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As Christmas Bonus, Google Hands Out "Dogfood"
theodp writes "You know times are tough when the best place to work in America replaces holiday bonuses with a request for unpaid labor. Blaming the economic crisis, Google management has canceled the traditional cash holiday bonus — reportedly as much as $20K-$30K per Googler — and substituted an unlocked Google Android cell phone, retail price $400. An accompanying email calls for employees to celebrate the 'chance for us to once again dogfood a product and make it even better!'" Update: 12/23 01:09 GMT by KD : A reader pointed out that comments to the article note a couple of inaccuracies: the Android phone being offered is an unlocked dev model, which goes for $400; and the reporter may have confused holiday bonuses with performance bonuses. The former have traditionally been in the range of $1,000, according to two comments.
Laws of economics apply to Google, despite last 7 years of them denying tech bubble had already burst.
Wonder how many of these will end up on eBay.
...is the UK. Here, a $180-dollar value bonus is worth considerably more than it was last year!
"Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools, because they have to say something" - Plato
Just to be pedantic, the retail price of an unlocked G1 is $400 not $150.
Is this suppose to be a "don't be evil" article or something? Thousands of people have become unemployed and you people are bitching about a Christmas bonus, pathetic.
Google has been cutting back on perks all year. They haven't had any layoffs yet, but only because they've been canceling contractors. There's a reasonably chance they'll have to reduce employee head count next year.
Do you even lift?
These aren't the 'roids you're looking for.
and substituted an unlocked Google Android cell phone, retail price $180.
Everywhere I have seen Google's unlocked Android phone it was for $399. Not $180 which is the price of one that is locked to T-Mobile's network and a 2 year contract. http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/05/sim-hardware-unlocked-android-dev-phone-1-surfaces-for-399/ http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Mobile-and-Wireless/Google-Releases-SIMunlocked-Android-Phone-For-399/ http://code.google.com/android/dev-devices.html all give the $399 price point.
Taxation is legalized theft, no more, no less.
Information Week has an internal email sent by Google management:
Q: Can I resell my phone?
Googlers should not resell any item given to them by Google. Please review our Personal Transactions policy [removed].
reportedly as much as $20K-$30K per Googler
Hey. I google therefore I am a googler. Where is my $30K bonus?
Seriously, have Google in the past given Christmas bonuses worth that much? I think I am in the wrong line of work...
Hey. If any of you are looking for any last-minute gift ideas for me, I have one. I'd like Frank Shirley, my boss, right here tonight. I want him brought from his happy holiday slumber over there on Melody Lane with all the other rich people and I want him brought right here, with a big ribbon on his head, and I want to look him straight in the eye and I want to tell him what a cheap, lying, no-good, rotten, fore-fleshing, low-life, snake-licking, dirt-eating, inbred, overstuffed, ignorant, blood-sucking, dog-kissing, brainless, dickless, hopeless, heartless, fat-ass, bug-eyed, stiff-legged, spotty-lipped, worm-headed sack of monkey shit he is. Hallelujah. Holy shit. Where's the Tylenol?
Maybe they can put the whole thing down as an R&D project and get a tax writeoff? Ebenezer Scrooge would have been proud.
I know it's no $20-$30k, but I wouldn't be upset over an unlocked smartphone. It's a hell of a lot better than many past employers gave me.
Kudos to Valleywag for taking a non-issue and trying so valiantly to spin it negative. And a tip of the hat to the submitter for managing to paraphrase without getting in the way of the spin.
Better than a one-year membership in a jelly of the month club...
Liberty in your lifetime
Maybe they'll figure out how to make the battery last longer. Honestly, the Android is not all that rad.
But it beats my bonus, which came in the form of a $20 AMC theaters card from my boss (paid out of his pocket, so not a bonus really).
My company hasn't given a Christmas bonus in several years. I weep for the guys at Google, I really do.
