Google Maps' Former Lead Data Scientist Building World's Largest Plant Library | Hacker News Reader

Google Maps' Former Lead Data Scientist Building World's Largest Plant Library

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32 pointsmarkmassie6 comments

This is a great idea. I wish that it was free, but I don't have FU money to fund my own version, so I can't complain too loudly. Hopefully if they become successful or fold they make their basic data public and in the former charge for analysis or similar.

This along with a few other projects (unified math language; vertical robotic greenhouses; acquoponics; lightscribe DVD player laser on a 3D printer graphene... ) are really worth investing money in long-term. Wish the government still did blue-sky research. sigh

Random side question, in case anyone here knows:

Since when has "lead data scientist" at Google been a real (or maybe just important?) thing? I certainly did not interact with any in my time on Maps, but that was before the date mentioned on his cv.

I think that's an editorial embellishment. I don't think Google hires "data scientists" per se.

Yeah, I don't know anyone with the title "data scientist" at Google, even though basically every search quality backend engineer I know does work that is actually data science.

My manager once said he had a good anti-Hearst pattern for Google executives: "Google executive". In other words, if the press reports that someone is a Google executive, it's a pretty likely bet that she's not. Actual executives at Google have the title "software engineer", as do data scientists.

> Actual executives at Google have the title "software engineer", as do data scientists.

Not entirely accurate. There are also VPs and engineering directors who could be considered executives, who are not titled software engineers. And don't forget the business, HR and legal orgs where executives certainly don't have to be software engineers.

Well, true. It doesn't apply to all executives, and obviously not to non-eng departments. There have been execs with over 1000 people reporting to them that are still on the engineering ladder, though.

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