3 ms·

Disagree. Nipping the rumor in the bud that Reddit management fires for dissenting opinion has tangible value to hiring and retention, so a case could be made t

Disagree. Nipping the rumor in the bud that Reddit management fires for dissenting opinion has tangible value to hiring and retention, so a case could be made that Yishan was compelled to provide this response as part of his fiduciary duty. Reddit is a special case that is very pitchfork-happy when it comes to online drama, and even a mere offhand rumor will grow legs. This specific response with that level of harshness is definitely worth discussing, but if you're going to make the abrogation of fiduciary duty argument I think I'd side on him doing the right thing here (with respect to that).

rosser 12y ago
I didn't say no response was warranted. I said a stroppy response wasn't warranted. Absolutely, letting the rumor mill run with this guy's allegations is a net negative for Reddit, so Yishan (or, preferably, his PR folks) needed to respond somehow. My quibble is with the form and content of the response, not with there having been one.
michaelochurch 12y ago
Tech companies fire people for dissenting opinions. I'm not sure that it's news, or even especially wrong. That's an unwritten rule of the workplace: don't question or embarrass your boss or his boss. Ever. This kid had very little credibility. Oddly enough, though his situation is overall worse now that Yishan responded, he has more. What we now have is a factual event, not speculation, and it's far more damaging than a rumor that someone might have been fired over a dissenting opinion (which is not unusual).
- jsmthrowaway 12y ago
  It is absolutely unusual, and undoubtedly wrong, to be fired because you disagree. I disagree to the fullest extent with the project I am currently on and its overall direction and I have made that clear to my management. We've identified that opportunity to scope it better and, amazingly, my badge still works. That you think you were "pushed out" of Google because you disagreed with the direction of G+, and that they were headed for certain failure unless they dropped everything and pivoted due to your boundless German card game experience, is not evidence that Google regularly fires those that disagree. How you disagree also matters, and your little charade on eng-misc is a legend to this day. I have no love for Google but even I am the first to acknowledge that they have created an environment wherein dissent is encouraged and welcomed and, in my brief tenure, was given ample opportunities to have my voice be heard and considered. I will disagree wholeheartedly with you taking your experience (as flawed as your interpretation of events is) and attempting to justify firing over disagreement as a normal practice. I disagree with my boss, and his boss, and his boss all the time. I've disagreed with my director in front of people, and called him out on bullshit in front of his boss. You just don't know how to do so effectively, mchurch, which leads to embarrassing situations like the one you've been trying to pin on Google for a few years. And yes, I am aware of the letter.
  - 001sky 12y ago
    can you please stop trolling this guy? wtf (this is clearly personal attack here)
  - michaelochurch 12y ago
    Did I mention Google on this thread?

rosser 12y ago

I didn't say no response was warranted. I said a stroppy response wasn't warranted. Absolutely, letting the rumor mill run with this guy's allegations is a net negative for Reddit, so Yishan (or, preferably, his PR folks) needed to respond somehow. My quibble is with the form and content of the response, not with there having been one.

michaelochurch 12y ago

Tech companies fire people for dissenting opinions. I'm not sure that it's news, or even especially wrong. That's an unwritten rule of the workplace: don't question or embarrass your boss or his boss. Ever. This kid had very little credibility. Oddly enough, though his situation is overall worse now that Yishan responded, he has more. What we now have is a factual event, not speculation, and it's far more damaging than a rumor that someone might have been fired over a dissenting opinion (which is not unusual).

jsmthrowaway 12y ago
It is absolutely unusual, and undoubtedly wrong, to be fired because you disagree. I disagree to the fullest extent with the project I am currently on and its overall direction and I have made that clear to my management. We've identified that opportunity to scope it better and, amazingly, my badge still works. That you think you were "pushed out" of Google because you disagreed with the direction of G+, and that they were headed for certain failure unless they dropped everything and pivoted due to your boundless German card game experience, is not evidence that Google regularly fires those that disagree. How you disagree also matters, and your little charade on eng-misc is a legend to this day. I have no love for Google but even I am the first to acknowledge that they have created an environment wherein dissent is encouraged and welcomed and, in my brief tenure, was given ample opportunities to have my voice be heard and considered. I will disagree wholeheartedly with you taking your experience (as flawed as your interpretation of events is) and attempting to justify firing over disagreement as a normal practice. I disagree with my boss, and his boss, and his boss all the time. I've disagreed with my director in front of people, and called him out on bullshit in front of his boss. You just don't know how to do so effectively, mchurch, which leads to embarrassing situations like the one you've been trying to pin on Google for a few years. And yes, I am aware of the letter.
- 001sky 12y ago
  can you please stop trolling this guy? wtf (this is clearly personal attack here)
- michaelochurch 12y ago
  Did I mention Google on this thread?