Why I'm Forced to Say Farewell: Google Management Has Lost Its Moral Compass

vrganj

This mirrors my own experience as a European that worked at FAANG in the Bay Area. It used to be a dream job. Now I've relocated back to Europe and want nothing to do with American Big Tech. It's become toxic and completely counter to my values. America has become a much darker place that has a very different place in the world. American tech companies have not just accepted, but actively embraced this transition. I am not interested in joining them and being complicit.

jnaina

moral clarity usually sharpens the moment the last RSU hits the brokerage account

raverbashing

While I can understand the concerns, I wouldn't use a google doc to air my grievances though

mDyJzDPmBdG

Isn't his just weird repost of https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48496396 ?

BLKNSLVR

Whilst I appreciate the commitment to their values, I wonder where they stand on the 'safety' of their users as it relates to the Android Developer Verification update (currently top of HN, here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48755965 ). "Security" vs Openness > “make things so secure that we ourselves can’t break them, whether the device costs $1000 or $100, or the user is a celebrity or a refugee“ That can mean different things to different people in different contexts. Could easily mean building a software platform with security features that banks will build their apps to require.

robotmaxtron

google used to be cool

jqpabc123

"Don't be evil" was just a diversion from a path that was laid out from the beginning. And it worked --- for a while. Until the path became impossible to deny.

assimpleaspossi

The last time I worked for someone else was 1992 so one didn't really use personal sites like this where one would whine about why they left their job for all the world to see. We all have our reasons for quitting but something like this just gathers the "Yeah!!" crowd but no one gains anything from it and it's quickly forgotten. You've already forgotten the content of his post now. Right?

okokwhatever

Can anyone in this industry really say goodbye without posting it? We act like artists, believing our ideals will illuminate the world with our moral compass. This is surreal.

hadi77ir

he resigned because of... "politics"? and not because of the path Google has chosen for Android security?

sherburt3

These tech-bro public resignations are so tedious. Ostensibly he seems fine with the existence of AI mass surveillance and AI powered murderbots but he just never envisioned a scenario where they would get used that wasn't congruent with his politics.

ChrisArchitect

[dupe] Discussion on website source: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48496396

jongjong

It's a systemic issue unfortunately. When some of these unethical CEOs say that they feel like they have no control and that if they didn't do it, someone else would, I believe them and it makes sense. That's why they should try to reform the system.

AlexandrB

Why is this a Google doc and not just an HTML page? I was super-confused when the links didn't behave like normal links. This is like when people post a screenshot of an Apple note.

ubermonkey

This dude only now thinks Google has lost its moral compass? In 2026? Bruh.

FpUser

>" I still believe in Android as the (currently) best end-user facing operating system for mobile devices, with its balance between openness, flexibility, and security." I do not give a shit whether it is the best. If one can be cut off instantly by whims of some algo with no recourse - thank you but I'll pass. Yes I still use Android phone but mostly as phone, GPS and camera all of which can be replaced. I do not develop for Android or iOS exactly for the reason of not being in control. Stick to desktops, servers and browsers as deployment platforms

Bluescreenbuddy

Google never had a moral compass. They went in, got their money, and left when it was easy and barely affected them. They still profited.

goldenarm

Why post a Google docs copy of the original article? https://www.mayrhofer.eu.org/post/leaving-google/

bix6

> Google was a different company 9 years ago. No it wasn’t.

cmrdporcupine

I came to Google via acquisition end of 2011 and left end of 2021. Google bought my employer so it could further cement its display ads monopoly. They never had a moral compass, they just wore one in a costume so that nobody would dig too closely into their business practices. We got to wave pitchforks and ask tough questions at TGIF for a while, and march in pride parades under a Google banner, and get fed nice treats and the like but under it all was still just an old fashioned railway monopoly. A huge fire hose of cash that let it play in all sorts of domains and espouse some vaguely California Ideology liberal/libertarian ideals while doing it. But the moment that monopoly came under threat and the moment they felt they no longer needed the costume, it came off. Google never had a moral compass. Anybody who thought it did was naive. It's not possible for a corporate entity to have one.