5 ms·

“This guy is on every startup website”

119 points by ignoramous 5y ago

mikestew 5y ago
Now do a white guy. Because I'm wondering if companies use a stock photo because it's easier than taking photos of their unphotogenic staff, or if it is because they wish to appear diverse but come photo time they look around the office and..."oh, shit, we really need to quit hiring based on 'cultural fit'".
- animal_spirits 5y ago
  Doubt it. I see the same "white" guy in two of google's products. I'm guessing they chose this guy because he's a handsome and prolific model. I don't think trying to slip race into this will make it a better discussion.
- mc32 5y ago
  It depends some companies use their own employees, some use photos of their customers, etc. I wonder what kind of contract they have people sign given clients move to different solutions providers and employees move companies as well.
  - deleted 5y ago
    [deleted]
- e-clinton 5y ago
  Stock photography because it’s easier to search/filter your way to the perfect photo than it is to try and create it yourself.
- 908B64B197 5y ago
  > I'm wondering if companies use a stock photo because it's easier than taking photos of their unphotogenic staff, or if it is because they wish to appear diverse but come photo time they look around the office and..."oh, shit, we really need to quit hiring based on 'cultural fit'". It's just cheaper to use stock photos than to bring-in a photographer. Especially right now with Covid. It's also awkward to ask employees. And you have to stage the office as well. There's also a good chance the office looks like something like https://twitter.com/calvinfo/status/1315691567408185346 https://twitter.com/calvinfo/status/1315691567408185346 at launch.
  - mrgreenfur 5y ago
    Extra weird to use employees and notice only the attractive ones made it on the careers page… and if they leave and are still there etc etc
    - 908B64B197 5y ago
      Or you end up featured in a video like this https://youtu.be/dxjtyJSHJF0?t=385 https://youtu.be/dxjtyJSHJF0?t=385 And the company starts to appear in the "red flag list" some engineers share among themselves...
- kiawe_fire 5y ago
  As someone who recently worked on my company’s website redesign, I can say it was none of the above. We’re actually a quite diverse staff. At the risk of saying something non-PC, many of us are quite attractive and photogenic, including those of non-white skin tones and other diverse backgrounds. I originally fought for taking “real photos” of “real employees”, but was shot down due to: 1. Time and effort involved in getting good shots with good lighting 2. “Decent but not as nice as stock photo” office scenery (cubicles are drab compared to bright white offices with fake plants) 3. My boss let slip that he didn’t want to give visual aids to help poachers in their ability to find and hire us (nope, not joking about that one, and yes, it is a red flag)
- legostormtroopr 5y ago
  I've done you the favour of finding out about these companies, and I think you'll find they all have diverse staff and founders. I think the problem is companies are now forced to jump over themselves to prove how diverse they are because if they don't people like you are all to eager to dogwhistle about how if they aren't "diverse enough" they must secretly be racist. https://www.linkedin.com/company/roboflow-ai/people/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/roboflow-ai/people/ https://www.experiencewelcome.com/about-us https://www.experiencewelcome.com/about-us https://www.linkedin.com/company/returnly-technologies-inc/people/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/returnly-technologies-inc/p...
m_ke 5y ago
https://www.istockphoto.com/photo/portrait-of-smiling-african-american-businessman-posing-in-office-gm1263379987-369787084 https://www.istockphoto.com/photo/portrait-of-smiling-africa...
- Imnimo 5y ago
  >Portrait of smiling african American young businessman in glasses pose in modern office hold use smartphone, happy successful millennial biracial male employee or director look at camera at workplace The "descriptions" on these are wild. I guess it's really just a way to jam in as many potential search terms as possible, but it feels like they half-heartedly tried to make a sentence and then gave up on the idea.
  - zinekeller 5y ago
    Holdover from the days where computers from the 1980s (in a news organisation setting) do not have a separate field for title and tags (which makes sense back then when storage was a premium thing).
    - weare138 5y ago
      I think this is just a crap attempt at SEO.
version_five 5y ago
This is funny but certainly not weird. Are people surprised that companies use models for their stock photos and not actual customers or employees? Also, I'm willing to bet the smiling girl with a headset is see on every second contact page isnt a real employee either. It reminds me of that apparently now deleted twitter thread about the different stock pictures of the girl famous for the "girl whose boyfriend is looking at passing girl's butt" picture
- jjeaff 5y ago
  The weird part is not that people use stock photos for their site, the weird part is that considering the countless stock photos of people in casual business attire, this one has been selected quite a few times.
mastrsushi 5y ago
((Diversity))
jimmies 5y ago
Anyone remembers that this girl is on every dead startup website? https://amp.knowyourmeme.com/memes/people/parked-domain-girl https://amp.knowyourmeme.com/memes/people/parked-domain-girl
- jamesfinlayson 5y ago
  Yes! I remember seeing that image so much during the mid 2000s but not for many years now.
henriquez 5y ago
Is this the Twitter thread where we learn that stock photography is a thing? I’m sure it’s not intended that way but it could be seen as bullying or otherwise tech-bro douchebaggery.
mc32 5y ago
If I were this guy I can see being upset at the “outing” his thing because it could make companies choose someone less recognizable. On the other hand maybe the notoriety could land a better role elsewhere.
- RattleyCooper 5y ago
  Yeah but if you're anybody BUT this guy you'd be excited bc maybe someone else can get a modeling job for once.
- mkr-hn 5y ago
  Being outed was a positive thing for this stock model: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andr%C3%A1s_Arat%C3%B3 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andr%C3%A1s_Arat%C3%B3 He probably made more from the Coca-Cola deal than he did from years of meme stock sales. Also? TEDx Talk. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FScfGU7rQaM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FScfGU7rQaM
  - kristianp 5y ago
    I was expecting someone to make the reference to "Hide the Pain Harold". I wasn't disappointed.
RattleyCooper 5y ago
Yo, I opened a new tab after looking at that twitter thread and... WTF HE IS EVERYWHERE!!!! This has got to be the weirdest things that has happened to me on the internet.. https://imgur.com/a/MFUXbhl https://imgur.com/a/MFUXbhl
DarthNebo 5y ago
Remember the navy blue polka dot person as well? Could be avoided if they just skim a lot of popular sites.
RileyJames 5y ago
Had a similar slack thread going at Xero for every ecosystem partner that used the same woman from a stock image library. Turned up at least 15 times in our ecosystem. Who knows how many times beyond it.

