Proof of Work

Working with a poorly thought-out, or overengineered technology stack, or an overly bureaucratic organization is also a form of proof-of-work.

#Engineering #Career #Organizations

How to Solve a Problem in Three Steps

If you don’t know what a refridgerator is nor what an elephant is you are likely to think that opening the door, putting the elephant in, and closing the door is a viable strategy for putting an elephant in the refridgerator.

#Organizations #Career

Thirteen Years

Some reflections from thirteen years at Google.

#Career #Culture #Organizations

Pillars And Governance Structures

#Culture #Career #Organizations

The Point of a Strategy

The only useful strategy is one that reduces risks.

#Career #Engineering

Promise Fatigue

Setting low but realistic expectations is better than setting high but unrealistic ones.

#Culture #Career

Sometimes It's the Interviewers Who Suck

I’ve done hundreds of interviews. I’ve also served in numerous hiring committees over the years. Tech companies tend to have cultures built around tech people interviewing other tech people, typically in what is not-so-affectionately known as the “Tech interview.” This is good because candidates would be evaluated based on their actual skills instead of keywords in their resume. Interviewers are in effect choosing their future coworkers which makes in interview serve the interest of both the interviewer and the interviewee.

#Career

Ten Years

It’s been ten years since I started at Google. The work anniversary fell on 6th of December. Ten years ago my wife and I made our way to Mountain View for my orientation; all excited for a brand new chapter in our lives. After spending a week in Mountain View / Palo Alto we both decided that California was not for us. But that’s beside the point. I was elated. This was pretty much everything I dreamt of as a kid growing up in Sri Lanka.

#Career