I worked at Google for four years, so I think I can speak with a bit more authority than the 'matter of month'ers you criticize, when I say:
Yes, some of the criticisms, especially those by outsiders with clear agendas, are overblown. That said, a lot of them are very real. Most of the Google employees who openly criticize the company were there for a lot more than 'months' (and I'm pretty sure I know who you're targeting with that epithet.)
I would say that one can build a somewhat realistic picture of the environment inside the company from the postings of ex-employees on HN. It's a lagging indicator, obviously. But the complaints aren't made up.
As for 20% time itself: it's always been somewhere between fiction and fact, in the sense that, in practice, you had to be very assertive or have a very supportive manager to use it, and you were generally cutting into your performance review scores by not using that time on your main project. My understanding now is that it's more or less officially dead, but that postdates my tenure at the company, so I can't confirm it.
Comments
I worked at Google for four years, so I think I can speak with a bit more authority than the 'matter of month'ers you criticize, when I say:
Yes, some of the criticisms, especially those by outsiders with clear agendas, are overblown. That said, a lot of them are very real. Most of the Google employees who openly criticize the company were there for a lot more than 'months' (and I'm pretty sure I know who you're targeting with that epithet.)
I would say that one can build a somewhat realistic picture of the environment inside the company from the postings of ex-employees on HN. It's a lagging indicator, obviously. But the complaints aren't made up.
As for 20% time itself: it's always been somewhere between fiction and fact, in the sense that, in practice, you had to be very assertive or have a very supportive manager to use it, and you were generally cutting into your performance review scores by not using that time on your main project. My understanding now is that it's more or less officially dead, but that postdates my tenure at the company, so I can't confirm it.