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I think the question is how critical you can be in public channels. Your example (of being critical of a product) feels like something I'd be comfortable saying

I think the question is how critical you can be in public channels. Your example (of being critical of a product) feels like something I'd be comfortable saying in most public channels at my company. What I would assume is more what they're talking about at Stripe is situations where 2 employees are complaining together about another team or coworker. There's more positive or constructive ways to raise that complaint, and I can see the value in not just having a toxic cycle where people are venting about other people in private with no actual action about it ever occurring. Constructive doesn't have to mean you're some drugged up worker drone that's ignoring security faults in a product, it just means actually trying to work out what to do about the issues you're seeing.

shubhamjain 4y ago
Most people are afraid to say anything in public channels because they fear they might alone in feeling a certain way (often times they are not). It's through private conversations, they can feel confident about their view and actually do something about it. This "everything must be public" perpetuates the culture of a seemingly happy place simmering with unsaid complaints below the surface.
- lampshades 4y ago
  My first foray into big tech was met with a culture that disallowed any private discussion. If I had a question, take it public and see what people think. If I had a complaint, take it public. It was terrible and I hated it. Sometimes I just want to talk with one person instead of the entire engineering org. My next job I assumed they would be the same so I defaulted to never talking to anyone, which caused its own problems, as you can imagine. The entire public by default thing is toxic, imo.
  - noirbot 4y ago
    I think I mostly agree with it, but I think having a culture that inclines towards trying to talk things out in public is probably better, but you're right about there being value in also being able to talk to your manager or your teammmate in private to share your thoughts or build consensus. In general, I think it's one of those policies that can absolutely be toxic, but can also be healthy, and it's dependent on the surrounding culture and team and how absolute the policy is.

shubhamjain 4y ago

Most people are afraid to say anything in public channels because they fear they might alone in feeling a certain way (often times they are not). It's through private conversations, they can feel confident about their view and actually do something about it. This "everything must be public" perpetuates the culture of a seemingly happy place simmering with unsaid complaints below the surface.

lampshades 4y ago
My first foray into big tech was met with a culture that disallowed any private discussion. If I had a question, take it public and see what people think. If I had a complaint, take it public. It was terrible and I hated it. Sometimes I just want to talk with one person instead of the entire engineering org. My next job I assumed they would be the same so I defaulted to never talking to anyone, which caused its own problems, as you can imagine. The entire public by default thing is toxic, imo.
- noirbot 4y ago
  I think I mostly agree with it, but I think having a culture that inclines towards trying to talk things out in public is probably better, but you're right about there being value in also being able to talk to your manager or your teammmate in private to share your thoughts or build consensus. In general, I think it's one of those policies that can absolutely be toxic, but can also be healthy, and it's dependent on the surrounding culture and team and how absolute the policy is.