Google now is a very large company, and no matter how much they try to make it fun, it is still a very large company, with all the politics, b,s, inefficenices, frustrations, and inability for developers to make large impacts.
Google is the new MS (well, the MS in the early/mid 90s). Talent will start hemorraging slowly and surely, and in 10-15 years it will be just like MS, or worse IBM.
... in 10-15 years [Google] will be just like MS, or worse IBM.
Ugh, keep your vague abstractions on reddit.
To be qualified to make that assessment, you must be working at Google and have worked at MS in the 90's. My guess is you are 0/2.
One guy leaves Google because he likes the thrill of start ups and you deduce that "talent will start hemorraging (sic) slowly and surely". First off, how the hell does one hemorrhage slowly? Second, there are very talented people who like start ups and there are very talented people who like job security. For example, professors.
Ok, while I am not an expert, but I can say there are many good people leaving Google. 1. From knowing three x-gogglers, (one of them is a good friend), 2. From what you can read on the news also,
it is an undenaible fact that people are leaving. For many reasons, but they are. I understand that there are bright people that like the security of a large company, but there are many more bright people that Google is not attractive employer anymore. Lots of great perks, but salaries are just average, work maybe interesting or mindblowing boring (depending where you get stuck), plus many people bright would like to work on something on their own rather just be another small cog in a large company.
There's also the fact that the mindset among hackers at large is shifting away from being employees toward being entrepreneurs. No doubt employment at Google is more pleasant than average, but hackers are sensitive to the judgments of their peers, especially the ones doing cool things, and I bet that many talented programmers at Google are chafing under the idea that they are nevertheless an employee.
Oh look, an Xoogler who got burned out by working on ads when it seemed like everyone else was working on cool stuff.
Who'dve thunk it?
I'm not going to judge his choice of startup. I applaud this guy's resolution to do what makes him happy, instead of taking the safe alternative at a mature company. Because for him it was obviously the right thing to do. Cheers!
I liked his description of google, seemed more real world and he lined up the advantages and disadvantages of being at google well. He's leaving because his goals are alligned with that of google's, not because google is a particularly sucky place to work or anything.
I also need to get myself a couple of 24 inch monitors :-).
Google is the new MS (well, the MS in the early/mid 90s). Talent will start hemorraging slowly and surely, and in 10-15 years it will be just like MS, or worse IBM.