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I applied to two different Canonical jobs, and the process was so off-putting I dropped out of both at different stages. One position required me to take a psy

I applied to two different Canonical jobs, and the process was so off-putting I dropped out of both at different stages. One position required me to take a psychoanalytical test where they judge your personality traits to A.) make sure you have the desired personality traits for the role and B.) that you're smart enough for the role. I looked at the terms of service for the company they outsourced this test to, and it seemed like a data breach waiting to happen. I expressed my concern to the HR team in charge of hiring, and said I wouldn't feel comfortable having that kind of deeply personal info shared. I further expressed surprise that an open-source software company was using this test at all, given the usual penchant for data privacy in the FLOSS community. They (cordially) said I could either take the test or drop out-- I chose the latter. For the other role, the interview process was going well, and I made it to final round. But, I ran when I saw their tech stack and tech debt. Lots of Jenkins and heavy reliance on Launchpad for almost everything. Launchpad might not technically be proprietary since it's GNU-licensed, but it's as good as proprietary if Canonical is one of the few companies using it commercially. And Jenkins is just Java / Groovy garbage all the way down. It also struck me as a red flag that Canonical is 100% BYOD (Bring Your Own Device), and they do not provide a work computer. You can apply for a _loan_ to buy a computer for work, but they will not pay for one. If a company is too cheap to provide a computer at a job where you work remotely and exclusively on a computer, I don't want to be a part of that company. Lastly, I read a lot of negative press about Canonical's CEO Mark Shuttleworth while researching the company. In general, Canonical seems like a sketchy place to work.

lbhdc 3y ago
> It also struck me as a red flag that Canonical is 100% BYOD (Bring Your Own Device), and they do not provide a work computer. You can apply for a _loan_ to buy a computer for work, but they will not pay for one. If a company is too cheap to provide a computer at a job where you work remotely and exclusively on a computer, I don't want to be a part of that company. That doesn't seem so bad to me. I have always preferred personal device whenever possible. Why not cut out the ewaste?
- pixl97 3y ago
  Eh, because it sounds like the violation of labor laws in many places. My company gives me a stipend for use of my own phone every month.
- AlexandrB 3y ago
  This might be OKish as long as Canonical doesn't insist on installing any management software or centrally-managed malware mitigation. You're still incurring wear and tear on your own hardware due to work activities though.
- mostlysimilar 3y ago
  Only if the employment agreement upholds your privacy if you use your own device. I've seen employment agreements that claim the right to access your personal device at any time if you use it for work.
- manifoldgeo 3y ago
  I don't know many other jobs that work this way. Imagine getting a construction job and having to supply your own jackhammer or take out a temporary loan to buy one. Doesn't the company have some they should supply you with? Gig-economy jobs work this way, e.g. Uber and Lyft, but those are problematic for the same reason (and a lot more reasons imho). As another commenter said, you're adding wear and tear to your own device. Sure, I have my own computers, but they're all spoken for, hosting VMs and containers or acting as my lab. Why should I subsidize the profits of a multi-million-dollar, for-profit company by letting them use my computer at no extra cost? Your e-waste point is a good one, but I don't think Canonical's managers were looking out for mother nature when they made that choice.
  - HumblyTossed 3y ago
    Mechanics tend to bring their own tools.
    - manifoldgeo 3y ago
      That's true. And for new mechanics that don't have their own tools yet, there are vendors like Snap-On that drive tool trucks to different garages will sell them tools on a payment plan. This creates a situation where a person in a new job starts out in the red, being indebted from the start simply because they need new tools. At least it's not as bad as the gilded age where workers got paid in company-store scrip and lived in company housing in a company-run town. Still, I think it's a step in the wrong direction. I'm not trying to be dramatic or imply that Canonical's device policy is some act of pure evil, but it was a contributing factor to my decision not to move forward. I have a computer that would serve the purpose just fine. It's more about principles. By itself, that policy wouldn't have been so bad, but combined with other red flags it was enough for me to stay away.
kevin_thibedeau 3y ago
You should offer to take a Voight-Kampff test instead. Much more reliable at detecting replicants.
pengaru 3y ago
> It also struck me as a red flag that Canonical is 100% BYOD (Bring Your Own Device), and they do not provide a work computer. You can apply for a _loan_ to buy a computer for work, but they will not pay for one. If a company is too cheap to provide a computer at a job where you work remotely and exclusively on a computer, I don't want to be a part of that company. So just add the cost of acquiring employer-specific hardware to the compensation package during salary negotiations, is it really a big deal? Don't you generally have your own hardware preferences anyways? The problem would be if they insist on what software you run on that machine and if they put crap like spyware/backdoors on your device. If it's just a "we don't care what you run, just be productive and do good work" kind of attitude, BYOD could totally be ideal. Nothing is more annoying than having an employer shove something like an imac down your throat with a "use this backdoored garbage or quit" mentality. Having said all that though, their interview process sounds more like a hazing ritual designed to filter out people who won't tolerate abuse. It's deterred me from ever pursuing a role there, despite probably being a decent fit for the work.
- pseudalopex 3y ago
  > So just add the cost of acquiring employer-specific hardware to the compensation package during salary negotiations, is it really a big deal? It is a sign the company will resist spending modest amounts to improve efficiency and morale. Including pay increases likely.
glonq 3y ago
My daughter once took a job at a place that did personality/compatability tests before hiring. As it turns out, it wasn't to help them avoid hiring crazy people. It's because they were the crazy people, and needed to find folks who are compatable with that ;)