How many slashdotters work for a company that gives a Christmas bonus? Maybe that should be a poll question.
On the flip side, we've let no one go, not even contractors. Maybe not having Christmas bonuses is the reason we can afford a full staff even during an economic down turn. Maybe Google will come back wiser for it.
Dedicated Cthulhu Cultist since 4523 BC.
times might be tough... but at least you got rid of the WMD :D ye... i'm laughing... i can't stop laughing into you little faces with the whiny voices.. :D
This story demonstrates the need for some type of public relations filter on Slashdot stories. Too often, a company's PR statements are taken as fact. Here, perhaps the people who run google may have been wanting to end yearly bonuses for a long time. Fearing employee backlash, they needed a plausible cover story. The economy is easy to blame. Look, I know that it's entirely possible their motivations are accurately stated in the press release. I contend, however, that it is equally likely that the economy gives Google the opportunity to change its bonus program without suspicion. Given past violations of the "don't be evil" rule, this wouldn't be surprising.
Old Google:
Here's some money! You're awesome! We're awesome!
New Google:
Here's some (FREE!) company branded merchandise! We'd love you to improve it so we can make more money! We're awesome!"
How the hell is this interesting? Because the economy is catching up to Google? Last year or the year before, everyone clamored because they were charging more for day care services. That they did not have to give any way. Are you referring to the dog food comment? That's just, or should be, common practice. You don't wanna see someone that writes a piece of software and use a competing product.
That which does not kill me only postpones the inevitable.
I'd like Frank Shirley, my boss, right here tonight.
You watched that movie last night too, huh? :-)
Ok, dog food! Poor google employees are getting a free 400 $us phone for Christmas! Not only that, but they allegedly used to get 30K in the past. This is exploitation!
Copyright infringement is "piracy" in the same way DRM is "consumer rape"
My 110lbs mutt is eating me out of house and home.
Slashdot "libertarians": Small government for me, big government for those I disagree with. -1, I disagree with you
Perhaps Google should apply for a bail out too. How hard would it be to just print some extra money?
Hey, if google wanted to hire me, I'd totally take it.
You see? You see? Your stupid minds! Stupid! Stupid!
I'm always amazed by the "news" that valleywag reports, and how being anywhere close to factual is at the bottom of the priority list.
A *lot* of companies used the media mass hysteria as cover to take such actions, long before many of them had felt any measurable impact at all. I.e. companies that still reported profit still said the economy impact was such they simply had to take drastic measures.
Of course, it's all a negative feedback loop. It was bad enough as was, but with the media saying "great depression" over and over again, consumer confidence took a dive and companies started either panicking or taking advantage, which certainly doesn't help matters.
XML is like violence. If it doesn't solve the problem, use more.
Hello Android is the only one of these which isn't out yet. Hell, if you order one tomorrow, one-day shipping will get it there before Christmas!
Colin Dean Go a year without DRM
Dogfood indeed.
Not.
Google handed out phones and asked employees to test them & find flaws. This is not unusual; Microsoft does the same thing in its offices (using and testing its own products).
FOX NEWS.com should be BANNED from television and internet. Have the Congress take it over and give us Truespeak.
My Christmas bonus was a reduction in pay.
My ex's Christmas bonus was a reduction in work days.
My friend's Christmas bonus was a pink slip.
You'll forgive me if I fail to care that Google game their employees a smaller than expected bonus.
http://downwithpants.org Overthrow the tyranny of your pants
Q: Can I post this internal email on the Internet?
A: Hell yes!
How can they extract revenue from companies if those companies source of income dry up? Or even if they don't, a lot of companies are sort of going into hibernation, keeping core staff to maintain their curent efforts, but holding off on growth sorts of moves. I think companies facing diminishing income due to the economic state aren't believing that increased advertising budget is going to be the answer right now.
