Is everyone aqui-hired by Facebook required to say something like "we like what we do, but at Facebook we get to work on something that is used by a billion people!" I swear, every single blog post announcing an exit, acquisition or hire by Facebook includes this.
Is that it? Is that the ultimate metric by which a developer or entrepreneur measures success? So what if you're contributions are going to be used by a billion people - Facebook is fluff, an advertising supported business where the product is free to use and the usage data is mined for revenue.
I feel like what they're really saying is "Facebook wrote me a giant check that I couldn't refuse" - why is that so hard to say? I don't think many working for Facebook leap out of bed thinking they're going to change the world - but your startup might.
Man up, admit when you're being paid enough to silence your discontent or burn your old bridges for the city on the hill.
Why is so hard to believe that some people would be excited to continue what they love doing, but potentially supercharged at Facebook? Clearly it's not for you, but it doesn't seem far-fetched. And like everything else in life, I'm sure there were multiple dimensions to this -- including a good dollar offer.
Oh right, they should be tacky and talk about money instead.
I've written software used by thousands of companies for a couple decades. That makes me happy just as much as the salary I made writing it. Providing utility to large numbers of people is satisfying.
And for your startup to change the world...well, a billion users certainly puts you further down that road, doesn't it?
Why can your startup change the world outside Facebook but not inside Facebook?
I appreciate you saying this because meaningful work doesn't need to be highly visible but I dislike your cynicism. It isn't difficult to imagine why a designer would want their work to be seen by the largest possible audience and to suggest it must just be the money is pretty cynical.
Is that it? Is that the ultimate metric by which a developer or entrepreneur measures success? So what if you're contributions are going to be used by a billion people - Facebook is fluff, an advertising supported business where the product is free to use and the usage data is mined for revenue.
I feel like what they're really saying is "Facebook wrote me a giant check that I couldn't refuse" - why is that so hard to say? I don't think many working for Facebook leap out of bed thinking they're going to change the world - but your startup might.
Man up, admit when you're being paid enough to silence your discontent or burn your old bridges for the city on the hill.