lbhdc 3y ago

pixl97 3y ago
Eh, because it sounds like the violation of labor laws in many places. My company gives me a stipend for use of my own phone every month.
AlexandrB 3y ago
This might be OKish as long as Canonical doesn't insist on installing any management software or centrally-managed malware mitigation. You're still incurring wear and tear on your own hardware due to work activities though.
mostlysimilar 3y ago
Only if the employment agreement upholds your privacy if you use your own device. I've seen employment agreements that claim the right to access your personal device at any time if you use it for work.
manifoldgeo 3y ago
I don't know many other jobs that work this way. Imagine getting a construction job and having to supply your own jackhammer or take out a temporary loan to buy one. Doesn't the company have some they should supply you with? Gig-economy jobs work this way, e.g. Uber and Lyft, but those are problematic for the same reason (and a lot more reasons imho). As another commenter said, you're adding wear and tear to your own device. Sure, I have my own computers, but they're all spoken for, hosting VMs and containers or acting as my lab. Why should I subsidize the profits of a multi-million-dollar, for-profit company by letting them use my computer at no extra cost? Your e-waste point is a good one, but I don't think Canonical's managers were looking out for mother nature when they made that choice.
- HumblyTossed 3y ago
  Mechanics tend to bring their own tools.
  - manifoldgeo 3y ago
    That's true. And for new mechanics that don't have their own tools yet, there are vendors like Snap-On that drive tool trucks to different garages will sell them tools on a payment plan. This creates a situation where a person in a new job starts out in the red, being indebted from the start simply because they need new tools. At least it's not as bad as the gilded age where workers got paid in company-store scrip and lived in company housing in a company-run town. Still, I think it's a step in the wrong direction. I'm not trying to be dramatic or imply that Canonical's device policy is some act of pure evil, but it was a contributing factor to my decision not to move forward. I have a computer that would serve the purpose just fine. It's more about principles. By itself, that policy wouldn't have been so bad, but combined with other red flags it was enough for me to stay away.

kevin_thibedeau 3y ago

You should offer to take a Voight-Kampff test instead. Much more reliable at detecting replicants.

pengaru 3y ago

> It also struck me as a red flag that Canonical is 100% BYOD (Bring Your Own Device), and they do not provide a work computer. You can apply for a _loan_ to buy a computer for work, but they will not pay for one. If a company is too cheap to provide a computer at a job where you work remotely and exclusively on a computer, I don't want to be a part of that company. So just add the cost of acquiring employer-specific hardware to the compensation package during salary negotiations, is it really a big deal? Don't you generally have your own hardware preferences anyways? The problem would be if they insist on what software you run on that machine and if they put crap like spyware/backdoors on your device. If it's just a "we don't care what you run, just be productive and do good work" kind of attitude, BYOD could totally be ideal. Nothing is more annoying than having an employer shove something like an imac down your throat with a "use this backdoored garbage or quit" mentality. Having said all that though, their interview process sounds more like a hazing ritual designed to filter out people who won't tolerate abuse. It's deterred me from ever pursuing a role there, despite probably being a decent fit for the work.

pseudalopex 3y ago
> So just add the cost of acquiring employer-specific hardware to the compensation package during salary negotiations, is it really a big deal? It is a sign the company will resist spending modest amounts to improve efficiency and morale. Including pay increases likely.

glonq 3y ago

My daughter once took a job at a place that did personality/compatability tests before hiring. As it turns out, it wasn't to help them avoid hiring crazy people. It's because they were the crazy people, and needed to find folks who are compatable with that ;)