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Comment by zionic | Hacker News Reader

Not going to dox myself.

> I haven't worked at FAANG

I doubt that.

> but I most definitely would not want to work for a company like yours.

You do you. But I make sure we pay way above average, I want the best people and the best people don’t work for Facebook, Apple, Amazon, Netflix, and Google.

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What about Microsoft? Do their employees get a pass because the company wasn’t included in Jim Cramer’s acronym? It seems odd to single Cramer’s stock picks out specifically. What about Philip Morris ex-employees? Palantir? HSBC or any other evil investment bank? I think those three have done far more evil, but you’ll consider their alumni because they are not specifically “FAANG”? So odd to single out five specific companies that are only associated with each other because a TV personality made an acronym out of them.

There is plenty of evil. FAANG has no lock on it. Microsoft, Oracle, ransom gangs, Goldman Sachs. Wanting to get out of them ought to be a mark in one's favor.

Not sure what makes Netflix evil, though. Clue?

You’re a person of great conviction and superior morality — who dares not name the company and reveal their identity. I’m amused.

“ I want the best people and the best people don’t work for Facebook, Apple, Amazon, Netflix, and Google.”

Tell me when you hire a Yann LeCun or Jitendra Malik. Your claim is random shit-talk that’s not verifiable.

Where do you think the best people work, and how did you come to that conclusion?

Lots of places. See, the best people have a lot of options. That’s implicit.

Given the diversity of rewarding roles available to them, the best people aren’t pressured to accept morally compromising positions.

What’s the pay for someone with 10-15 years experience and is “the best people”?

It entirely depends on the role.

My point is I make sure my companies pay well. I want every employee to feel like they’re robbing me.

But I also want to make sure that I have as few employees as possible.

I personally wouldn’t hold it against someone for working at FB. Life and people are way more complicated (or not complicated, for that matter) than what you’ve reduced it down to. For one thing, consider that just because you exclude people who worked at FAANG, you’re not actually accounting for all the other thousand ways people can behave immorally or amorally. Screening out FAANG employees doesn’t actually get you very far in this regard. So it just looks like you’re harping on this one thing. Do you screen candidates who you think associate with politics you think are immoral? Or who have worked at tobacco companies? Etc.

That said I appreciate your attitude here. These companies are civilizationally damaging. It’s good to keep repeating that. I’m just not sure your approach makes sense.

So how do you hire the best people? Seems like most employers focus on name-brand resumes and leetcode. I've never met anyone who does an actual substantial interview.

I’m not perfect. I like to hire people slowly, and meet them in person where I can.

But I’ve definitely made mistakes, and so far every hire I’ve honestly regretted worked for a megacorp prior to me hiring them.

What kind of mistakes did you make, what kind of bad hires did you have? I'm curious what kind of flaws would correlate with having worked for a big company before.

How do the best people avoid working for CEOs who accept buyouts from FAANG?

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