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This is not a very constructive comment. It doesn't mention any specifics, then it jumps into assuming that Google / FAANG have more assholes? Disclaimer: I'm

This is not a very constructive comment. It doesn't mention any specifics, then it jumps into assuming that Google / FAANG have more assholes? Disclaimer: I'm a swe at alphabet.

bartread 4y ago
> This is not a very constructive comment. I think there's some substance. I've personally experienced examples where teams have looked at Google or other FAANGs, cargo-culted in practices - or at least their understanding of the practices - and then things have not gone well. With that being said, it's not to say that there's nothing to be learned from FAANGs: you can learn plenty but you need to be choosy in the application of that knowledge. The wider point is that I've observed a trend in industry - stronger at some companies than others - of applying solutions, trendy or otherwise, without a clear understanding and articulation of the problem being solved and the value of solving that problem to the business. That being said, I don't think it's fair to generalise that one has to be an asshole to survive at one of these companies - which is certainly implied by GP's choice of phrasing. I now know quite a few people who've worked at FAANGs for varying periods of time, and none of them are assholes. There are no doubt assholes at FAANG but I've seen no evidence that they're any more concentrated than in the general population.
onion2k 4y ago
It doesn't mention any specifics, then it jumps into assuming that Google / FAANG have more assholes? These are companies that operate at the sort of scale where you harvest huge amounts of data about people and then use it to maximize your profit regardless of the impact on the people themselves. Those are asshole tactics, and people who think "I'll get paid a lot to work on that!" are probably skewed towards the asshole end of the spectrum of all humans. I don't think it's a huge leap to believe FAANGs overrepresent the number of assholes they employ. I also don't think that's necessarily a bad thing. As much as many of the staff are assholes, the companies make things a shitload of people want. There's some good in that. You can be an asshole, make a pile of money, and still be doing good work. (Of course, if you're reading this and you work for a FAANG I don't mean ~you~. Although, if you're reading HN... )
- georgia_peach 4y ago
  The so-cal adtech, social media, & gaming crews make fintech seem saintly in comparison--the difference between preying on people with enough assets to know better vs. preying on children, the elderly, & the mentally infirm. The kids are getting their brains fried, and they don't even know it.
doix 4y ago
It's almost definitely confirmation bias. Google/FAANG employee a lot of people, so as an absolute number, there are probably a lot of assholes and when you meet them you'll remember their employer. I doubt there's a significantly higher percentage of assholes at those companies compared to regular life/other large companies. Slightly off topic, but happened this week. A Google employee commissioned my girlfriend on Reddit to draw two minions. Paid for the first one and then didn't for the second, it was literally $10 for someone that's making > 250k. It's also kinda funny that he paid with a PayPal account that's tied to his entire digital identity: github/linkedin/etc. I'll definitely remember that the guy was from Google (ex-Amazon) and is/was an asshole.
aaomidi 4y ago
I never said they have more assholes. I said the culture of these big companies creates an unhealthy system that leads to people having to change how they interface with others. This is a bigger problem with some companies.

This is not a very constructive comment. It doesn't mention any specifics, then it jumps into assuming that Google / FAANG have more assholes? Disclaimer: I'm a swe at alphabet.

bartread 4y ago

> This is not a very constructive comment. I think there's some substance. I've personally experienced examples where teams have looked at Google or other FAANGs, cargo-culted in practices - or at least their understanding of the practices - and then things have not gone well. With that being said, it's not to say that there's nothing to be learned from FAANGs: you can learn plenty but you need to be choosy in the application of that knowledge. The wider point is that I've observed a trend in industry - stronger at some companies than others - of applying solutions, trendy or otherwise, without a clear understanding and articulation of the problem being solved and the value of solving that problem to the business. That being said, I don't think it's fair to generalise that one has to be an asshole to survive at one of these companies - which is certainly implied by GP's choice of phrasing. I now know quite a few people who've worked at FAANGs for varying periods of time, and none of them are assholes. There are no doubt assholes at FAANG but I've seen no evidence that they're any more concentrated than in the general population.

onion2k 4y ago

It doesn't mention any specifics, then it jumps into assuming that Google / FAANG have more assholes? These are companies that operate at the sort of scale where you harvest huge amounts of data about people and then use it to maximize your profit regardless of the impact on the people themselves. Those are asshole tactics, and people who think "I'll get paid a lot to work on that!" are probably skewed towards the asshole end of the spectrum of all humans. I don't think it's a huge leap to believe FAANGs overrepresent the number of assholes they employ. I also don't think that's necessarily a bad thing. As much as many of the staff are assholes, the companies make things a shitload of people want. There's some good in that. You can be an asshole, make a pile of money, and still be doing good work. (Of course, if you're reading this and you work for a FAANG I don't mean ~you~. Although, if you're reading HN... )

georgia_peach 4y ago
The so-cal adtech, social media, & gaming crews make fintech seem saintly in comparison--the difference between preying on people with enough assets to know better vs. preying on children, the elderly, & the mentally infirm. The kids are getting their brains fried, and they don't even know it.

doix 4y ago

It's almost definitely confirmation bias. Google/FAANG employee a lot of people, so as an absolute number, there are probably a lot of assholes and when you meet them you'll remember their employer. I doubt there's a significantly higher percentage of assholes at those companies compared to regular life/other large companies. Slightly off topic, but happened this week. A Google employee commissioned my girlfriend on Reddit to draw two minions. Paid for the first one and then didn't for the second, it was literally $10 for someone that's making > 250k. It's also kinda funny that he paid with a PayPal account that's tied to his entire digital identity: github/linkedin/etc. I'll definitely remember that the guy was from Google (ex-Amazon) and is/was an asshole.

aaomidi 4y ago

I never said they have more assholes. I said the culture of these big companies creates an unhealthy system that leads to people having to change how they interface with others. This is a bigger problem with some companies.