Google Bought Me: The First Two Days | Hacker News Reader

Google Bought Me: The First Two Days

blog.falconindy.com

153 pointskeyist29 comments

You're up at Columbus Circle?

I really have no idea what's happening with this and the news was just as a surprise to me as it seems to be to everybody else (I say this as a Googler).

I have to wonder if you'll stay where you are or you'll move to our Chelsea office at some point (which is very nice btw). That depends on if you'll be integrated into local or run as a subsidiary.

If you're integrated into local you may want to give some thought to what career path you want to transfer into. SREs (Site Reliability Engineers; basically a sysadmin/programmer hybrid) are what keep sites up here. Software engineers are the more typical programming route. I believe there is some interviewing that goes on to find the right fit for everyone but I really don't know how this works with acquisitions.

Anyway, welcome aboard.

If you're integrated into local you may want to give some thought to what career path you want to transfer into.

Why wouldn't you assume he'd just want to stay with Zagat?

If Zagat gets integrated into Google Local, then there effectively won't be a Zagat to stay with.

The physical office stays for the forseeable future, and the name is definitely not going away -- that was part of what Google wanted, and paid for.

I know, but the parent was talking about something specific (regardless of the likelihood of it happening): Zagat getting integrated into the Local team.

note: submitter != OP

One line at the end stands out:

  "Google is of course interested in new our vehicle for survey dissemination"

There is something there. Surveys are worth a hell of a lot more than a targeted ad and right now not managed by just a few companies (rather badly too).

I know Google have looked into surveys before (think CAPTHCA or paywall alternatives), maybe this is it?

Yea, that sentence made me wonder -- what is so special about their "5.0 ... redesign" that makes it so interesting to google?

Are you having to go thru software eng interview as well? I've heard Google interviews every one including employees who join via acquisition?

They've been hesitant to call it an "interview", but rather a "one on one". Whatever it is, everyone will talk to Google before being given an offer of employment. Inevitably, some jobs will be lost in the transition.

(wow, my weenie little blog on the front page of HN.)

"I have people skills!"

Interviewing for your current job sounds insulting.

It doesn't just sound insulting, it is insulting.

You can think of it as insulting or that you and all your coworkers are now being held to a higher standard. Generally, I think it is better than the alternative.

The alternative? Keeping your self-respect, and getting another job? Google doesn't hire slackers and fakes; this guy can get another job in a heartbeat.

I've refused this 'offer' - Dell wanted to drug-test and interview us when we were acquired - I simply refused. Didn't lose my job.

Depends; interviewing to see if you should have a better job seems useful, not to mention the value of an interview as a two-way conversation.

I think you only have to do this if you get a different position within Google.

I worked at a company that was acquired. All of the engineers had to interview, and the interviewers weren't aware that it was an acquisition situation.

Surprised they're doing the food thing. Pretty sure Motorola employees aren't going to be getting that.

It does seem like there could be a breaking point.

Are they really going to stick to treating everyone to the same perks? The ones they use to compete for engineering talent in Palo Alto?

I would keep it up if it up to me, knowing that the cost is a long-term investment in internal corporate identity. Once you cut back on these things (such as Microsoft's formerly-gold-plated health plan) you've permanently become a more ordinary company.

Here's someone who did the math on providing meals to Motorolans: http://www.businessinsider.com/it-will-cost-google-95-millio...

$20 per employee per day doesn't seem like such a huge expense, especially compared with salary and office space. If it makes employees happy to stay at the office longer, it's not a bad plan.

.. or stay with the company longer. Consistently high-quality food, available that conveniently, is a primal attraction.

> Consistently high-quality food, available that conveniently, is a primal attraction.

It also ensures that the employees won't leave the office premises for the lunch break. That could be a good thing (for the employer) or a bad thing (for some of the employees).

No not really. It might make sense in a campus office, perhaps, but in central Manhattan it just seems like overcontrol.

So would giving them an $7200 raise. But this raise has no tax, and saves the staff time & money, so it's worth more than the $7200 to the staff.

the patent department at Motorola will

So, being aquired by google seems to involve being kept in the dark and fed, well, free food.

>the 5.0 website we redesigned

Someone please clarify this for me. Is the mention of v5.0 web meant seriously or is the author making fun of the whole web v2.0/3.0 etc thing?

Version 5 of their website.

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