Many bloggers like to talk about who’s dead and who’s not in tech. Microsoft is often pronounced “dead” while Google is said to be an unstoppable juggernaut.
If you really want to see how a company is doing, look at how it attracts and retains good people.
Microsoft is in trouble because:
- They’ve spent years alienating developers with FUD attacks and software patent shenanigans.
- Steve Ballmer is the ultimate pointy haired boss. This is the guy that said he “brainwashed” his “poorly behaved” children so they won’t use Google or iPods. What a blustering jackass.
- Microsoft has been around too long. Now it’s just another company riddled with bureaucratic middle managers who specialize in ass-covering.
- Developers like it when they have full control over their own machines. Microsoft spent a fortune developing DRM for Vista to take that control away. In general the more DRM focused a company is, the less respect outside developers will have for that company.1
- Nothing at Microsoft is sexy except (maybe) the x-box. Would you really want to move to Redmond to work on Vista service packs?
- The action is on the web, and that’s where most developers want to be. Very little worthwhile software on the internet runs on the Microsoft stack, so why work at Microsoft?
- Young programmers are learning their craft in the free/open source world for all the obvious reasons (cost, coolness, etc…).
- The best people are leaving Microsoft for Google or to start their own thing, which perpetuates the Ballmer freakout cycle and leads to more good people leaving.
Yahoo is in trouble because:
- Forget Google kowtowing to Chinese censorship demands. Yahoo actually helped put people in prison for thought crimes against the Chinese government. If this doesn’t alienate potential Yahoo hires then those hires are seriously lacking a moral compass. When I think about potential buyers for Newshutch I never even consider Yahoo because I couldn’t do a deal with them in good conscience unless they apologized for their actions (or at least drove a truckload of money to my house, some of which I would donate to Amnesty International).
- Yahoo’s CEO Terry Semel is a classic Hollywood executive, the last type of honcho a techie would want to work for. Yes this is an ad hominem attack because he’s a Hollywood guy. I’m from L.A., sue me.
- Yahoo is the new AOL. Snore…
- Even formerly cool stuff like Flickr ends up sucking under Yahoo management. Yahoo seems to have a problem aquiring properties without “Borging” them badly.
- Just in case you forgot: China
Google is a mixed bag. I think they’re about to peak in terms of attracting top talent (mostly because they’ve already hired everyone)
The bad:
- Google is getting bigger all the time. With each new hire the difference one person can make is diminished. With Google’s growth rate it’s inevitable that the place will become slow, bureaucratic, and political. Once the brain drain starts, it will be impossible to stop.
- A friend of mine went through some of the interview process at Google. The interviewers and HR people were disorganized to the point of disrespect and had an attitude of “we’re the best ever, deal with it”. I bet it’s nice if you are a known design or development rockstar and Google recruits you, but for mere mortals the hiring process leaves a bad taste in your mouth.
- I’m pretty sure once the novelty of on campus haircuts, laundry, and free food wears off Google employees see the golden handcuffs for what they are. See this hilarious post comparing the work environments of Meetup and Google.
The good:
- Google is sexy at the moment. There is so little glamorous work for programmers that this is a huge incentive to work there.
- Really cool people come to speak at Google.
- It’s probably better to work at Google than 99.9% of all other companies.
- There are lots of smart people around, you’re likely to meet someone to start your own business with.
- Seriously, who are these developers that write rootkits for Sony and DRM for Macrovision? Have they no shame? What do they talk about when they meet other coders? I would assume that a straight up black hat hacker would be more warmly received.