119 points by ignoramous 5y ago

Now do a white guy. Because I'm wondering if companies use a stock photo because it's easier than taking photos of their unphotogenic staff, or if it is because they wish to appear diverse but come photo time they look around the office and..."oh, shit, we really need to quit hiring based on 'cultural fit'".

animal_spirits 5y ago
Doubt it. I see the same "white" guy in two of google's products. I'm guessing they chose this guy because he's a handsome and prolific model. I don't think trying to slip race into this will make it a better discussion.
mc32 5y ago
It depends some companies use their own employees, some use photos of their customers, etc. I wonder what kind of contract they have people sign given clients move to different solutions providers and employees move companies as well.
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
e-clinton 5y ago
Stock photography because it’s easier to search/filter your way to the perfect photo than it is to try and create it yourself.
908B64B197 5y ago
> I'm wondering if companies use a stock photo because it's easier than taking photos of their unphotogenic staff, or if it is because they wish to appear diverse but come photo time they look around the office and..."oh, shit, we really need to quit hiring based on 'cultural fit'". It's just cheaper to use stock photos than to bring-in a photographer. Especially right now with Covid. It's also awkward to ask employees. And you have to stage the office as well. There's also a good chance the office looks like something like https://twitter.com/calvinfo/status/1315691567408185346 https://twitter.com/calvinfo/status/1315691567408185346 at launch.
- mrgreenfur 5y ago
  Extra weird to use employees and notice only the attractive ones made it on the careers page… and if they leave and are still there etc etc
  - 908B64B197 5y ago
    Or you end up featured in a video like this https://youtu.be/dxjtyJSHJF0?t=385 https://youtu.be/dxjtyJSHJF0?t=385 And the company starts to appear in the "red flag list" some engineers share among themselves...
kiawe_fire 5y ago
As someone who recently worked on my company’s website redesign, I can say it was none of the above. We’re actually a quite diverse staff. At the risk of saying something non-PC, many of us are quite attractive and photogenic, including those of non-white skin tones and other diverse backgrounds. I originally fought for taking “real photos” of “real employees”, but was shot down due to: 1. Time and effort involved in getting good shots with good lighting 2. “Decent but not as nice as stock photo” office scenery (cubicles are drab compared to bright white offices with fake plants) 3. My boss let slip that he didn’t want to give visual aids to help poachers in their ability to find and hire us (nope, not joking about that one, and yes, it is a red flag)
legostormtroopr 5y ago
I've done you the favour of finding out about these companies, and I think you'll find they all have diverse staff and founders. I think the problem is companies are now forced to jump over themselves to prove how diverse they are because if they don't people like you are all to eager to dogwhistle about how if they aren't "diverse enough" they must secretly be racist. https://www.linkedin.com/company/roboflow-ai/people/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/roboflow-ai/people/ https://www.experiencewelcome.com/about-us https://www.experiencewelcome.com/about-us https://www.linkedin.com/company/returnly-technologies-inc/people/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/returnly-technologies-inc/p...

