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Googler... ex-Googler

(nerdy.dev)
974 points namukang | 4 comments | 11 Apr 25 20:19 UTC | HN request time: 1.678s | source
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ivraatiems ◴[12 Apr 25 03:57 UTC] No.43661224[source]▶
The reality of one's lack of value to one's own employer is often baffling. It makes you wonder how anyone manages to stay employed at all, since apparently everyone is replicable and unimportant. I have been through layoffs where other people on my team, doing the same job I did approximately as well, got laid off. No explanation given for why them and not me. And it could happen to me at any time.

It doesn't matter how good my evals are or how big my contributions. It doesn't matter that there are multiple multi-million-dollar revenue streams which exist in large part due to my contributions. It doesn't matter that I have been told I am good enough that I should be promoted to the next level. Raises barely exist, let alone promotions. Because theoretically some other engineer could have done the same work I actually did, the fact that I'm the one who did it doesn't matter and I deserve no reward for doing it beyond the minimum money necessary to secure my labor.

Under those conditions, why should I - or anyone - do any more than the minimum necessary to not get fired for cause? If the company doesn't see me as more than X dollars for X revenue, why should I?

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pjmlp ◴[12 Apr 25 14:58 UTC] No.43664956[source]▶
This is a lesson that all senior developers know pretty well, that is why companies rather hire naive juniors, instead folks that already mastered how the game gets played, and cannot be sold on company mission, values, or whatever snake oil gets talked about during interview process.
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1. neilv ◴[14 Apr 25 05:44 UTC] No.43678402[source]▶
Not all. You're talking about douchebag companies.

If I try to hire someone in the future, and I'm talking straight with a candidate, about how we do things and what we're looking for, and they just nod their head, like I'm going through BS rituals that your stereotypical MBA thinks is professional to say but not mean... I will be sad.

And if, while they're BSing me, they're congratulating themselves on having "mastered how the game gets played"... I will be angry.

(This is another reason I won't Leetcode interview. It's signalling that the company is all about disingenuous baggery theatre.)

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2. denkmoon ◴[14 Apr 25 07:13 UTC] No.43678825[source]▶
Which are the non douchebag companies?
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3. gorbachev ◴[14 Apr 25 08:52 UTC] No.43679357[source]▶
Start by eliminating all publicy traded companies from the list, and you've increased the percentage of non douchebag company in your list by quite a bit.
4. hobs ◴[14 Apr 25 12:47 UTC] No.43680703[source]▶
Unfortunately for you you work and live in an environment created by other companies and its likely that if your company succeeds its one acquisition or bad top level management play from invalidating everything you implicitly or even explicitly promised.

I have worked for "good companies" before - and they have a tendency to make money and be targets for bad companies, add enough zeroes and even the good guys sell.