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Oh this is fascinating to me. Since I joined the workforce back 5 years ago (non IT and IT) I've witnessed so much bs on every side. Everything he describes I'v

Oh this is fascinating to me. Since I joined the workforce back 5 years ago (non IT and IT) I've witnessed so much bs on every side. Everything he describes I've seen. People spend more time tricking the game than I'd ever thought possible. That said I'm shocked devs are playing too since they have a comfy life. I guess it just taps into the same primitive reptilian brain reflexes.

rootusrootus 5y ago
When we have gotten to the point where 5 years of bonus might very well give you an entirely feasible retirement nest egg, I'm not surprised people go to great lengths to game it. Most of us go our entire careers to build the retirement fund that some people get in 5 years at Google.
pizza234 5y ago
> That said I'm shocked devs are playing too since they have a comfy life. I guess it just taps into the same primitive reptilian brain reflexes. An interesting firsthand view on the dynamics of the motivations comes from HN post from some times ago (https://frantic.im/leaving-facebook https://frantic.im/leaving-facebook). Some excerpts: > The salary is high. Facebook aims to pay top 5% compensation in the market (we’ll get back to that). This makes a lot of other things very comfortable: you can go to a restaurant without worrying too much about the bill, get a nicer car, a nicer house, better stuff. > The benefits are top notch. Almost every doctor I visited said “wow” when looking at the health insurance. It’s very comfortable to know that you are likely not going to receive a huge bill for doing an ultra sound for a routine checkup. > Then there’s the Prestige. Facebook gets a lot of blame in media lately, but in everyday life it’s still very prestigious place to be working at. Getting a mortgage or a car loan is easy, saying you work for Facebook gets you on the fast line. All the benefits above, in one way or another, are relative¹ ("niceR" car, not "nice" car) so ultimately, it's a matter of aspiring because aspiring, rather than aspiring to reach a certain level. So unfortunately, being a developer with a comfy life tends not to have an effect on ethics. Note: the above statements give an unfair image of the author/full article; the extracts are only meant to give an idea of certain dynamics. ¹=with bottom limits; being too poor certainly hurts.
- agumonkey 5y ago
  I kinda get it. I'm an ex poor, still frugal person, but I got a spot in a comfy company. My colleague is also a new hire and got 50% more salary. I don't need more money, but since I sense I'm more skilled than him, I have this itch that I should play the game a bit to maximize money. It's less about competing or getting rich, and more about shielding myself from an absurd system when a lot of dogs get all the money by putting you under the bus.. so I'd rather stop bleeding like an idiot :)

rootusrootus 5y ago

When we have gotten to the point where 5 years of bonus might very well give you an entirely feasible retirement nest egg, I'm not surprised people go to great lengths to game it. Most of us go our entire careers to build the retirement fund that some people get in 5 years at Google.

pizza234 5y ago

> That said I'm shocked devs are playing too since they have a comfy life. I guess it just taps into the same primitive reptilian brain reflexes. An interesting firsthand view on the dynamics of the motivations comes from HN post from some times ago (https://frantic.im/leaving-facebook https://frantic.im/leaving-facebook). Some excerpts: > The salary is high. Facebook aims to pay top 5% compensation in the market (we’ll get back to that). This makes a lot of other things very comfortable: you can go to a restaurant without worrying too much about the bill, get a nicer car, a nicer house, better stuff. > The benefits are top notch. Almost every doctor I visited said “wow” when looking at the health insurance. It’s very comfortable to know that you are likely not going to receive a huge bill for doing an ultra sound for a routine checkup. > Then there’s the Prestige. Facebook gets a lot of blame in media lately, but in everyday life it’s still very prestigious place to be working at. Getting a mortgage or a car loan is easy, saying you work for Facebook gets you on the fast line. All the benefits above, in one way or another, are relative¹ ("niceR" car, not "nice" car) so ultimately, it's a matter of aspiring because aspiring, rather than aspiring to reach a certain level. So unfortunately, being a developer with a comfy life tends not to have an effect on ethics. Note: the above statements give an unfair image of the author/full article; the extracts are only meant to give an idea of certain dynamics. ¹=with bottom limits; being too poor certainly hurts.

agumonkey 5y ago
I kinda get it. I'm an ex poor, still frugal person, but I got a spot in a comfy company. My colleague is also a new hire and got 50% more salary. I don't need more money, but since I sense I'm more skilled than him, I have this itch that I should play the game a bit to maximize money. It's less about competing or getting rich, and more about shielding myself from an absurd system when a lot of dogs get all the money by putting you under the bus.. so I'd rather stop bleeding like an idiot :)