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Comment by neoplatonian | Hacker News Reader

This post is actually written in retrospect with bitterness, so I'd avoid reading too much into it: either as red flags on the author or the company. Memories and lived experiences get colored in hindsight by what happened after. For example, there must have definitely been positives that attracted the author to the company, but they are diminished in memory, crowded out by bitterness.

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I wouldn't be so dismissive, and have found it interesting to see how negative most top-level commenters have been. I think it's valuable to look back at the first few bits of information that could have tipped you off early to a negative experience later on. That's how we learn what not to do next time.

I think there's a lot more in this post than you might get at first read. For example, a lot of people are interpreting it as bitter, and it seems to be, but it also communicates some level of unmet basic hopes for the new position. It seems to me like optimism carried her through this period, that only in retrospect were signs that it wasn't meant to be. Likewise, many people are missing the fact that this is a retrospective at all. Without knowing any further context, this story could have literally taken place at any point in her career, and I'm sure many developers on here have similar stories.

Or, in lieu of being able to offer any substantive criticisms is looking to rationalise her failure by locating it with the company as early as possible.

That's an awfully uncharitable view, especially to assume she failed in any way. I don't get the sense that the point of the blog post was to levy substantive criticism at an unnamed company.

Regardless, would you say it's irrational or, to use some words from others: arrogant, techier-than-thou, entitled, autistic, to conclude in retrospect that there were early signs of the company and you not being a good fit? Seems pretty reasonable. It's implied and stated how she tends to react to the process she was tasked with.

I'm in part going off comments made by employees about her attitude.

I mean, I have little idea. I'm not claiming that the negative take is the right one, only that there is some oversight in the author here leading to this article.

I'm very sceptical about an HR on-boarding process, so-described, being a redflag for anyone. As she claims, it's an irrelevant/missable process anyway. The idea its some lens into the company, on this occasion, doesnt stack up.

However you interpret the motivation for writing, I dont buy the "redflag" one.

In some sense I agree with you, but on the other hand I do feel like these are implied caveats. It's perhaps unwise to look too far into an onboarding process as a serious mark against a company. Even companies that invest a lot in this will mess it up. I think it's implied that she didn't do this, simply by consequence of her pushing forward anyway, and her also qualifying it at the end with "red or pink flag".

My sense is that this was something that subsequently stuck out to her, and maybe became a more significant pattern throughout her year at the company. It's what's not said that sort of brings a bit more significance to these particular things, because why else would these things stick out upon reflection?

I've had worse onboarding experiences, that upon getting fired, I looked back on and thought "Wow, maybe next time I'm handed a HP laptop and told that Macs are only for designers, I'll just walk out", because they were significant of events that would later cause me undue turmoil and stress that affected my performance.

In this case it's more of a writing style, I've always assumed, than outright bitterness. That gets clearer if you read Rachel's posts a lot.

The point is, that, yes, sure, show initiative, be a team player, plus be willing to stand up to corporate bullshit, but also work with the givens constructively, etc.

But that doesn't matter if there is noone from the other side (manager, other team members), that help to bring the newcomers into the fold.

How come someone was just given an MBP and let loose on her first days without literal supervison?

There was no desk. Okay, great, how long does that take to solve? Just call someone and grab a chair and sit next to someone on the team.

This whole thing is a parable about the lack of sincere human interaction.

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