Makes me wonder if the number of google ads presented to people has decreased or will decrease in the near future. The whole fundamental nature of an economy is that things are interconnected. Particularly being a public company, they are practically obliged to panic in accordance with shareholder panic. Private companies will act on different whims, for better or worse (I know one private company in my area that has actually accelerated some hiring, to secure low price, grateful (loyal) workforce, since they know they can still afford to).
XML is like violence. If it doesn't solve the problem, use more.
The article headline is unnecessarily sensationalistic. I read it and was like, woah, Google is giving actual dog food as a bonus?! And then I found out actually it's a pretty cool device that costs over £400 after shipping and tax - which is about 72 hours work on the minimum wage. Cry me a river - I don't know of any other company even bothering with Christmas bonuses this year.
Typical of the post dot-com environment. People need to start looking at what the phrase total compensation means, and take it to mean "salary + bonuses + stock" Take your cash incentives (salary, bonuses) add in HR benefits (health/dental/optical) plus all the other discounted benefits (daycare, gyms, educational reimbursement etc..) and then the stock purchase plans (either awarded options or ESPP) and 401k.
Well, Google's stock isn't doing too well this year (from $716 down to $300), so there are quite a few people that are thinking, "The stock needs to triple before my options are above water...". Now if the choice from senior management is either no bonuses, or layoffs; most people will take no bonus rather than no job.
I do think giving a phone is just a form of lip service and is a slap in the face. Can you imagine Cisco giving out Linksys routers instead of bonuses? Apple giving out $200 worth of iTunes songs? HomeDepot giving out a free Ryobi drill set?
What really blows my mind is that most people choose their phone because of features/functionality and service provider. The actual cost of the phone itself usually isn't a factor since the service providers often give them away at a severely discounted price.
How many would like to see Wall St Execs take their bonus in the form of dog food?
Wow what a slap in the face for Google employees. Getting a shitty phone as a gift. I work for a small company and my bonus is $3000 every year. Sucks to be them. The G1 is one crappy phone.
Does anyone have any idea what the typical bonus at Google is and what the numbers this year will be?
I was thinking about joining their NYC office... not sure now.
If there about $25k employees, management just wasted $10m on phones, but since they are internally purchased, I bet they spent 10% of that. It's not like I can resell that phone on eBay and make $400. Can I donate it to charity and take a $400 tax deduction?
So now they've given us free phones. Once again taking the tact of offering us perks who's sole intent is to keep us working. Note the phrase in the letter,
We're really excited about getting the phone to more Googlers in more countries, and also seeing all the cool new things you do with it.
So instead of giving us a check for which we can do whatever we want with it. We're now being given phones so that we can do more work on our own time. I'm a bit jealous of those people that received cash instead, at least then I can go take my wife and kids out on the town or use it to purchase gifts. Try putting one fucking phone under the tree. I'd rather have not received anything, at least then I can tell my wife, "due to the economic climate, no bonuses were given out this year."
Hey Google management, how about coming up with a business plan to solve this stock problem? Android isn't going to solve this as it appeals to the /. crowd, which is NOT the masses. You can take this phone and shove it right up your ass.
... and frankly this story (like most on Valleywag) is ridiculous. 20-30k as a year-end _Christmas_ bonus? Come on, people. If that were true, you would have heard about _that_ in prior years.
There is a small seed of truth. Prior years, the bonus was given in cash, but for a comparatively (but still generous) amount. Was it more than the cost of an unlocked G1 (~$400)? Sure, but those years were also better. There are gifts, not entitlements.
It was still a very nice gesture. None of us are promised Xmas bonus. A lot of friends don't get jack-sh*t in terms of bonus. Heck quite a few have even lost their job.
So count me in the grateful pile. I'm still glad I have my job & that that job is at Google.
Am I the only one who sees the christmas bonus as a bizarre ritual? Since I'm self employed, I haven't had one in about a decade (I think I got a gift certificate for a turkey or something insane), but I've never felt like I was owed a christmas bonus. Sure, I cashed in whatever it was, but I never felt appreciative, nor did I ever feel like I was owed anything.
