If you asked for a team straight up, you basically didn't go through allocation. You're right that anybody can ask for a team. In practice, most don't realize

If you asked for a team straight up, you basically didn't go through allocation. You're right that anybody can ask for a team. In practice, most don't realize that they should be discussing allocation before they sign the offer letter, when they have the most leverage. I know of people asking for and getting put on 'interesting teams' -- only to find themselves idiotically placed, in parts of a shockingly large team that make no sense given their backgrounds and motivations. It's not the end of the world, but it makes for a tough first year. I made some other points at http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2801866 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2801866.