Comment by meekrohprocess
5 years ago
Having also worked for companies that HN hates, of course it's much different on the inside. Nobody twiddles their mustache and cackles when they make decisions that screw people over. They find ways to make it sound benevolent and positive.
Keep at it! Big/impactful companies are great places to learn, and I don't want to tell you what to think. But your views on topics like benign intents and unintended consequences might change after you see enough of them firsthand.
>Nobody twiddles their mustache and cackles when they make decisions that screw people over
Well. Oracle.
Nah, that’s more like shrugging. “Mhh, this number here says that screwing X we’ll make a few more dollars. <shrugs> Ah well, that’s how the cookie crumbles.” <goes ahead screwing X>
Yeah but Oracle generally only screws over companies who either can afford it easily or have used expensive external "consultants" to help make the decision, both have a low sympathy vote from me.
Yeah but they get their tentacles into government as well where it impacts all of us.
> Big/impactful companies are great places to learn
Is it really? I always learned the most at tiny companies.
Well, a company doesn't have to be big to be impactful. What's important in my experience is a productive environment which can foster the occasional side project.
This is actually something that I've struggled a bit with, because it feels like the most interesting and educational jobs are the ones that involve more than 40hrs/week.
Sometimes I wish that I could find a 20hr/week role with the potential to make big positive improvements in peoples' lives. But there are always other groups trying to do the same thing, and they're never happy to stop at part-time.