mean that it will fit the company they have acquired. Take the acquisition of Disney & Pixar. Steve Jobs stated that he wouldn't sign up to the acquisition if it meant that Disney culture would be imposed, because “Disney’s culture [would] destroy Pixar and distraction will kill Pixar's creativity". The whole structure of how the acquisition was planned was to ensure that Pixar maintained creative control and autonomy, and wasn't bulldozed by Disney Corporate. I've lived through an acquisition too - the real factor to success is to listen and learn from each other, and build a shared way of working. Unless you are buying a failing company, you have to appreciate that they are doing something right and know their own company more than you do. And if it means you use tabs and they use spaces, that's fine.
    - 1123581321 6y ago
      More common is the situation where neither company has that perceptive of leadership or a culture worth fighting for. Just disagreements and conflicts.
- sneak 6y ago
  Why should it be illegal? Consent is a two-party thing. Both parties must consent to a transaction for the transaction to be consensual.
valarauko 6y ago
> I'm guessing at the specific knowledge some of these employees have is valued, and they probably wouldn't take kindly to having to study for a coding test just to keep their job. Genuine Q: even if the employees don't take kindly to it, does it matter?
- parliament32 6y ago
  Well yeah, otherwise they leave and take their friends with them. If that happens to enough of the engineering department Google is left with just a pile of IP and trademarks, and will have to scramble to fill those positions with internal talent (who will obviously not be as experienced in this specific field as the aqui-hires). Acquiring the talent is a big part of these acquisitions, and it makes sense for Google to try to keep them happy.

capableweb 6y ago

> They can always layoff later if it doesn't end up being a fit. Such a fucked up thing that that's legal in some parts of the world. "Ah I don't know if we should hire these people or not, let's just hire them now and if we don't need them, fire them later. We can tell them a week before or something" just fills the air with smug MBAs not understanding that some people work for a living, not for fun.

dvt 6y ago
> Such a fucked up thing that that's legal in some parts of the world. It's legal basically anywhere in the United States, as most states follow at-will employment laws. Is it even surprising that young people (20s-30s) job hop every 2-3 years?
- at-fates-hands 6y ago
  They've been talking about a 100% transient (read: contract) worker population for some time now. A lot of the developers I know rotate between contracting and FTE work. They're FTE timeframes line up with your assertion. They stay at one place, get some new tech knowledge, work a few projects and then move on after a few years. The think the age range has greatly expanded though since most of my group is in their mid 30's now. Maybe more people are starting to contract younger so to them, they see it as a more normalized work career than some other people who want to get one gig, settle in and be there for 20+ years?
  - llamataboot 6y ago
    I've actually had it brought up as a negative in an interview that I stayed somewhere for 5+ years.
schoolornot 6y ago
I take it you’ve never dealt with conflicting cultures post-acquisition. I have and it was extremely frustrating fighting with people to follow and respect the parent company’s conventions. At some point you realize that someone is so set in their ways they are affecting the team’s deliverables.
- Closi 6y ago
  > It was extremely frustrating fighting with people to follow and respect the parent company’s conventions This post is a tutorial on how not to handle an acquisition! It's generally a bad sign for an acquisition if staff from the parent company say words like that they are "fighting to impose the parent companies culture and conventions"! It's an acquisition, but companies are made of people, and just because a parent company does something one way doesn't mean that it will fit the company they have acquired. Take the acquisition of Disney & Pixar. Steve Jobs stated that he wouldn't sign up to the acquisition if it meant that Disney culture would be imposed, because “Disney’s culture [would] destroy Pixar and distraction will kill Pixar's creativity". The whole structure of how the acquisition was planned was to ensure that Pixar maintained creative control and autonomy, and wasn't bulldozed by Disney Corporate. I've lived through an acquisition too - the real factor to success is to listen and learn from each other, and build a shared way of working. Unless you are buying a failing company, you have to appreciate that they are doing something right and know their own company more than you do. And if it means you use tabs and they use spaces, that's fine.
  - 1123581321 6y ago
    More common is the situation where neither company has that perceptive of leadership or a culture worth fighting for. Just disagreements and conflicts.
sneak 6y ago
Why should it be illegal? Consent is a two-party thing. Both parties must consent to a transaction for the transaction to be consensual.

valarauko 6y ago

> I'm guessing at the specific knowledge some of these employees have is valued, and they probably wouldn't take kindly to having to study for a coding test just to keep their job. Genuine Q: even if the employees don't take kindly to it, does it matter?

parliament32 6y ago
Well yeah, otherwise they leave and take their friends with them. If that happens to enough of the engineering department Google is left with just a pile of IP and trademarks, and will have to scramble to fill those positions with internal talent (who will obviously not be as experienced in this specific field as the aqui-hires). Acquiring the talent is a big part of these acquisitions, and it makes sense for Google to try to keep them happy.