Google Cult
| Googlers | Tribalism
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Hypocrisy
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Ignorance
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Intolerance
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Transparency
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Paranoia
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Leavability
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Abuse
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Insecurity
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Eccentricity
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Prophets
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Extremism
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Level | 9️⃣ | 8️⃣ | 3️⃣ | 7️⃣ | 5️⃣ | 5️⃣ | 5️⃣ | 5️⃣ | 8️⃣ | 5️⃣ | 8️⃣ | 6️⃣ |
| Total | 74/120 | |||||||||||
Give academic college snowflakes more money than some governments, and tell them that they were the smartest kids in the room (like their mommies did), and they might believe you. And their obscene success means they skip a lot of life's harder lessons, and the wisdom that usually imparts. They get to invent a culture based on a College Kids idealism and naiveté, with unexpected (for them) results.
Sloganeering and their own "in" lingo, hiring and work practices that they thought skimmed the very best, was actually a filter against intellectual diversity, and seems more in home in Jonestown, Guyana than in Silicon Valley. Even their unofficial motto, "Don't be Evil", begs the question, "what is Evil?" -- and to them it was a college marxists view of the world to hate everything they were going to become. So in order to be a good employee you had to put your corporations evolving ethics above your own, or you left (or were driven out). And the stock growth was enough to keep most people in place, becoming more evil, while seeing everyone that disagreed with them as outsiders (and thus Evil). They became their parents.
| Signs of a Cult |
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While you can't judge all individuals by the group behavior, you can judge the group by the group averages. If there are traits in common to the group, that's hinting that it is a group dynamic. They might be filtering, intentionally or unintentionally. But either way, if you ride with outlaw bikers, don't be shocked if you end up in a bar fight. |
A cult
They thought they were the smartest kids in the room because they stumbled onto an idea at the right time (and everyone was telling them how great they are). Steve Jobs and Bill Gates had the same thing happen a decade or two earlier. They failed at the hardest life lesson of all, never believe your own bullshit.
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So Google founded as a cult of arrogance, that was incompetently run and had no focus in all these areas (for at least the first decade):
- Business wise, they didn't have to make a profit (just keep growing). So it's hard for the competitors to beat that with superior products that customers have to pay for (and you need to make money on).
- Hiring wise, their interviewing was mocked in the Valley; "let's hire based on like-mindedness and a lack of diversity". They basically gave candidates silly puzzles and riddles for many hours (to feel superior?), then a flock of geeks talked amongst themselves about who "fit" (was like-minded/geeky enough to join the mean girls clique of nerds). Candidates didn't know what role they were getting hired for, they either wanted to join the cult and get options, or weren't worthy. Who knew hiring based on "willingness to follow without question" might have long term ramifications?
- Promotions are similar -- you get promoted based on what the team decides. Be a great performer and asocial? You're fucked. Work on the wrong team, like a support organization that helps the others -- you won't have your own accomplishments, because you spent your time helping others get things out that helped the company. (Or because your management moved you 5 times, and you were never there for final delivery).
- Marketing wise, they were incompetently run, and had no focus. Fortunately, their lack of marketing savvy was turned to an advantage. The lack of competence was seen as endearing when they were small. (They really weren't small, but they were so incompetent for their size, people judged them like they were small because they were new). They'd say something dumb, and correct it. They'd launch a product poorly, but just jump to the next one. They didn't need marketing, because they had so many users/viewers. They could throw any shit out there, and have an audience of millions/billions, and since they didn't need to make money, they did get attention. And that was good enough to get more money.
- Ideas wise, they were incompetently run. I ask people, "what did Google create". I can't find any answers. They did good at taking others ideas, failing miserably on 80% of them. But the 20% that did succeed, scaled up enough to make up for it. So they succeeded wildly. But if you look at how many opportunities they pissed away, ideas they missed, and so on, it's not a good record.
Conclusion
Google was a frat house. But they had money and momentum. Since they were immature college kids with little real life experience, they were able to run their company in ways that would appeal to immature college kids with no real work experience. Which is what they did. They mocked experience and celebrated youth. They expected you live, breathe, and think like a Googler (their immature naming for members of the clique). They invented lingo, and processes, in ways that cult does. Many people that didn't know better, or wanted to belong joined the cult because "fit".... many others that did know, just plugged their noses at it, because "stock" (or security). But since they thought they were better than everyone else, it was just a matter of time, before their arrogance would catch up to them. It didn't take long until they weren't the coolest kids in the Valley. Now many of their best and brightest leave in disgust (or are driven out), as they put conformity above contribution.
