Google

newestUser

Dudess wrote: »

Hee hee, brilliant post newestUser!

So would they be like, maybe, Comic Book Guy? Yeah he's into the usual Star Trek/superheroes/sci fi/Dungeons & Dragons stuff but he's also exceptionally unpleasant and arrogant - and would obsess over mathematical problems and feel smug about the fact that he knows this **** and most people don't.

I'm loathe to answer this question, because I've never worked in Google myself, and it's been years since I've had anything to do with any of the people who I know work in Google. So I'm borderline talking out of my back passage when I talk about Google culture (you will not make me admit I am totally talking out of my back passage on this subject! Never!). And, despite often finding the stereotype I'm describing really irritating, there's a lot I admire about Google and the people who work there. It's just not for me.

Anyway, back to speculation and generalisation. I don't think that Comic Book Guy is an accurate representation of Computer Science/techie geeks because comics wouldn't be intellectually demanding enough to form a cornerstone of their identity. Lots of techie nerds like comics, sure, but out of what you said, I'd say this would be the strongest attribute I'd assert with this class of person:

he's also exceptionally unpleasant and arrogant - and would obsess over mathematical problems and feel smug about the fact that he knows this **** and most people don't.

Oh yeah, that's right on the money.

newestUser

Dudess wrote: »

I can't even create a hyperlink - I've no hope of becoming popular with these guys have I...?

You have a vagina. You will be the most wonderful creature these guys have seen since Linuxfest 1997.

Creamy Goodness

not if she doesn't have vulcan ears.

eth0_

Engineers in Google (i.e. the "nerds") are grand. Yes, they are all very intelligent and some very intelligent people can come across as arrogant - or is it that you think they are arrogant because they make you feel ignorant or less intelligent?

You are going to work with arrogant jerks in every compan - I would say Google has a pretty good ratio of jerks:nice people.

aaf

I work around the corner from Google HQ on Barrow St and all I'll say is that place is full of good looking girls Just thought I'd mention that! Remember reading on boards a few years ago about people going for Tech Support jobs with google having to go through 10 interviews :eek: Madness.

Dudess

Used to live in Ringsend when I was freelancing in radio and absolutely miserable, and I used to walk past Google whenever I had work with a certain broadcaster - any staff I saw seemed very happy indeed! I remember one evening a bunch of them were coming out of work and the sun was streaming through the glass of the building and shining directly on to the employees! It reminded me of when a very young Homer used to pass the nuclear power plant and gaze in there with envy.
At the same time, in keeping with Simpsons references, I wonder whether the employees are a bit brainwashed and if the place might be a bit of a Globex Corporation...

gerrowadat

newestUser wrote: »

I'm loathe to answer this question, because I've never worked in Google myself, and it's been years since I've had anything to do with any of the people who I know work in Google. So I'm borderline talking out of my back passage when I talk about Google culture (you will not make me admit I am totally talking out of my back passage on this subject! Never!). And, despite often finding the stereotype I'm describing really irritating, there's a lot I admire about Google and the people who work there. It's just not for me.

Fair enough. I think that you're always going to run into barely-functional manchildren no matter where you work. I find some of the comments on this thread kind of hilarious, but I guess it's a fair cop on some counts.

A couple of things I'd like to clear up from this and other threads (background: I'm a senior Engineer at Google Dublin).

- We don't target loners/workaholics. Quite the opposite. It's true that a certain proportion of techies are loners, do a lot of work, have social issues, but are gifted, great engineers. You have these at any place. What we miss out on are the folks who aren't great with people, and who aren't very good technically either, of which there are many.

- Certainly at Google dublin, theres no massive dick-waving contest in terms of tech skillz or whatever. The office politik in there wouldn't allow it. Everyone lumps in and gets it done, and while there's always going to be some stand-out people, someone who's arrogant or doesn't get on with people is just not going to last very long. If you want to spend your days olving rubik's cubes in your head, there's people there that'll be into that. If you're not, then nobody's forcing you.

