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This may be heresy on HN but this actually proves the engineer shortage. If there wasn't a shortage, they wouldn't need non-poaching agreements.

by nova22033 13y ago

6d0debc071 13y ago
It supports the idea that the cost of finding someone of similar criteria among the unemployed, or taking a less skilled programmer and investing in them, exceeds the cost of finding them among one's peers. That's not necessarily a consequence of there being an engineer shortage. You'd expect much the same behaviour if most people who emerged from uni, or worked commonly in IT, didn't have the criteria they were interested in.
arg01 13y ago
Isn't one of the common arguments that they're isn't a shortage the companies just aren't willing to pay enough to get people interested. I mean when I think make BIG money in IT I think startup and all the risks involved or management rather than high level engineer. That will have an effect on who joins the industry.
mabhatter 13y ago
Not really... Because companies in Silicon Valley poach employees on purpose to interrupt other companies. It's a real problem in a lot of industries. I'd note you don't see Microsoft in this because they stayed in Washington and bought employment laws they like. So they can force employees to sign non-competes in Seattle while they poach from California that won't allow companies to do that. Working in an auto state, I've seen that in other industries and it's actually kind of sickening. In the auto industry it's in bad taste to do that. Many auto suppliers have no-poaching in their business contracts. Which ties up a lot of the industry because everybody does business with everybody. As an EMPLOYEE you can apply to another job, but recruiters aren't allowed to cold-call between companies. I've worked in an office where we would get cold call agents during work. They'd call all the extensions in the office and it was just offensive being put on the spot like that. I can't imagine working at Apple or Google and getting calls like that... And the work environment becomes "awkward" for the rest of the day because everybody knows everybody got a call... There's nothing good about that type of hiring practice.
- chetanahuja 13y ago
  "I'd note you don't see Microsoft in this" Micrsoft was one of the (many) companies listed with which Google had similar non-poaching agreements.

This may be heresy on HN but this actually proves the engineer shortage. If there wasn't a shortage, they wouldn't need non-poaching agreements.

6d0debc071 13y ago

It supports the idea that the cost of finding someone of similar criteria among the unemployed, or taking a less skilled programmer and investing in them, exceeds the cost of finding them among one's peers. That's not necessarily a consequence of there being an engineer shortage. You'd expect much the same behaviour if most people who emerged from uni, or worked commonly in IT, didn't have the criteria they were interested in.

arg01 13y ago

Isn't one of the common arguments that they're isn't a shortage the companies just aren't willing to pay enough to get people interested. I mean when I think make BIG money in IT I think startup and all the risks involved or management rather than high level engineer. That will have an effect on who joins the industry.

mabhatter 13y ago

Not really... Because companies in Silicon Valley poach employees on purpose to interrupt other companies. It's a real problem in a lot of industries. I'd note you don't see Microsoft in this because they stayed in Washington and bought employment laws they like. So they can force employees to sign non-competes in Seattle while they poach from California that won't allow companies to do that. Working in an auto state, I've seen that in other industries and it's actually kind of sickening. In the auto industry it's in bad taste to do that. Many auto suppliers have no-poaching in their business contracts. Which ties up a lot of the industry because everybody does business with everybody. As an EMPLOYEE you can apply to another job, but recruiters aren't allowed to cold-call between companies. I've worked in an office where we would get cold call agents during work. They'd call all the extensions in the office and it was just offensive being put on the spot like that. I can't imagine working at Apple or Google and getting calls like that... And the work environment becomes "awkward" for the rest of the day because everybody knows everybody got a call... There's nothing good about that type of hiring practice.

chetanahuja 13y ago
"I'd note you don't see Microsoft in this" Micrsoft was one of the (many) companies listed with which Google had similar non-poaching agreements.