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Wow, THT! I was their Director of IT around 2007-2010. Thanks for the trip down memory lane!

by knite 11y ago

tomjen3 11y ago
Why would a developer work in such a place? I imagine you would be forced to be all professional yet always play second fiddle to the traders, no matter great your skills were. But then again I am probably the only one who is disappointed over this announcement - the game sounds really boring to me.
- jordan0day 11y ago
  > Why would a developer work in such a place? I imagine you would be forced to be all professional yet always play second fiddle to the traders, no matter great your skills were. This is generally the case at most places where software development is done, even when the software is the product. For example, as any developer working at an "enterprise software" shop -- despite being the "producers", you're still beholden to (and less important than) the sales folks. Not saying that's right or wrong, just that that is how it is.
  - eitally 11y ago
    But also in general, in places like that there is also a huge priority placed on having absolutely the best infrastructure & systems reasonably affordable in order to empower the traders. For example, of Fidelity's ~45,000 employees, about 14,000 work in technology roles (both internal IT and product stuff). To me that's an insane ratio for a non-tech company ... ... but, if you talk to any big-finance leaders these days, they'll probably admit to you that their tech is their competitive advantage (and not just in HFT, either).
- tptacek 11y ago
  Because electronic trading networks are like the Internet of Money --- literally. They're a pretty thrilling piece of technology to play with. Second fiddle, depends where you're working. Like everything else, there are crappy shops and there are amazing ones.
- whatok 11y ago
  Imagine is the keyword in your statement. Different firms are going to have different cultures. There are places where the developer is essentially the trader and as far as professionalism goes, I could easily be mistaken for a startup employee with my jeans, t-shirt, and Nikes.
- deleted 11y ago
  [deleted]
- dragonwriter 11y ago
  > Why would a developer work in such a place? I imagine you would be forced to be all professional yet always play second fiddle to the traders, no matter great your skills were. Even if your imagination were correct, I'd expect "money" would be a factor. Not all developers are primarily concerned about maximizing workplace status.

Wow, THT! I was their Director of IT around 2007-2010. Thanks for the trip down memory lane!

by knite 11y ago

Wow, THT! I was their Director of IT around 2007-2010. Thanks for the trip down memory lane!

Why would a developer work in such a place? I imagine you would be forced to be all professional yet always play second fiddle to the traders, no matter great your skills were. But then again I am probably the only one who is disappointed over this announcement - the game sounds really boring to me.

jordan0day 11y ago
> Why would a developer work in such a place? I imagine you would be forced to be all professional yet always play second fiddle to the traders, no matter great your skills were. This is generally the case at most places where software development is done, even when the software is the product. For example, as any developer working at an "enterprise software" shop -- despite being the "producers", you're still beholden to (and less important than) the sales folks. Not saying that's right or wrong, just that that is how it is.
- eitally 11y ago
  But also in general, in places like that there is also a huge priority placed on having absolutely the best infrastructure & systems reasonably affordable in order to empower the traders. For example, of Fidelity's ~45,000 employees, about 14,000 work in technology roles (both internal IT and product stuff). To me that's an insane ratio for a non-tech company ... ... but, if you talk to any big-finance leaders these days, they'll probably admit to you that their tech is their competitive advantage (and not just in HFT, either).
tptacek 11y ago
Because electronic trading networks are like the Internet of Money --- literally. They're a pretty thrilling piece of technology to play with. Second fiddle, depends where you're working. Like everything else, there are crappy shops and there are amazing ones.
whatok 11y ago
Imagine is the keyword in your statement. Different firms are going to have different cultures. There are places where the developer is essentially the trader and as far as professionalism goes, I could easily be mistaken for a startup employee with my jeans, t-shirt, and Nikes.
deleted 11y ago
[deleted]
dragonwriter 11y ago
> Why would a developer work in such a place? I imagine you would be forced to be all professional yet always play second fiddle to the traders, no matter great your skills were. Even if your imagination were correct, I'd expect "money" would be a factor. Not all developers are primarily concerned about maximizing workplace status.