Back when I worked for a company, my attitude was that I do a service in exchange for money. It's not an emotional relationship, it's business, pure and simple.
It would be a good world if everyone stopped looking at their employer as their parents, looking for free handouts.
Sometimes it's best to just let stupid people be stupid.
Good for us, not the BEST for them. Oh well. Google is smart. They know they're not invincible and they're taking minor steps that will ultimately add up to increased chance of survival (which is also good for us)
Blow up my plane? Nuke ten of your airports.
Interesting that as Google cried cash-poor to employees ("current economic crisis requires us to be more conservative about how we spend our money"), it was filing a (paper) Form 40-APP with the SEC asking for an exemption from the Investment Company Act of 1940. Google explained that a past 40-APP SEC filing was necessary so the company could realize 'sustainable competitive advantages' by investing its cash stash in something less conservative than US Government securities.
its NOT cute and your employees are not children.
'googlers'. sigh. 'cute pet names' for employees went out the window years ago.
endearing names intended to make you feel special only make you look like some closed insider's club.
its silly and you know it.
--
"It is now safe to switch off your computer."
My son has been out of work for a very long time and he would be a great asset to Google....even without the Christmas bonus, he would take that job in a heartbeat! And knowing him, he would love that phone!!! :) Merry Christmas to all and to all a better 2009!
This is a non-story.
Is: "Google gives employees 400$ google phone for christmas instead of 1000$ cash bonus",interesting at all?
Heh heh heh. Now I've had two Christmas bonuses :-)
I'm trying to teach myself to set people on fire with my mind... Is it hot in here?
I like the way they answered that question twice, just in case :-)
Aww, and here I thought they were actually handing out dog food to pets displaced by the fires in California this year.
Boo, Google. Boo.
valleywag are not "reporters". most of this article is nonfactual.
rough economic times? i'll take my $6000 bonus in these "hard times".
God, I've never worked for a company that gave a Christmas bonus worth mentioning, googlers should be happy with anything!!
Everyone is living in a personal delusion, just some are more delusional than others.
But I live off of protein bars and Rockstar. ;-p
Slashdot "libertarians": Small government for me, big government for those I disagree with. -1, I disagree with you
My company gave me a small box of chocolates for all my hard work, and people are bitching about getting a phone? Fark me!
Can they? AFAIK Verizon/Sprint CDMA phones can generally be made to work on the other's network, and the GSM family of phones can be made to work on the GSM networks of ATT, T-Mobile and European networks by just switching SIM cards.
But do they make cell phones that are "universal" that will work on both CDMA and GSM networks?
What the fuck are you talking about? The dogfood comment is about what you use in house. Do you think Oracle uses mysql in house? Maybe I should have been more specific. You don't want to see a company that produces a piece of software that would be used, like say, a help desk ticket program, use a competing program. What ever you use at home is what you use at home. They don't have to use the G1 phone if they don't want to. They're giving the G1, the phone they make, as a perk. Would you expect them to give a HTC Fuze or LG Incite? But now we're getting completely off track here from the actual story post.
I also said writes a piece of software, not use a particular OS or tool. But way to take my words out of context.
That which does not kill me only postpones the inevitable.
Sampling the varieties avaliable outside the company is also important. If more people who work for GM owned a Prius or Passat I have to think they'd have a better grasp on why many people think they suck.
Dogfooding taken to the extreme leads to NIH, or "Not Invented Here" problems suffered recently by companies like Apple, HP, Intel and others.
Help stamp out iliturcy.
You can slap me in the face with an unlocked Android phone any time you like... as long as I get to keep it afterwards.
Help stamp out iliturcy.
They are lucky to get anything- if you work for Doubleclick (google) you either a. dont have a job, because they got rid of the entire staff that knew anything (a real pity for those of us who rely on it) and canceled the xmass party. The bonus for the year was a panel review of your job. Starting to wonder about this awesome company- I fear it is the new microsoft.
