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I don't know if it's the author or if the HN crowd selects for these kinds of stories, but every time, the "Oh my god I'm stuck with these idiots" vibe is just

I don't know if it's the author or if the HN crowd selects for these kinds of stories, but every time, the "Oh my god I'm stuck with these idiots" vibe is just too strong for me to enjoy anything. And without that the story itself is... just mildly interesting? Sure they are cool stories from someone's personal blog but there are thousands of similar blogs out there. Honestly I'm not sure why the site comes up in HN so often.

throwaway2474 5y ago
It’s the author, and I also find it tiring. There seems to be a slightly sarcastic undertone of superiority and entitlement in every post. I would not choose to employ such a person.
- ckaygusu 5y ago
  You almost took words right out of my mouth and wrote it here. Except the part I'm not a business owner, though nevertheless I would not want to be teammates with a person of this attitude.
gtowey 5y ago
I really relate to the author's story and I don't see it as them claiming to be superior to their coworkers. I read it instead as a story about silicon valley companies tend to focus a lot on image over substance. They crate these overwrought hype machines made to market to investors and customers, but then use the same techniques to sell to their employees as well. Every silicon valley startup has a story about how they're saving the world with their product, when in reality it's just another business that's trying to extract value out of some market. As an employee I appreciate when a company doesn't demand that I drink thier cooperate kool-aid just to work there. A company that understands that I am there to do a job and exchange my time and knowledge for money. Maybe I've just gotten as cynical as the author over time, but as someone who has been in this industry for 20 years, I don't want to spend extra time at work doing non-work things. I want to get something useful done and go home. I bring value in my skills and experience, and if you work with a company that can't recognize that and wants to put all employees through the same junior exercise of corporate orientation then as the author said, that's a red flag.
- hinkley 5y ago
  Every time I've worked someplace or talked to someone who worked someplace that thought they were head and shoulders above everybody else... it's like when you're a kid and you find out for the first time that the adults have no fucking clue what they're doing either. They either are a slight cut above, better at some things and worse at many others, or full on delusional. If they're actually much worse, which happens from time to time, then you can joke about how they're head and shoulders up their own asses. Sturgeon's law applies. The people who know they're a little full of it are usually the ones who have better luck correcting that situation, or at least dealing with the consequences of it.
cfcf14 5y ago
This blog seems to come up because the author voices a sort of plainly spoken view of their experiences in tech companies and people kinda commiserate with it. Maybe it's a condemnation of the regular viewership here (and myself), but I find Rachel's posts pretty easy to identify with.
deleted 5y ago
[deleted]
bobcostas55 5y ago
I suppose it depends on what you think about the motivations of the people who designed this process. Someone sat down and decided that a timed, 120-second scavenger hunt for a dog on the company's website is the best approach to onboarding. Perhaps it really is. Perhaps this is a stupid idea by a stupid person. Perhaps it's deliberately designed to humiliate new employees. Who knows...

throwaway2474 5y ago

It’s the author, and I also find it tiring. There seems to be a slightly sarcastic undertone of superiority and entitlement in every post. I would not choose to employ such a person.

ckaygusu 5y ago
You almost took words right out of my mouth and wrote it here. Except the part I'm not a business owner, though nevertheless I would not want to be teammates with a person of this attitude.

gtowey 5y ago

I really relate to the author's story and I don't see it as them claiming to be superior to their coworkers. I read it instead as a story about silicon valley companies tend to focus a lot on image over substance. They crate these overwrought hype machines made to market to investors and customers, but then use the same techniques to sell to their employees as well. Every silicon valley startup has a story about how they're saving the world with their product, when in reality it's just another business that's trying to extract value out of some market. As an employee I appreciate when a company doesn't demand that I drink thier cooperate kool-aid just to work there. A company that understands that I am there to do a job and exchange my time and knowledge for money. Maybe I've just gotten as cynical as the author over time, but as someone who has been in this industry for 20 years, I don't want to spend extra time at work doing non-work things. I want to get something useful done and go home. I bring value in my skills and experience, and if you work with a company that can't recognize that and wants to put all employees through the same junior exercise of corporate orientation then as the author said, that's a red flag.

hinkley 5y ago
Every time I've worked someplace or talked to someone who worked someplace that thought they were head and shoulders above everybody else... it's like when you're a kid and you find out for the first time that the adults have no fucking clue what they're doing either. They either are a slight cut above, better at some things and worse at many others, or full on delusional. If they're actually much worse, which happens from time to time, then you can joke about how they're head and shoulders up their own asses. Sturgeon's law applies. The people who know they're a little full of it are usually the ones who have better luck correcting that situation, or at least dealing with the consequences of it.

cfcf14 5y ago

This blog seems to come up because the author voices a sort of plainly spoken view of their experiences in tech companies and people kinda commiserate with it. Maybe it's a condemnation of the regular viewership here (and myself), but I find Rachel's posts pretty easy to identify with.

deleted 5y ago

[deleted]

bobcostas55 5y ago

I suppose it depends on what you think about the motivations of the people who designed this process. Someone sat down and decided that a timed, 120-second scavenger hunt for a dog on the company's website is the best approach to onboarding. Perhaps it really is. Perhaps this is a stupid idea by a stupid person. Perhaps it's deliberately designed to humiliate new employees. Who knows...