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It's obvious that the author of this post didn't talk to any actual Googlers, and I would assume Facebookers (Facebookians? Facebookites?) as well. In fact, I
by j_baker 15y ago
It's obvious that the author of this post didn't talk to any actual Googlers, and I would assume Facebookers (Facebookians? Facebookites?) as well. In fact, I do use my phone to find coffee as the coffee cart (which has better coffee than what's in the microkitchens) moves around every day. In fact, I happen to use my phone for finding coffee more than I did when I worked at a startup where I'd go to a brick and mortar coffee shop that was always in the same location every day. Not to mention that I also use it to hunt down cafes as well. Plus, there are plenty of short pithy updates on the internal Google+, location updates on Latitude, and take pictures of funny things we see to post on memegen.
To be completely honest, I found the whole tone of this article to be condescending. But most posts that bemoan some segment of the population as "not average people like the rest of us" are.
- sbisker 15y agoIf anything, that describes a bias in the other direction though - a case where your Google perk (the coffee cart) is overemphasizing the importance of technology in your life than that of the average person. Yes, it's silly to think that somehow Google's mobile strategy is inherently hindered because of corporate culture - but there's no question that the value of creating a suite of services and perks for your employees to live in has different consequences depending on what sort of products you're shipping. It's hardly noticable when you're making B2B software, or an atomic bomb - but as you start building things that creep into the fabric of everyday life, empathy instead of sympathy takes a greater role in product design.
- j_baker 15y agoI think that's a much more valid argument than the one the author makes. In fact, Google definitely uses technology more extensively than any other company I've worked at. I suppose that probably wouldn't come as a shock to you though.