Why I left Google and went to Facebook: Lars Rasmussen
This week was just a flurry of interesting news from Google. This makes us all happy. But there are reminders of the problems that are ripening inside the "Corporation of Good" ...
elgephest
www.smh.com.au/technology/biz-tech/why-i-quit-google-to-join-facebook-lars-rasmussen-20101101-1799q.html
Stephen Hutchon
Exclusive interview
My place is there ... Lars Rasmussen says that he is looking forward to the moment when he starts working on Facebook. Photo: Andrew Quilty (Andrew Quilty)
')
Lars Rasmussen, an employee of the Sydney office of Google and the co-founder of Google Maps for the first time told about the reasons for his dismissal and the transition to Facebook, following a whole cohort of famous Googlers who gave their sympathies to Facebook. "It seems to me that Facebook belongs to the type of companies that appear once a decade," Rasmussen said last night in a telephone interview, explaining how he decided to end his six-year career at Google, receiving "a very tempting offer" from the creator of Facebook Mark Zuckerberg.
“Obviously, Facebook has already changed the world, and it seems that it has yet more to do. And so I believe that it is there my place… "
Facebook has already registered more than 500 million people from all over the world. Facebook has become the most visited site, and the 26-year-old Zuckerberg is the youngest US billionaire. “I think that if you asked me two or three years ago whether Facebook would become so big, I would not even be able to assume that.” And now I can learn a lot from Mark and his team, ”said Lars.
Huge crack: Rasmussen's contribution to the brain drain from Google
Rasmussen, ceasing cooperation with Google on Friday, will leave Sydney and will move to San Francisco. He plans to start work at Facebook headquarters in Silicon Valley next month, after a “thorough rest” somewhere on the beach.
“I received the following dispatch:“ Come hang out with us a little and see what happens ”“ Well, that sounded pretty exciting, ”says Lars.
A Facebook spokesperson confirmed the appointment of Lars, saying that Facebook “is delighted that [Rasmussen will be] part of the team of world-class engineers working on Facebook to help create new flexible technologies.” Alan Noble, Google Australia’s engineering director, said: “Lars has made a huge contribution to the development of innovative Google products, such as Google Maps and Google Wave. He also played an important role in creating the engineering department at Google's Sydney office. We wish him all the best. ”
Google Wave
The decision to switch to Facebook was made less than two months after Google announced its intention to close the Google Wave project cherished by Rasmussen, which was an innovative attempt to redistribute the tools of online communication and interaction.
“We did not achieve the success that Google had hoped for, and attempts to convince the company’s management not to close the project and the final failure of these negotiations, of course, caused tension,” says the Dane engineer.
Wave received the support of Google co-founder Sergey Brin, who personally approved the project when it was presented to the public last May. But despite some astounding qualities, Wave did not receive due recognition. As soon as the service lost its novelty, it began to melt and its popularity among users.
“This is not something for which I was ready to give my life, but the enthusiasm that we aroused when presenting the project for the first time had a real basis,” said Rasmussen. “It takes time for something new to gain a position and find its niche. I think that Google simply did not show due patience. ”
Leaving "paradise"
Rasmussen, his brother Jens, and the Australians Noel Gordon and Stephen Ma created and later sold the product to Google, which became known as Google Maps. This agreement was concluded in 2004, but the amount of the contract has not yet been disclosed. The same four stood at the origins of Google Wave. The remaining members of the Wave team are still working at Google.
Rasmussen says that the hardest thing was to make a decision to leave "very very smart people" from the Google Wave team and his house in the harbor of Sydney. "I love this country, and it was not easy for my wife and I to get used to the idea that we would leave paradise."
Lars says he will not sell the house and will find any reason to return to Australia.
Big company vs. small company
Lars Rasmussen says that another reason for his transition is the state of Google, which has become too large. He stressed several times that a smaller company, such as Facebook, made it easier to make significant changes. While Google has 25,000 employees, only about 2,000 are on Facebook.
“There is incredible energy raging there, whereas in a company as large as Google it can be very difficult to work,” said Rasmussen.
Last year, designer Douglas Bowman quit Google. In his blog, he then stated that the company became obsessed with data and trifles. “Recently, I was asked to justify my point of view on how wide the frame should be: 3, 4 or 5 points. I can't work in such an environment, ”Bouman complained.