So instead of giving us a check for which we can do whatever we want with it. We're now being given phones so that we can do more work on our own time.
A lot of us got pink slips for Christmas. Take your righteous indignation, fold it 'till it's all corners, and stick it under your tree.
Help stamp out iliturcy.
From the summary: "An accompanying email calls for employees to celebrate the 'chance for us to once again dogfood a product and make it even better!'" And since I didn't know what dogfood meant, I had to wiki it. So, I had to clarify for you in my 2nd comment. This all started when I saw that the AC at the beginning of this thread was modded as interesting. But now he/she is not. If you wrote a program that for a company that sells pay roll software, wouldn't you use that in house? what does this have to do w/ blaming MS for using their software in house?
That which does not kill me only postpones the inevitable.
Makes people feel special and appreciated. It motivates loyalty when freely given and accepted in that spirit.
When it's calculated as an expectation and the recipient feels short-dealt by theirs, it's a liability.
The end of the year is a common time for these, but "Christmas" bonuses should be paid in November so the recipient can use it for "Christmas" if they are so inclined.
Bonuses should not be "expected". That defeats the point. You don't do that sort of thing if you want to be happy in life. Your deal is that you work and they pay you the agreed amount. When you get your bonus, be happy. When times are hard and you don't get a bonus but the company doesn't go under man up and be happy about the wisdom of your employer, unless he happened to pay himself a $5K/employee Christmas bonus at the same time.
Help stamp out iliturcy.
Comment removed based on user account deletion
That this e-mail is now public makes me weep for my species. Google's famous tight-lippedness to outsiders is a direct consequence of its slightly less famous wide-openness to employees, which is a critical part of Google's internal culture.
I can't even imagine what went through the mind of the person who leaked this. Whining about getting a $400 smartphone instead of $1000 cash — in the midst of an economic crisis that might or might not impact Google's bottom line in the coming year — is perhaps, maybe appropriate on an internal mailing list (if over-the-top and coming off as a spoiled brat). But it's not a f***ing whistle-blow against wrongdoing, worthy of phoning the news media — or, for that matter, ridiculous rumor mills like Valleywag.
($20K in physical paper cash? Where the hell did they get that number? I want to find Valleywag's parallel universe and work for that Google! ... except that I suspect the Google in that universe has a goatee, so maybe not.)
Range Voting: preference intensity matters
Bitch. Moan. Whine. Finagle. Complain.
Grow up. Just about everybody is hurting right now. My heart doesn't bleed for you. Be glad you still have a job, although someone with your outlook may not have one for long.
You use google don't you? Since we're all hard working googlers and generate all those profits using google services like doubleclick and google analyitics, gmail, the Google search engine, and all of their other ad supported content... the question we need to ask is when can we expect our G-phones?
That this e-mail is now public makes me weep for my species. Google's famous tight-lippedness to outsiders is a direct consequence of its slightly less famous wide-openness to employees, which is a critical part of Google's internal culture.
I strongly disagree. As a former prospective google employee, I am *very* glad this sort of thing gets leaked, because it shows us what the company's culture is really like. Honestly, the more I see of the "insider" view of the place, the happier I am that I told them I wasn't interested the second (and I believe third) time.
Their spiel about the phone being a gift (and the employee being taxed for it), but that they're not supposed to sell it is very telling. Among other things, it tells me just how out of touch with reality Google is.
Sorry, but if you give me a bonus and I have to pay taxes on it, it is mine to do with as I please, just as the money from my paycheck is because that's all it is - a physical good in place of a portion of pay (in this case as a holiday bonus).
Everything I need to know I learned by killing smart people and eating their brains.
What the fuck are you talking about? The dogfood comment is about what you use in house. Do you think Oracle uses mysql in house?
Do you think Microsoft uses Windows in-house?
