 I don't know where this idea comes from that FAANG excel at software engineering. Like all large corps, they're a power law distribution of capabilities, from abysmal to excellent. Nandos make a lot of money, but I wouldn't bother applying to L'Enclume if I did my training there. The inescapable reality is that excellence in software engineering, like restaurants, doesn't scale. 9 comments
No one at Facebook was interested in Kent Beck's lectures on TDD while he was working there. The secret lies in endless resources, burning through money and people.  @jasongorman I have my own pet example currently of some really indifferent engineering from them in multiple senses! @jasongorman Yes - and the big orgs justify the cognitive dissonance of stating "our people are the best" and delivering bad software with the phrase "no-one pays for quality" - a standard excuse for not trying  @jasongorman They have done some clever things, but when you dig down into their technical solutions they are usually a variation of "we have lots of money so just throw more hardware at it."  @jasongorman It's even worse. They drive out everyone who excels and knows their worth, and hire for one of 3 things: (1) mediocrity, (2) alignment with corporate agenda, and (3) folks they can hold in visa traps. @dalias @jasongorman That doesn't feel correct for FAANG in particular. Except maybe for 2, which seems like a necessity for working anywhere? π  @jasongorman This is, I believe, one reason the corps are so excited about code written by "AI". Mediocrity may be mediocre, but they know how to scale it consistently. Just spend more money. (I doubt AI can deliver even mediocrity at scale, but the corps haven't figured that out yet soβ¦) |
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And if I studied at L'Enclume, Nandos probably wouldn't consider me, either. They're not in that market.