- Interviews. I find it funny that people say 'omg they profile you in inteviews'. I've done more than 50 interviews in my time here, and I certainly don't 'profile' people. If by 'profile' you mean 'make sure the person can work with others, has a good attitude and the right ideas about design, and actually knows what they're on about', then sure. Doesn't every interview do that? As for the number of interviews, 2 phonescreens, and then a half-day of between 2 and 5 interviews is normal, not just for Google, but for any IT job with a multinational. The days of walking into a job after a one-hour chat with a HR droid and a techie are gone, at least in any place you want to work with quality co-workers. I guess there are a very small number of companies in Dublin who do this, and it's still a very new thing, but if you talk to anyone who's done any work in the valley, or for a multinational, this is a normal number of interviews.

I've worked for huge companies, and for teeny tiny startups, and I realise this is cliched, but this is the best place I've worked at. It's because the annoying know-nothing co-worker, or the micromanager, or the guy who coasts along taking credit for other people's stuff doesn't work here. It's a pain in the hole to get hired, but the payoff is worth it if you're good enough and you stick with it.

AARRRGH

gerrowadat wrote: »

As for the number of interviews, 2 phonescreens, and then a half-day of between 2 and 5 interviews is normal, not just for Google, but for any IT job with a multinational. The days of walking into a job after a one-hour chat with a HR droid and a techie are gone, at least in any place you want to work with quality co-workers.

That's so not true. I've worked for a lot of the tech multinationals in Dublin (including Oracle, Microsoft, AOL, Sage and more) and none of them do anything more than two interviews.

I have no doubt there are lovely folk in Google, but the fact that the nastiest weirdest people I've ever worked with now work for Google... I'd never work there (and I would be a very sociable person with very strong tech skills!)

Thanks for he post though. I was hoping someone from Google would come along.

AARRRGH

You see, the reason I am having a hard time buying your "we're all lovely" argument is because those two lads I worked with are very clearly unpleasant weirdos. You notice it instantly.

I don't normally dislike people, but these two... there was something seriously wrong with them. So smug and nasty and just ****ing weird.

So if they slipped through the interview process, I would be of the belief many others like them have also gotten jobs there.

Sorry if I'm sounding very critical.

EDIT: Something I discovered later: they were actually friends (although I worked with each individual in a different company.) This again makes me think they (Google nerds) are hiring the kind of people they like/are similar to.

EDIT2: I should probably leave this conversation!! So yeah, that's my opinion on Google anyway...

newestUser

gerrowadat wrote: »

- We don't target loners/workaholics. Quite the opposite. It's true that a certain proportion of techies are loners, do a lot of work, have social issues, but are gifted, great engineers. You have these at any place. What we miss out on are the folks who aren't great with people, and who aren't very good technically either, of which there are many.

Didn't Google's Dublin offices recently (in the last 2/3 years) run newspaper ads looking for senior engineer/project leader staff, where they described their ideal candidate as someone who was so into their work that other people thought of them as being 'driven by demons'?

Stench Blossoms

dublindude wrote: »

You see, the reason I am having a hard time buying your "we're all lovely" argument is because those two lads I worked with are very clearly unpleasant weirdos. You notice it instantly.

I don't normally dislike people, but these two... there was something seriously wrong with them. So smug and nasty and just ****ing weird.

So if they slipped through the interview process, I would be of the belief many others like them have also gotten jobs there.

Sorry if I'm sounding very critical.

EDIT: Something I discovered later: they were actually friends (although I worked with each individual in a different company.) This again makes me think they (Google nerds) are hiring the kind of people they like/are similar to.

EDIT2: I should probably leave this conversation!! So yeah, that's my opinion on Google anyway...

So because the two people who were smug and nasty that you knew got jobs in Google your tarring everyone in there with the same brush?

You get knobs in every job.

stovelid

Dublindude and newestuser - you don't work for Microsoft or Yahoo, do you?

