Once again, I feel compelled to respond to an article in the El Reg (and one here).
Leaving aside the inaccuracies in the pieces, I feel that such articles are toxic. The simplistic approach sensationalizes a few personalities and while it may make for good copy and get pageviews, the actual folks who did the work get no credit and it is wrong. With such a talented pool of folks at Google, enabled by a culture of excellence that starts from the top, anyone could have done a great job, but no one mentions that. The work is about the team, the culture of data-driven decisions, fair and firm debate, and a refusal to compromise. Credit should go unto those who deserve it: the incredible teams at the company. My own part if any, was managing to get out of the way of the folks doing the work.
Congratulations on the move – I look forward to hearing about how some new, different problem was solved.
As regards the press, I flip the standard around and am happy when they get *any* of the details correct…
dude, i had no idea that you’d trademarked ISIS.
The number of simple, factual inaccuracies in that article is extremely sad. Congrats on the new role. Good luck up in the rainy north.
They left out the part about you inventing the question mark while at Google…
Seriously – congrats on the new role. Anyone who’s dealt with these things knows exactly what you mean.
What an impressive and perfect reply to that article. Congratulations on the new role, and just remember – there aren’t that many more impressive technology companies for you to work at. I expect the Gill Corporation to take flight in about five years!
And….new reasons to come visit the Pacific Northwest!