News about fb employee committing suicide is really sad and reading comments in other threads are unsettling. We still don't know what was the reason but bad WLB could be one. Tech wasn't like this until few years back. Engineers were often content with their jobs and there wasn't a need to pull teamates down to grow in career. Also the interview process has become a game and even if you are a good engineer, you still have to leetcode for months to crack interviews. Are we as tech community responsible for this ? We are so focused on getting higher TC and titles that we don't care about how it's adversely affecting us. What can we do as a community to make it better? Any ideas on how interviewing process can be made better?
Only you can affect change. Be conscious of how you speak at the workplace. Battle the details of the issues & problems, not the person. Lift people up and don’t tear them down
I've actually started doing this in my team. Management will always push to squeeze more out of us. As a Sr Eng I try to step up and set the right expectations.
LinkedIn pls take me in your team. Your are a good guy. It would be awesome to work with people like you.
We need more data to figure this out. Is the culture aggressive and toxic only in Bay Area, or also in Seattle, Austin, NY and other places with significant tech presence? What do most people think about the culture in their workplaces? Maybe we need a few polls here on Blind to start with? Edit: We should probably poll what people think is the main reason for this kind of culture at their workplace.
I know my company has become toxic and myself along with other midlevel managers have to set the boundaries.
And you tagged FB only? With any guess?
I think it is the society in Bay Area. I cannot speak for Austin, Seattle or NY, but the set of people who live here are very specific. I am an immigrant myself, but I feel that a lot of people from certain regions are here who are very competitive, egocentric and unsocial - otherwise they won’t be here (rich family, good school, connections —>USA). The people don’t see the value in free schools (higher tax for the rich) and at work team mates are treated as enemies and it looks like a popularity contest.
NYC is like this in all industries to be honest. You have to work hard to not land in a company that rewards that thought process.
@GenAssembmly: Do you think this problem is unique to tech given that we are always trying to outsmart others ?
Community? Here? This has to be the most toxic, brotastic corner of tech anywhere.
I disagree. There are several anonymous communities like hn/Reddit where people discuss constructive things. Not Evey blind post has to be TC or GTFO
They don't have to be, and yet they are.
I’ve worked at various companies and seen different work cultures. The one that I admired the most had a clearly defined value system that everyone had to understand at the time of joining. Everyone knew exactly what kind of behavior will not be tolerated in the company, even if you are a rock star otherwise. This, along with the management style helped keep the environment very friendly and enjoyable, and kept the attrition to very low level.
Company name ?
Not in US, and it was a startup at that time. It decided to remain private as they became profitable without external funding.
Look toward your bubble 10x guy