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Comment by whimsicalism | Hacker News Reader

I am very curious if anyone will actually use this API endpoint they're releasing https://developers.google.com/optimization/service/shipping/...

It's very cool nonetheless

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These OR APIs (in my professional experience working at Google Cloud between 2015-2023) is that they're 1) academic, and 2) used commercially as a way for Google Cloud solution architects & engineers to build customer-specific solutions that use these optimization APIs as a part of a business solution running on GCP. Case in point would be Route Optimization API, which was published just like this has been by the corporate OR team. Then, on top of that was built -- with input from a few alpha customers -- the Fleet Engine solution.

Until any of the OR APIs are exposed via Google Cloud, they won't have SLAs or any reliability guarantees and should not be used except academically. Just my $.02.

https://developers.google.com/maps/documentation/transportat...

thank you - this is a very helpful perspective to understand how this is used for someone who doesn't have much experience working in a customer-facing cloud

Probably it'd be irresponsible not to try it. I'm curious if this is the full shape of the problems and constraints faced by planners. Flexport is the $3.3bn (revenue) company in this space also based in SF.

oh yes i remember them! - they were the first company to reject me for a job

Don't worry, they imported an Amazon exec who laid waste to the culture, set everything on fire, didn't accomplish anything and then was fired. You know, the typical amazon exec.

The had layoffs recently I think, so maybe you dodged a bullet

oh i definitely did, landed a higher paying job and hear about lots of drama over there. interesting problem space, though

With Google’s graveyard[1] growing so fast, I’m careful with new Google announcements. An API like this sounds particularly problematic to replace sometime in future.

[1]: https://killedbygoogle.com/

The correct solution from a shipping company is not to engage with google.

Instead start a spreadsheet with all the people who worked on this product, and contact them as soon as Google announces it is shutting the API down. Or you notice a few people chaining their Linkedin status.

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