Why looking down upon FB DS？
I always hear people saying that FB data scientists are glorified data/business analysts because they use SQL all day long and they mainly foces on improving products. But as I observe, data scientists in many other companies are doing the same! Their daily work include defining metrics, conducting AB testing and doing deep dive analysis, but they barely build ML models/systems. Good examples are LinkedIn DS, Airbnb DS Analytics, Apple DS (in most teams, though there are some teams working on NLP or CV), Amazon DS (similar to their BIE), Google DS/QA (many working on AB testing), Uber DS (in many teams just analytics + AB test, in some teams doing applied ml), Lyft DS, Twitter DS, and many others. If FB data scientists are glorified analysts, why not DS at these companies? Why FB DS are mentioned the most? Also, what’s the difference between DS analytics and data analysts when bost exist in the same company?
Business analytics is important, I don't make fun of it. Only the salary :P The pay is such a joke which is why I got out. Doesn't matter if you do "real ML", the pay still doesn't stack up to a vanilla SWE in most cases.
Interesting. Following
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I heard a lot of DS at FB just use Excel for their work. I don’t really see that at Airbnb. It would probably be looked down upon.
imo, I think DA actually provides more business value than DS most of the time. How many ML models built but no one actually using them? DA usually has more interaction with stakeholders and helping them answer their questions more directly. While a model can take months to develop and productionize, it might solve a specific problem, but turnout may not be adopted at the end due to misalignment in business goal/ not easily understandable by stakeholders etc. Maybe I am biased as a DA myself but I do see lots of resources spent in DS with not much impact. I do think modeling work is more sexy and fun. Any MLE or true DS can enlighten me?
I'm a DS and I totally agree. DAs bring much more short term value in most scenarios.
People look down upon FB DS because they pay so much more than other DS/PA/BA/DA companies but require a similar level of skill-set. That burns, so the hate.
DS in general has become a joke within high tech. They're all business analysts with salaries to match. ML Eng has taken over the interesting work that used to be called data science, and MLE is better compensated as a result.
But MLE seems to be a small job family. Now the job market has a lot more DS than MLE.
Yeah that's because companies started hiring "DS" to do BA work. The title is worthless now