tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9186457242428335144.post5322403964728588206..comments2024-03-18T23:39:02.190-07:00Comments on Volatile and Decentralized: Running a software team at GoogleMatt Welshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04255792550910131960noreply@blogger.comBlogger36125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9186457242428335144.post-47362601527040482702013-04-27T10:52:43.764-07:002013-04-27T10:52:43.764-07:00If other readers also have useful advice / experie...If other readers also have useful advice / experience here I'd be really interested to here it. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9186457242428335144.post-81528594620458931832013-04-26T02:43:03.486-07:002013-04-26T02:43:03.486-07:00This comment has been removed by the author.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10791962503756377245noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9186457242428335144.post-17308123468332310672013-04-19T17:34:46.940-07:002013-04-19T17:34:46.940-07:00This is exactly the information I was looking for....This is exactly the information I was looking for. Thanks a lot for sharing.Candlehttp://www.quickcandles.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9186457242428335144.post-67425170422561064702013-04-15T14:54:19.044-07:002013-04-15T14:54:19.044-07:00I respectfully disagree. I'm glad you liked th...I respectfully disagree. I'm glad you liked the SORA paper, but I'm willing to bet fewer than 1,000 people have ever read it (and fewer still understand it). It is true that when you write a *really* milestone paper -- something like RAID -- then it will have tremendous impact both on academia and industry. But very little academic work has this kind of impact. As I blogged about when I decided to join Google, for me it is a question of what end of the innovation pipeline I want to work on. Personally it's more satisfying to work on things that have direct impact on real users. This is not to say you can't be happy working on stuff that might only matter 5 or 10 years down the line - but that's not for me.Matt Welshhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07077674014671176946noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9186457242428335144.post-11282324816877111432013-04-14T13:40:49.620-07:002013-04-14T13:40:49.620-07:00Matt, do you get the same elation when you write c...Matt, do you get the same elation when you write code for Google as compared to say when you wrote SORA? I am asking this because - in my opinion, papers are more durable than programs. Everyone might forget your code at Google, but you will still be remembered as the one of the co-authors of SORA (which is I think one of the highest cited papers in WSN).<br /><br />Contributing to mankind's knowledge in terms of writing papers like SORA I think is more important than slinging some python code all day long. What say?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9186457242428335144.post-41371588323188182392013-04-13T20:32:02.609-07:002013-04-13T20:32:02.609-07:00Great question. The short answer is, I don't k...Great question. The short answer is, I don't know. The longer answer is, I have realized that I am happiest when writing code and building real things that real people use. Fortunately at Google, I can continue up the career ladder without taking on more management responsibilities. I don't think I want to find myself in the position of being in meetings all day without being able to code.Matt Welshhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07077674014671176946noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9186457242428335144.post-58782020045290235902013-04-13T20:30:08.753-07:002013-04-13T20:30:08.753-07:00Can you give an example? I am not sure what you...Can you give an example? I am not sure what you're getting at here.Matt Welshhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07077674014671176946noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9186457242428335144.post-6647708140085299742013-04-13T20:28:59.028-07:002013-04-13T20:28:59.028-07:00I can't really respond to the Anonymous commen...I can't really respond to the Anonymous comment about "micro-managing" students. That's not what I suggested at all. I think you can run an effective research group in which students are not allowed to slack off.<br /><br />Anon#2: Yes, my experience in industry would certainly shape my approach to research. However, the way you win the academic game is by writing papers, not building useful products. Being good at writing papers doesn't necessarily mean you are working on the right problems or can even deliver a working solution to any of them. At the same time I don't think academic researchers should be working on the same problems that companies are trying to tackle.Matt Welshhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07077674014671176946noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9186457242428335144.post-30495902500612521652013-04-13T12:27:10.708-07:002013-04-13T12:27:10.708-07:00Hi Matt,
Thank you for a very insightful writing.