Well, they do--but they didn't, and shouldn't have switched.
My favorite quote is: "As we will see when discussing load balancing, the license cost of Windows software is a major consideration when converting from the unencumbered UNIX implementations."
There's no place like
But people in the Valley are constantly getting this wrong. The phrase is "see if the dogs eat the dogfood" and it is used when you put something up for sale and see if demand for the product develops. The other phrase is "eat your own cooking" and is used when your company has created something and you want to see if the employees will use it and love it before you put it up for sale to the general public. But for some reason, people keep mixing the two up and talking about eating their own dogfood and it makes no sense (because it makes the employees seem like dogs, for one thing).
that is so funny. I was thinking it was too easy.
Under the influence of Post-Cyberpunk Gonzo Journalism
I understood what dog-food meant. For me it was much easier to assume (which is what we're all doing here right?), that the AC was talking about Google being evil just like Microsoft, which if a bonus were to go from $30k to a $400 phone, yes that's evil (seems more likely the article is a POS). And yes, I've known people that worked at a car dealership, if their car was not the model they were selling they did NOT get employee parking. FYI- Oracle owns Innodb, the engine beneath MySQL.
Under the influence of Post-Cyberpunk Gonzo Journalism
... that Google pays LESS than their competitors.
I've never worked for google (and probably never would, even if I had the chance), but from having hung out quite a bit with someone who HAS... well, long story short, he quit because he found a job that paid him more than GOOG can to do what it is he's awesome at.
From what I've read - mostly on /., admittedly - Apple is much the same way. The company "price premium" carries over into employee salaries.
That said, it smells to me like GOOG is indirectly trying to increase Android market share while simultaneously cutting costs. I'm sure SOME executive is ejaculating all over a nice fat bonus check as I'm typing this...
Only a bad company would make you pay taxes on it. From what I've heard Google pays the taxes on the "bonus" for the employees.
I don't have any idea about the history of the term "eating our own dogfood", but since this is slashdot, pure conjecture might be okay.
I could imagine that the term evolved from both the sources you mention, and that it always was a self-deprecating joke. It doesn't make employees look like dogs. It acknowledges that the product they are alpha-testing is not quite up to scratch yet, but that they are willing to use it anyway, since it's "one of ours".
Its ok with all bailouts you are allowed to prefix the word "America" with the word "Soviet"
http://letmegooglethatforyou.com/?q=%22google+are+you+watching%22&l=1
DRM: Terminator crops for your mind!
Q: But I already did it!
A: OH SNAP
how long until
Why?
Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
Seriously, I've never EVER gotten a bonus in any job I've had in the last fifteen years. I read some peoples' bonuses and they're higher than my annual salary. Be happy for what you have, folks.
Eddie: It's the gift that keeps on giving, clark.
Clark: Hey. If any of you are looking for any last-minute gift ideas for me, I have one. I'd like Frank Shirley, my boss, right here tonight. I want him brought from his happy holiday slumber over there on Melody Lane with all the other rich people and I want him brought right here, with a big ribbon on his head, and I want to look him straight in the eye and I want to tell him what a cheap, lying, no-good, rotten, fore-fleshing, low-life, snake-licking, dirt-eating, inbred, overstuffed, ignorant, blood-sucking, dog-kissing, brainless, dickless, hopeless, heartless, fat-ass, bug-eyed, stiff-legged, spotty-lipped, worm-headed sack of monkey shit he is. Hallelujah. Holy shit. Where's the Tylenol?
stephen
That is all.
Considering
I'm having a hard time trying to feel bad for the Google folks on this one.
I rather doubt Google signed any contracts stating that each employee is due a HUGE bonus at the end of the year. It's a "bonus".
"We made a shit-pot of money this year, and you contributed a lot. Here's part of the shit-pot, thanks."
"We didn't make a shit-pot of money this year, you contributed a lot though. Here's a nice new phone, maybe next year if you and several others write something really cool with it, we'll have a shit-pot of money to give you part of."
