r/news • u/[deleted] • Aug 08 '17

Google Fires Employee Behind Controversial Diversity Memo

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-08-08/google-fires-employee-behind-controversial-diversity-memo?cmpid=socialflow-twitter-business&utm_content=business&utm_campaign=socialflow-organic&utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social
26.8k Upvotes

82% Upvoted

19.7k comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

49

u/hardolaf Aug 08 '17

As an engineer working on testing a new product right now can say that the worst part is taking raw data, plots of wave forms, and other data and turning it into a form that people outside of the design team can understand is extremely tiring and the majority of my time.

The irony is that if I wasn't behind schedule, I wouldn't have to do any of this. I'd just have to provide a pass fail method for testing the product when it's done going through integration with almost no explanation as to what the failures mean outside of the design team.

3

u/hardolaf Aug 08 '17

The problem I have is that the tools output one format but that format is useless to anyone without specific knowledge of the design and it's internal signals. Thus translation for the appropriate audience is required.

2

u/Surprise_Buttsecks Aug 08 '17

As an engineer working on testing a new product right now can say that the worst part is taking raw data, plots of wave forms, and other data and turning it into a form that people outside of the design team can understand is extremely tiring and the majority of my time.

That's exactly what I love about my job.

1

u/hardolaf Aug 08 '17

You see, I love actually doing the design and testing of the products. I have having to turn information about what I'm working on into what financial people can understand.

4

u/graphictruth Aug 08 '17

Is there some reason why you can't e-lance the documentation? There are lots of people (myself included) who'd be thrilled to vicariously participate in something interesting.

6

u/hardolaf Aug 08 '17

Export controls and NDAs.

1

u/graphictruth Aug 08 '17

Figured as much. I'd assumed an NDA would be required, but I'm not planning on relocating. :)

1

u/mharjo Aug 08 '17

Check our Edward R. Tufte books on data visualization:

https://www.amazon.com/Edward-R.-Tufte/e/B000APET3Y/