Life at Google, living with the Internet giant and the Engineer question.
In a recent blog post called “Working at Google–the first 6 months” by Don Dodge, a developer advocate for Google, he explains what it is like working for the Internet giant. He says that the working environment feels like a startup still, with everything moving at a fast pace, and things changing at a moment’s notice.
He compares the now ten-year-old Google to Microsoft. Saying that in 1985, when Microsoft was just ten years old, the similarities were striking. Microsoft DOS was enormously successful, and the company was just starting to branch out in other areas. Comparatively, Google had initial success with search and now are branching out into other areas of technology, such as Gmail, Google Apps, Android, etc.
He then goes on to focus on what it is like to work for Google, or (in our words) to live the “Google Life.”
Related story: TIME Magazine photo essay, “Life in the Googleplex”
He starts by saying that the atmosphere at Google is confident. Success, optimism, dedication, hard work and winning are the key values. He compares working for Google to playing for the New England Patriots and winning Super Bowls.
Nevertheless, one statement seemed to evoke a response from Chris Matyszczyk at the CNET Blog Network, in a blog post called “Is Google far too much in love with engineering?” The response from Chris M. references what Dodge said on his blog post about how Google goes about employing workers and management. Dodge relates to the fact that almost everyone at the company has an engineering background–from upper management, to entry level.
He quantifies this by saying that engineers bring valuable qualities to the core values of the company. From questions, assumptions, data and decisions, he says that engineers are some of the best fits for Google. Overall, he says that what the company does is data, and engineers are great at gathering and assimilating it. Essentially, they offer a systematic approach to data versus a
disorganized one.
In response, Chris M. argues that Google may go a bit too far with its use of engineer’s. One statement made by Dodge seemed to evoke further questioning, “Educational achievement is valued at Google.” Chris M. retorts, “Do complex interview questions really test your educational achievement?”
My answer? Complex interview questions are great rules for baseline assumptions, but connecting the two with educational achievement is farfetched. Sure, a complex interview process with related questions is a great way to find highly proficient candidates. However, Chris M. is partially right in assuming that Google may love engineer’s a bit too much.
It seems as though Google has taken the appeal of engineering to near astronomical levels, by stipulating that marketing, sales, development and management areas of the company include employees with a background in engineering.
“My troubled educational achievement suggests to me that Dodge is holding up this intellectual monochrome of leadership as a good thing. He is suggesting that this is a company that is so immersed in engineering that only those who understand its complex rudiments can be trusted to, say, market Google’s products.” – Chris Matyszczyk, writer, CNET Blog Network
Essentially, Chris M. argues that Dodge’s statement reflect somewhat of a “presumptuous” attitude–one held at the esteem of Google itself. I will partially agree on this point. Most of us will agree that Google does data. Search is all about data. We also might agree that engineers are valuable for the technical side of things like search engines, databases, information technology, and of course engineering.
But, hold the presses, please. Engineers for marketing? Engineers for sales? For writing, even? Is Google creating Willy Wonka and the Engineering Factory? We might understand the need for engineering at many levels at Google, because of their focus on it. However, it is my assumption that there are more kinds of people who can understand the products and processes of Google, besides just engineers.
At the end of the day, Google puts value in engineering on all levels. And wearing many different hats is not exactly a new idea in business of today. Can successful and proven marketers do a better job at marketing than one with a background in engineering? Can writers with a college degree in English and experience at writing be more proficient than those with no related degree or experience? I hope so.
But from Google’s viewpoint, engineers are valuable to all aspects of their business. They are effectively saying that to understand their technology for whatever sphere of business–that an engineering background is the best fit. Is that wrong? Not at all. Is it a bit misguided? Perhaps. Is it successful? Most certainly.
Let us take it to the comments, to see how people reacted to the blog post of Chris Matyszczyk:
Spitbucket said,
“Engineers can make a robust software functionality but it takes a good designer and usability expert for the product to appeal to the masses. Majority of the googlers are left-brainer, I think google should start hiring some right-brainer people to put some human aspect on their product.”
EvaSei said,
“You know what I really don’t mind the fact that every person at google has a background in engineering, it has proved time and time again to produce excellent product.”
Ecotopian said,
“This is why Apple will beat Google. Engineers don’t get what ordinary people want in a computer interface. I hate software that looks and feels like it was designed by engineers. Apple are the Human Interface experts, and also have a top team of engineers. But they don’t let the engineers lead.”
Gfonsecaz said,
“I think you are also assuming that all engineers are completely left-brain people without any creative skills. That’s a completely false idea. You need to be quite creative to come up with engineering solutions. Sure, as an engineer you have to make unbiased decisions based on data but that doesn’t mean by any stretch that engineers do not use their imaginative side in many ways. Maybe you should have interacted with more engineers before writing this column.”
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