I don't need a million points of light, just two points of multi-mode fiber and a 10 Gig-E router.
As I recall, that comment was in relation to switching HotMail from FreeBSD to Windows NT 4. This migration failed and was reverted. They later migrated it to Windows 2003 (I think), but it kept running FreeBSD for a long time after they bought it. I wonder how long Yahoo! would have kept running (and contributing to) FreeBSD if Microsoft had bought it...
Inside the rest of Microsoft, they always used Windows (and DOS before then). They originated the 'eating your own dogfood' line, because it's their policy for developers to have to run the latest nightly build. This makes developers who commit code without testing very unpopular.
I am TheRaven on Soylent News
that's why I said the article is a piece of shit.
Personally, I am very happy to receive the dev G1 phone... It wasn't something I would have purchased for myself (tough economic times ahead yadda yadda yadda) nor was it something that I would have asked anyone else to get for me. It gives me the opportunity to play with it and maybe develop a few stupid little applications, just for fun: It will be a much appreciated toy for Christmas.
Will it replace my old phone? Don't know yet. It is a lot bulkier than my Samsung Trace. For now, I'm giving it a test-drive.
In any case, this is the most valuable Christmas bonus that I have received in recent years - so I kinda feel that anyone complaining about it are kinda being ungrateful. I am used to getting perhaps a company-branded backpack, shot glass, towel or USB pen drive as a Christmas bonus from my previous employer so this phone gift is positively extravagant by comparison. Even considering that I occasionally worked long hours and was key in developing a few features which formed the foundation of my then-CEO's promise, I appreciated the small token gifts and I still enjoy using them today.
I never expected, nor did I ever receive, a large bonus from my previous employer.
I never expected any bonus from Google this year, especially considering the current economy.
Just my 2c opinion..
No sig. Move along - nothing to see here.
why not?
Under the influence of Post-Cyberpunk Gonzo Journalism
you can kiss my ass buddy.
But has he met your "ass buddy"?
I got 150 dollars (33% tax on bonuses, too...ended up with $100. Thanks, IRS!). I was a little upset (I was expecting something like 500-1000, don't know why, that just seemed like a normal amount for a christmas bonus), but I realize that times are hard, and I haven't been at my job very long, I get the week off between christmas and new years, and a lot of other things roll into that. A G1 would be pretty nice, as my Blackberry has gotten pretty beat up over the past year...
My Dad got an even better bonus. He got told that his company might not be here after the new year! Man, those Google employees sure have it bad...
Ok, obviously I'm not getting something. Google did not cancel their year end bonuses, the christmas bonuses are basically on par with what they've received in the past, which is a hell of a lot better than what I got. The article is an inflammatory piece of shit. The "Googler" that leaked, is a spoiled bitch, I agree with that. So to the Corporate/Google Fanboys - have I shlucked enough Google Cock in this post to not be moderated in to the dirt? Or do I need to go on about how fucking stellarly awesome Google is? The guy I was responding to didn't know what dogfood meant and interpreted it in an utterly retarded way - he confused me. So what, that makes me an overrated troll for misunderstanding someone that doesn't know what the fuck they are talking about? And yes, it is evil, you should try buying your wife a $20k diamond ring this year and see how she reacts when you give her a fruit basket next year (try it, I fucking DARE you). Put your money where your mouth is.
Under the influence of Post-Cyberpunk Gonzo Journalism
He's probably fat, ugly, and smelly so I doubt she'd talk to him.
Under the influence of Post-Cyberpunk Gonzo Journalism
Last year I gave my wive a Lexus for Christmas. This year, I don't have a job. My would be very upset with my for being fiscally irresponsible if I get her anything other than a fruit basket.
Some days I get the sinking feeling Orwell was an optimist.
That should read "My wife would be very upset..."
Some days I get the sinking feeling Orwell was an optimist.
