6 ms·

It's not just yuppie hatred, nor does the article really address the big issues. Obviously inequality of money and opportunity is a big part of this. But that c

by redwood 13y ago

It's not just yuppie hatred, nor does the article really address the big issues. Obviously inequality of money and opportunity is a big part of this. But that can be mitigated if society's fabric isn't threatened. There are elephants in the room: 1) lack of women in the industry <--- means an increasingly out of whack male:female ratio in the city which has many problematic pile-on effects. 2) simple feelings of being left out...that's what people don't like about Google shuttles. They're mysterious. Let people in them, see what they are, see how they're really not that amazing or great: but then that would hurt recruiting. 3) Arrogance of many tech workers: anti-social intercommunication skills etc. We all know this is undeniably true. Sure we may be nicer than most finance types. But are we more out-going? Do we try to connect with our community on an emotional level? Certainly not more than most, and I'd argue a heck of a lot less than most.

redwood 13y ago
To add to (3): we really miss the mark when it comes to trying to connect with other people's issues. Not everyone can fix their problems by "learning to code" nor does everyone want to use our binary lingo of "problems and solutions" to describe the world. We're far less interested in genuinely understanding others than in attributing our suggestions for improvement. Ultimately this ties back to (1). We're essentially an autistic male industry.
eshvk 13y ago
> 2) simple feelings of being left out...that's what people don't like about Google shuttles. They're mysterious. Let people in them, see what they are, see how they're really not that amazing or great: but then that would hurt recruiting. So your proposal is that people who don't work in tech, say someone who spend upwards of $100000 on an expensive liberal arts education and has a good sense for making good soundbites but not enough money should be allowed to enter the Google bus and drive down to the South Bay and back? It is a fucking bus that moves from point A to point B. There will be people who will hate you for anything you do. Always.
- redwood 13y ago
  I'm saying show people the interior on a "google bus open house day in the mission" so the google bus isn't like a red velvet rope and bouncer protected nightclub --- looks pretty fancy from the outside, but not much really going on inside. Disambiguify it and say "we're not trying to be a bunch of nightclub bouncers... we just have a large car pool"
  - eshvk 13y ago
    Yes, but who are the "people" that you show things to? There is no clear split between "tech people" on one side and "locals" on the other side. Just like there are people who have been living in the Mission for 30+ years, there are people who moved in at the same time as I did (two years ago) but are getting priced out. Why am I less of a real "San Franciscan" than they are? This is as another commenter pointed, half parts bigotry too. This has always been happening too. Hell, the Mission was once occupied by poor German and Italian families. They fled with white flight when the Latinas moved here. Then, now the Mission is gentrifying. This is a process that will keep happening throughout the years in every neighborhood. A Google open house day will not help people who want to manufacture outrage for their pet causes.
    - redwood 13y ago
      Simply the people who aren't taking the shuttles. People like all my friends in SF who aren't in tech.
    - cremsh 13y ago
      This post is hilarious because it's earnest.
  - klipt 13y ago
    > we just have a large car pool I think there are people who would complain about a car pool too. Really, they just want the tech people to stay out, and anything that enables them to move in (like carpools or buses) is going to get complaints. The buses are a visible symbol, but not the root cause.
klipt 13y ago
> lack of women in the industry <--- means an increasingly out of whack male:female ratio in the city which has many problematic pile-on effects. What's funny is that the skewed gender ratio in the south bay is probably what propelled a lot of male techies into the city in the first place. As a young guy living in the Bay Area, I'm beginning to think I'll have to move to the east coast at some point just to find a wife.
eliteraspberrie 13y ago
San Francisco has no worse social issues than New York, with its famously female-heavy population. Google shuttles and hipster coffee are nothing compared to stop-and-frisk.
ahomescu1 13y ago
> 2) simple feelings of being left out...that's what people don't like about Google shuttles. They're mysterious. Let people in them, see what they are, see how they're really not that amazing or great: but then that would hurt recruiting. Those buses are private, and paid for by Google, they're not public buses. Should I let anyone from SF ride in my personal car, just so they don't feel left out? Private means private, Google&co are allowed to let in (or keep out) anyone they want on buses they pay for.

by redwood 13y ago

redwood 13y ago

To add to (3): we really miss the mark when it comes to trying to connect with other people's issues. Not everyone can fix their problems by "learning to code" nor does everyone want to use our binary lingo of "problems and solutions" to describe the world. We're far less interested in genuinely understanding others than in attributing our suggestions for improvement. Ultimately this ties back to (1). We're essentially an autistic male industry.

eshvk 13y ago

> 2) simple feelings of being left out...that's what people don't like about Google shuttles. They're mysterious. Let people in them, see what they are, see how they're really not that amazing or great: but then that would hurt recruiting. So your proposal is that people who don't work in tech, say someone who spend upwards of $100000 on an expensive liberal arts education and has a good sense for making good soundbites but not enough money should be allowed to enter the Google bus and drive down to the South Bay and back? It is a fucking bus that moves from point A to point B. There will be people who will hate you for anything you do. Always.

redwood 13y ago
I'm saying show people the interior on a "google bus open house day in the mission" so the google bus isn't like a red velvet rope and bouncer protected nightclub --- looks pretty fancy from the outside, but not much really going on inside. Disambiguify it and say "we're not trying to be a bunch of nightclub bouncers... we just have a large car pool"
- eshvk 13y ago
  Yes, but who are the "people" that you show things to? There is no clear split between "tech people" on one side and "locals" on the other side. Just like there are people who have been living in the Mission for 30+ years, there are people who moved in at the same time as I did (two years ago) but are getting priced out. Why am I less of a real "San Franciscan" than they are? This is as another commenter pointed, half parts bigotry too. This has always been happening too. Hell, the Mission was once occupied by poor German and Italian families. They fled with white flight when the Latinas moved here. Then, now the Mission is gentrifying. This is a process that will keep happening throughout the years in every neighborhood. A Google open house day will not help people who want to manufacture outrage for their pet causes.
  - redwood 13y ago
    Simply the people who aren't taking the shuttles. People like all my friends in SF who aren't in tech.
  - cremsh 13y ago
    This post is hilarious because it's earnest.
- klipt 13y ago
  > we just have a large car pool I think there are people who would complain about a car pool too. Really, they just want the tech people to stay out, and anything that enables them to move in (like carpools or buses) is going to get complaints. The buses are a visible symbol, but not the root cause.

klipt 13y ago

> lack of women in the industry <--- means an increasingly out of whack male:female ratio in the city which has many problematic pile-on effects. What's funny is that the skewed gender ratio in the south bay is probably what propelled a lot of male techies into the city in the first place. As a young guy living in the Bay Area, I'm beginning to think I'll have to move to the east coast at some point just to find a wife.

eliteraspberrie 13y ago

San Francisco has no worse social issues than New York, with its famously female-heavy population. Google shuttles and hipster coffee are nothing compared to stop-and-frisk.

ahomescu1 13y ago

> 2) simple feelings of being left out...that's what people don't like about Google shuttles. They're mysterious. Let people in them, see what they are, see how they're really not that amazing or great: but then that would hurt recruiting. Those buses are private, and paid for by Google, they're not public buses. Should I let anyone from SF ride in my personal car, just so they don't feel left out? Private means private, Google&co are allowed to let in (or keep out) anyone they want on buses they pay for.