Hacker News Reader

Comment by pvg | Hacker News Reader

It's really great that Google people are coming forward to clarify it but what's with the scare-disclosurinating? Your affiliation is not a source of potential conflict of interest with some detail of what you have to say. It's the most relevant bit and the reason you can make a knowledgable comment. Say it loud, say it proud, etc...

View on HN

I just want to be transparent. Everyone has an agenda, I don't want to be perceived as "sneaky" (have been accused in the past, even changed my username)

Yeah that is great and you should say it, when it matters. It's just that none of you are journalists who are write regularly and are expected by their audience to be reasonably neutral and who then disclose potential random conflicts in a standardized parenthetical.

You can just say 'I work at Google on whatnot and here is what I know/think/etc'. Lighthearted Suggestion: There's no need at all to write like HK-47 or Dwight Schrute.

Appreciate the feedback. From my end, I have been both accused of name-dropping (ooh, look at Mr special, he works at Google!) and of having an unstated agenda (hey, he's a phony, he works there!).

I found that simply stating is the compromise. I am not using my employer.ent to justify my opinion, just making my alignment clear.

And in fact, I align with Google AND with Kubernetes.

Yep, I understand it's fraught and as I've just amply demonstrated, someone is always going to whine about something. It's just weird to see you all line up one after the other and and robotically announce your affiliation in the format typically used for unexpected-conflict-of-interest when it's actually important, not a conflict and you're trying to be helpful.

That and I enjoy the largely futile but infinitely noble fight against various HN-mandated atrocities against basic English style and I want you to be free.

Echoing what Tim said, it seems to be standard practice on HN, I'm just trying to be transparent rather than somehow get accused of something(?)

I normally lurk more than I comment, but I'm disappointed to see how it's been represented. My teammates work hard _with_ the community.

Yes, I replied to Tim. I'm suggesting it's a dumb, apish standard practice. Write like the human beings that you are! "I work at Google, such and such happened".

Reply on news.ycombinator.com