.
If they're 'eating their own dog food', I hope they realize how ridiculous the telcos are in being monopolists, telcos with gov't/FCC in their back pocket. And that googlers figure out a way to help us (mobile devs) take back the airwaves.
Boo freaking hoo.
I agree that "you can't sell it but you're getting taxed on it" is bull****. The problem here is that the legalese in Google's stated policy carves a much broader path than necessary for CYA purposes — which you'll see at *any* company, Google is hardly unique in that respect. Lawyers always maximize the CYA-ness of their legalese, and the only way to prevent legalese creep is to constantly ask questions and push back against overly-CYA policies.
What Google needs to do, and what I expect they will sometime during January (after the Slashdot crowd has long forgotten this leak), is update the policy so that anything a Googler has to pay taxes on is exempt from the "do not resell" policy. The policy is supposed to be for things like reselling GMail invitations (back when GMail was invite-only) or internal-use AdWords accounts — things that, if sold by a Googler, would essentially walk the line of being fraud. Gifts that get taxed as income clearly don't fall under the intended umbrella of the policy — and the legalese needs updated to fix this.
Range Voting: preference intensity matters
The internal version of gmail was combined with the calendar, collaboration stuff, etc a while before it was released publicly. They called the project Dogfood. And holy shit everyone thought it was clever. You couldn't swing a dead cat without hitting some reference to it. Like they'd never heard it used before. Trouble is, it was lame in the 80s-90s and it's lame in this century.
-B
Ash and Hickory, straight-grained and true, make excellent bludgeons, dandy for the cudgeling of vegetarians.
I'm sorry you lost your job. Luckily for you, it sounds like your wife is a reasonable human being, be happy that you are wealthier in that respect than many, many, people. That said. Jesus H. Christ! I AM WRONG, totally, absolutely fucking wrong. It doesn't matter that this phone bonus seems to have nothing to do with the economy at ALL. That Valleywag is a tabloid that publishes outright LIES! That bonuses did NOT go from $30k to a $150 phone. So, yeah, whatever I'm done.
Under the influence of Post-Cyberpunk Gonzo Journalism
Their spiel about the phone being a gift (and the employee being taxed for it), but that they're not supposed to sell it is very telling. Among other things, it tells me just how out of touch with reality Google is.
Eh, this is par for the course. Maybe it's more common among entertainment companies though. The policy allows the company to give their employees perks that, were they to be released on the open market, would devalue their brand and/or products. They also maintain greater value by being available exclusively to employees.
We've got several items stashed in a cabinet that, should my husband leave his company, will probably get eBayed... since he could get fired for selling them while he works there ;-).
Don't you wish your girlfriend was a geek like me?
Remember, Slashdot does not have a -1 disagree moderation, and no, troll, flamebait, and overrated are not substitutes.
Au contraire, I just '-1 disagreed' your sig, fuckface ;)
I NOw work at Google, I previosly worked at Msoft.. everyone thought I was mad to leave Msoft.. guess what? I'm leaving Google.. and going into "Coal Mining". I dont need to, but all the indicators point to a Coal future. A third fortune? not really.. just very,very comfortable on Stock.
Since when did "dogfood" become a verb?
Perhaps you need to learn the distinction between salary and bonus, and the relative reliability of the two. It's the first step on the road to learning how to manage your finances properly, and it's never too late to learn.
I don't have anything to prove, Mr internet hard man - I'm not the one married to a gold digger.
Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
moar like DIGGFOOD amirite?
whatever, I live below my means, and there's a good chance my means are less than yours. I still wonder everyday at the inverse relationship between competence and "earnings". For example: Slashdot, by re-publishing this crap from valleywag they gone beyond proving they are totally incapable of even, just, simply, finding good shit to link to, and yet we come in droves to argue about how nobody understands the crap of the day.
Under the influence of Post-Cyberpunk Gonzo Journalism