One of the ex-colleagues works in Google (as a developer) now, and he's a lovely bloke.

That said, I'm sure a combination of the 1.0 culture (and the perks) and some geeks could make for some unpleasant individuals. Maybe they're the ones you occasionally see on the Dart with their jackets..

AARRRGH

orla wrote: »

So because the two people who were smug and nasty that you knew got jobs in Google your tarring everyone in there with the same brush?

No my point is if they can get past the 5 - 7 interview system without someone saying, "hang on a second, these are clearly ****ing horrible weirdos", it makes me think they are hiring a certain kind of person.

They were not the normal weirdos (I agree: every company has weirdos), these were extremely nasty humans who left a lasting impression on me...

I am absolutely sure there are plenty of lovely people in Google though. I'm not saying they're all ****ed...

AARRRGH

stovelid wrote: »

Dublindude and newestuser - you don't work for Microsoft or Yahoo, do you?

I used to work for Microsoft

To be fair I'll give my opinion of that place too...

Very few technical people (I would go as far as the place being full of very "average" people, at best), but the majority of people were fairly sound.

High technical skills = more likely to be a freak?

ntlbell

dublindude wrote: »

High technical skills = more likely to be a freak?

I'm not sure freak is the right word.

I worked with a number of people form google outside of google and the mind just boggled.

It was like there was always "that guy" in your class in primary or year in secondary who just no matter what didn't fit in right for whatever reason.

Well google seems to be like this sanctuary where all them really odd people can be odd together and creates this elf like childish retarded work place but if you're one of "them" it's like going back to school and not being "that guy" so they're all like 8yr old handy boppers who have eaten too much fizz

If it keeps them out of "normal" work places, then god bless google.

BostonB

newestUser wrote: »

....Their personalities are often encountered in Computer Science (and I should know, I'm doing a PhD in Computer Science). Bright, but obnoxious, constantly playing petty intellectual games to establish their superiority, lacking in mainstream social skills, abrasive, irritating personalities. ...

I don't know about Google. But that description describes a programmer I know exactly.

nutball

gerrowadat wrote: »

I realise this is cliched, but this is the best place I've worked at. It's because the annoying know-nothing co-worker, or the micromanager, or the guy who coasts along taking credit for other people's stuff doesn't work here.

That's funny: I work for Google and I work with all of those people and then some - you forgot the sycophants and the careerist backstabbers.

eth0_ wrote: »

...it is just a nice place to work because the traditional manager/subordinate dynamic does not exist here, everyone just gets on with their work at their own pace.

Ah. I don't even know what to say here. The fact that I'm handing in my notice in the morning should provide some indication though.

Dudess

I heard the food was excellent. Wow! Mental note: never believe ANYTHING about Google...

TimTim

Dudess wrote: »

I heard the food was excellent. Wow! Mental note: never believe ANYTHING about Google...

I heard the food was ok, but I did love the free drinks.

deRanged

The one time I was there the food was great.
I hope it's not too bad - if I ever finish my write up I'll be sending in my cv. I don't expect to get through the interviews though.

The few people I know that work for Google are dead on.

gerrowadat

ntlbell wrote: »

Well google seems to be like this sanctuary where all them really odd people can be odd together and creates this elf like childish retarded work place but if you're one of "them" it's like going back to school and not being "that guy" so they're all like 8yr old handy boppers who have eaten too much fizz

If it keeps them out of "normal" work places, then god bless google.

lol

gerrowadat

TimTim wrote: »

I heard the food was ok, but I did love the free drinks.

Don't mind eth0_, if you wiped her hole for her she'd complain you didn't use 3-ply (or the natty quilted andrex stuff).

CamillaRhodes

I worked for Google for a year and a half, in a non-techie department. I was sometimes involved in the recruitment process - yes, ridiculously drawn out, but the fact is they do tend to get good people who are suited to and love their jobs.