m_ke 5y ago

https://www.istockphoto.com/photo/portrait-of-smiling-african-american-businessman-posing-in-office-gm1263379987-369787084 https://www.istockphoto.com/photo/portrait-of-smiling-africa...

Imnimo 5y ago
>Portrait of smiling african American young businessman in glasses pose in modern office hold use smartphone, happy successful millennial biracial male employee or director look at camera at workplace The "descriptions" on these are wild. I guess it's really just a way to jam in as many potential search terms as possible, but it feels like they half-heartedly tried to make a sentence and then gave up on the idea.
- zinekeller 5y ago
  Holdover from the days where computers from the 1980s (in a news organisation setting) do not have a separate field for title and tags (which makes sense back then when storage was a premium thing).
  - weare138 5y ago
    I think this is just a crap attempt at SEO.

version_five 5y ago

This is funny but certainly not weird. Are people surprised that companies use models for their stock photos and not actual customers or employees? Also, I'm willing to bet the smiling girl with a headset is see on every second contact page isnt a real employee either. It reminds me of that apparently now deleted twitter thread about the different stock pictures of the girl famous for the "girl whose boyfriend is looking at passing girl's butt" picture

jjeaff 5y ago
The weird part is not that people use stock photos for their site, the weird part is that considering the countless stock photos of people in casual business attire, this one has been selected quite a few times.

mastrsushi 5y ago

((Diversity))

jimmies 5y ago

Anyone remembers that this girl is on every dead startup website? https://amp.knowyourmeme.com/memes/people/parked-domain-girl https://amp.knowyourmeme.com/memes/people/parked-domain-girl

jamesfinlayson 5y ago
Yes! I remember seeing that image so much during the mid 2000s but not for many years now.

henriquez 5y ago

Is this the Twitter thread where we learn that stock photography is a thing? I’m sure it’s not intended that way but it could be seen as bullying or otherwise tech-bro douchebaggery.

mc32 5y ago

If I were this guy I can see being upset at the “outing” his thing because it could make companies choose someone less recognizable. On the other hand maybe the notoriety could land a better role elsewhere.

RattleyCooper 5y ago
Yeah but if you're anybody BUT this guy you'd be excited bc maybe someone else can get a modeling job for once.
mkr-hn 5y ago
Being outed was a positive thing for this stock model: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andr%C3%A1s_Arat%C3%B3 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andr%C3%A1s_Arat%C3%B3 He probably made more from the Coca-Cola deal than he did from years of meme stock sales. Also? TEDx Talk. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FScfGU7rQaM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FScfGU7rQaM
- kristianp 5y ago
  I was expecting someone to make the reference to "Hide the Pain Harold". I wasn't disappointed.

RattleyCooper 5y ago

Yo, I opened a new tab after looking at that twitter thread and... WTF HE IS EVERYWHERE!!!! This has got to be the weirdest things that has happened to me on the internet.. https://imgur.com/a/MFUXbhl https://imgur.com/a/MFUXbhl

DarthNebo 5y ago

Remember the navy blue polka dot person as well? Could be avoided if they just skim a lot of popular sites.

RileyJames 5y ago

Had a similar slack thread going at Xero for every ecosystem partner that used the same woman from a stock image library. Turned up at least 15 times in our ecosystem. Who knows how many times beyond it.