...Hi Matt,<br />Thank you for a very insightful writing.<br /><br />Continueing with question of being *forced* to return to academia world. I wonder if your experience working as a software engineer influences your perspective of doing research and on how you choose the research project? <br /><br />Thanks,<br />HAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9186457242428335144.post-77939873506825644132013-04-13T07:24:37.617-07:002013-04-13T07:24:37.617-07:00Matt, what is your next career goal and plan? Do y...Matt, what is your next career goal and plan? Do you want to move up to higher leadership positions or do you want to stay as "engineer"?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9186457242428335144.post-74511658496022998192013-04-13T00:01:21.224-07:002013-04-13T00:01:21.224-07:00you monster! emacs all the way...you monster! emacs all the way...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9186457242428335144.post-18699547749197427162013-04-12T06:59:58.638-07:002013-04-12T06:59:58.638-07:00After visiting the Google offices in London and Du...After visiting the Google offices in London and Dublin (Dublin especially) I can see how you are more productive with the great environment and working ethos there.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15934854345576043519noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9186457242428335144.post-87043511487639076712013-04-11T22:26:57.312-07:002013-04-11T22:26:57.312-07:00its something really good intro i have see about y...its something really good intro i have see about you.So now you are do both the activities parallel.and your post will definitely give some way to freshers and students for their career.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9186457242428335144.post-50177697360995540062013-04-11T13:59:43.828-07:002013-04-11T13:59:43.828-07:00I am working at the same major that I go to school...I am working at the same major that I go to school for. At least at computer science major I can easily see how we are wasting our time at school mostly because how professors are leading their classes. I wish it was an obligation for professor to work in an industry, before being teaching students. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9186457242428335144.post-90762392499347684742013-04-10T21:38:28.661-07:002013-04-10T21:38:28.661-07:00Pretty much everything under the sun ... Personall...Pretty much everything under the sun ... Personally, I use vi :-)Matt Welshhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07077674014671176946noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9186457242428335144.post-30859813552111392092013-04-10T18:26:07.083-07:002013-04-10T18:26:07.083-07:00Matt,
What editors or IDEs does your team use? Matt, <br />What editors or IDEs does your team use? Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9186457242428335144.post-78285832083471704182013-04-10T12:06:50.140-07:002013-04-10T12:06:50.140-07:00From my experience in managing in industry and in ...From my experience in managing in industry and in academia as a research supervisor, I am not sure that one can really learn the skills necessary for leading or for working on large software projects in today's software engineering programs.<br /><br />Google has so much money that practices can work that might be detrimental to a less wealthy company.Joachim Martillohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00121944171459090792noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9186457242428335144.post-40672316658657844192013-04-10T11:46:03.866-07:002013-04-10T11:46:03.866-07:00Dear Matt and Anonymous #1,
I feel that the diffe...Dear Matt and Anonymous #1,<br /><br />I feel that the difference is about whether you want to maximize the output of your research group (as a way to ensure tenure) at the cost of developing independent research skills in your students.<br /><br />Many successful profs micro-manage their students to the extent of defining their problem statements, designing experiments, analyzing results, and writing most of their papers. These students seldom become successful academics themselves.<br /><br />Just my 2 cents on this.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9186457242428335144.post-83057109906434381122013-04-10T10:41:25.020-07:002013-04-10T10:41:25.020-07:00It's sad that the academic system is so lame. ...It's sad that the academic system is so lame. But it would be even sadder if people didn't realize it was lame and wasted their careers beating their heads against it. Glad you saw the light as so many of use have.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9186457242428335144.post-24993760147905675572013-04-10T09:47:21.673-07:002013-04-10T09:47:21.673-07:00I've blogged about this extensively before, bu...I've blogged about this extensively before, but the short version is that the professor's work is never done. You can always be working on another paper, another proposal, another talk, joining another committee, whatever. Since the number of things you publish and are involved in is directly related to your success as an academic, there's never a point where it stops.Matt Welshhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07077674014671176946noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9186457242428335144.post-3891756631823680562013-04-10T09:44:21.136-07:002013-04-10T09:44:21.136-07:00"If I'm being asked to do more than I can..."If I'm being asked to do more than I can get done in a sane work week, we need to hire more people."<br /><br />I wish everybody saw it that way. Even employees can get carried away with this. I once had a junior programmer who was working 80 hours and maybe being half as productive as the rest of us. I tried to explain to him that nobody is going to notice when you're here in the office at 9pm, and you're neglecting your family, which is making you depressed, and that is contributing to your low productivity. I told him we need you to work 40 hours a week and stop trying to be a hero. He didn't understand me telling him to work fewer hours. I tried to explain that I thought he would get more done if he had appropriate breaks and time to spend with his wife, who was handicapped and needed a lot of attention that he wasn't giving. We eventually had to let him go - primarily because he wasn't doing what he was told - I told him to go home at 6pm every day, and I showed him how to get things done that way, but he didn't do it. So basically, he was let go for insubordination - for refusing to work fewer hours! Can you believe that?Jasminehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09618734526176282409noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9186457242428335144.post-54410782448118993092013-04-10T07:33:18.540-07:002013-04-10T07:33:18.540-07:00Matt,
Thank you very much for sharing this. As s...Matt, <br /><br />Thank you very much for sharing this. As somebody who had spent time in the industry before starting a top-tier Ph.D. program, I was quite surprised that students' work is *not* organized like you specify here. To me it always seemed like a misdirection of human potential. <br /><br />Wouldn't you say, however, that in the long term, students' lack of focus is what allows them to come out as independent thinkers and people who are able to scope their own problems and figure out their own ways of getting around the problems? Isn't the freedom of exploring -- as opposed to a "focus on shipping" -- isn't it a distinguishing feature of a Ph.D.? <br /><br />I'm asking since I, personally, would also run my group more like a software team. I keep wondering why many people do not -- whether this is for the lack of faculty time, or whether there is a particular wisdom to it. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9186457242428335144.post-18810671302514951522013-04-09T23:25:43.189-07:002013-04-09T23:25:43.189-07:00What is it do you think that most reduces the &quo...What is it do you think that most reduces the "constant pressure to work, work, work" from academia?<br /><br />Is is that your have more people in your group? That they are better qualified or more independent than students? Or simply that there are less time wasters like meetings and reviewing papers?<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9186457242428335144.post-25716207551300365392013-04-09T09:33:55.303-07:002013-04-09T09:33:55.303-07:00This was a great read, thanks for sharing!This was a great read, thanks for sharing!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9186457242428335144.post-8578049461818920532013-04-09T09:29:59.887-07:002013-04-09T09:29:59.887-07:00Thank you very much for your post! It really helpe...Thank you very much for your post! It really helped me. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04158598345729371755noreply@blogger.com