I made some wonderful friends in Google, many of whom I'm still great friends with now 2 years later. Meeting my mates was by far the greatest thing about working at Google (the novelty of the free stuff and the bright colours wears thin pretty quickly).

However, the kick up the ar$e which made me start thinking about quitting (not the only reason, but the match to the tinder) was when I was called to my manager's office and asked if I wanted to offer my resignation on the basis of an offhand comment I made to a friend in the pub. What freaked me out was not so much the manager's reaction (I had been dismissive of my future prospects in the job) but the fact that somebody had overheard what I'd said, on a Friday night, after a few beers, and had run into the manager on Monday morning to rat on me. I never found out who it was, though I was able to narrow it down to a few people who would have been within earshot of me. None of them would have had any professional reason to want to sh*t on me - i.e., me quitting or being fired would not do them any favours. So I could only deduce that their reasons for ratting on me were their loyalty to Google, the mothership. I, in my dismissive attitude, was going against the Googley culture, so they had to report me. Freaky freaky freaky.

Guess my point is there are some really great people working for Google, and if that line of work is your cup of tea then you might really enjoy it. But there are also some nasty sinister types like those described in this thread, and a cult-like egotistical attitude amongst some (see that Tom Cruise Scientology video? There'd be Googlers pretty damn similar...

damnyanks

Hrmm at first I thought Dublindude was just being daft. After hearing camilla's post it does sound quite mad.

As far as relaly good comp pepole being weird this isnt limited to comp sci.

Generally people who are really into something end up being unbalanced to some extent as that 1 area is a large part of their life.

AARRRGH

eth0_ wrote: »

Quilted? Peasant! I'm waging a campaign to get pure silk bog roll in the jacks on our floor.

Unrelated but what the hell:

The primary school I went to was mixed until first class, and then the boys were kicked out. It was run by a bunch of nuns.

I remember the toilet paper in the boys toilets was like grease proof paper. It was not toilet paper. However the girls had this lovely soft stuff...

Further evidence to back up my theory the nuns had a weird attitude to males: whenever any crafts like knitting were being done, the boys had to go outside to play football. Same with things like Irish Dancing.

They used to let me wear my cowboy outfit and dickie bow to class though.

What a weird school.

BostonB

Playing football in a room full of knitting needles wouldn't have worked.

eth0_

That's because boys are inherently evil :-)

Dudess

CamillaRhodes wrote: »

However, the kick up the ar$e which made me start thinking about quitting (not the only reason, but the match to the tinder) was when I was called to my manager's office and asked if I wanted to offer my resignation on the basis of an offhand comment I made to a friend in the pub. What freaked me out was not so much the manager's reaction (I had been dismissive of my future prospects in the job) but the fact that somebody had overheard what I'd said, on a Friday night, after a few beers, and had run into the manager on Monday morning to rat on me. I never found out who it was, though I was able to narrow it down to a few people who would have been within earshot of me. None of them would have had any professional reason to want to sh*t on me - i.e., me quitting or being fired would not do them any favours. So I could only deduce that their reasons for ratting on me were their loyalty to Google, the mothership. I, in my dismissive attitude, was going against the Googley culture, so they had to report me. Freaky freaky freaky.

Guess my point is there are some really great people working for Google, and if that line of work is your cup of tea then you might really enjoy it. But there are also some nasty sinister types like those described in this thread, and a cult-like egotistical attitude amongst some (see that Tom Cruise Scientology video? There'd be Googlers pretty damn similar...

That is insane sh1t! I've gotten that vibe from what I've heard about the place though.

ntlbell

what do you do on the "nerdy" side there eth0?

gerrowadat

Dudess wrote: »

That is insane sh1t! I've gotten that vibe from what I've heard about the place though.

That sounds like pretty nasty stuff to happen anywhere, and I'd be -very- surprised if it's anything more than a once-off example of a manager being a spanner.

I'd certainly double-take at anything like this happening in engineering, can't really speak for sales/finance/hr/the other stuff that happens here.