Go to facebook
The positive, as Rasmussen says, is that he will again work with two former Googlers: Facebook technical director Bret Taylor and Facebook platform manager Karl Siegréin.
Taylor worked with Rasmussen on the Google Maps service when work on the project was just beginning, and Sjogrein lived for a while in Sydney, working with Rasmussen on both Google Maps and Wave. Siegreen crossed to Facebook last month when Facebook acquired his geolocation service Nextstop.com.
“To a large extent, the reason for switching to Facebook is that many former Google employees went there, whom I really enjoyed working with. Now they are in FB and it makes me happy, ”said Lars.
And now, three long-time comrades are becoming part of a growing community of ex-Googlers (sometimes called Exoglers [Xooglers] on Facebook). (There is an even more cool version of the pronunciation: "Zuglers")
Glen Kelman, CEO of online real estate resource Redfin, claims that 20 percent of Facebook employees worked at Google at one or another stage in their career development.
Other former Googlers include executive director Cheryl Sandberg, former Google Chrome developer Matthew Papakipos and former senior Android product manager Eric Tseng. Even Google’s former chef Joseph Desimon has moved eight kilometers to the east to take up his duties at Facebook headquarters in Palo Alto.
Another reason that caused Rasmussen to change jobs was that the invitation from Facebook was too tempting to refuse it. Lars said Facebook’s proposal was “extremely attractive and convincing, both financially and in terms of working conditions.” Although Rasmussen didn’t go into details, companies like Facebook, who are only six years old, tend to offer their employees new stock or other options.
According to experts' current estimates, Facebook assets are already worth more than $ 30 billion, and when the company starts to be quoted on the stock exchange, these shares and options can turn many Facebook employees into multimillionaires.
Lars Rasmussen about ...
About Mark Zuckerberg : “I've met Mark several times. That he is a very smart guy is very obvious. In addition, he is enthusiastic about the implementation of new ideas. And this is very appealing to me. ”
About the film “Social Network”: “This film was released literally at the moment when I was talking to Mark and several other people who worked there. I decided that Hollywood should not have a significant impact on my professional choice, and therefore I decided not to watch the movie. ”
Social vs. Search Engine : “I don’t think that social networks are a much less explored area than search engines. Yes, to a certain extent, social networks do determine the limits of technology. But this does not mean that the search engines are outdated, or at least approaching it. We will all use search engines for many years to come, every day of our lives, always. ”
Lars among the participants of GDDru, Moscow, November 2009
The future of Google Wave: “I hope that sooner or later, but at least some of the ideas of the Wave will be implemented in various products. There is still a small group of people working on those parts of it that are in open source, and therefore I hope that a lot will be done by the end of the year, and more new people will join the work on this open source. ”
Will Wave's idea go to Facebook ?: “Neither I nor Facebook want to focus my work on something similar. I will give the idea to rest for at least a few more years. I hope that other people will pick it up and be able to create something better than what we could achieve. ”
(for assistance in the Ukrainian translation, thank @ MsCentaurea)
elgephest
www.smh.com.au/technology/biz-tech/why-i-quit-google-to-join-facebook-lars-rasmussen-20101101-1799q.html
Stephen Hutchon
Exclusive interview
My place is there ... Lars Rasmussen says that he is looking forward to the moment when he starts working on Facebook. Photo: Andrew Quilty (Andrew Quilty)
')
Lars Rasmussen, an employee of the Sydney office of Google and the co-founder of Google Maps for the first time told about the reasons for his dismissal and the transition to Facebook, following a whole cohort of famous Googlers who gave their sympathies to Facebook. "It seems to me that Facebook belongs to the type of companies that appear once a decade," Rasmussen said last night in a telephone interview, explaining how he decided to end his six-year career at Google, receiving "a very tempting offer" from the creator of Facebook Mark Zuckerberg.
“Obviously, Facebook has already changed the world, and it seems that it has yet more to do. And so I believe that it is there my place… "
Facebook has already registered more than 500 million people from all over the world. Facebook has become the most visited site, and the 26-year-old Zuckerberg is the youngest US billionaire. “I think that if you asked me two or three years ago whether Facebook would become so big, I would not even be able to assume that.” And now I can learn a lot from Mark and his team, ”said Lars.
Huge crack: Rasmussen's contribution to the brain drain from Google
Rasmussen, ceasing cooperation with Google on Friday, will leave Sydney and will move to San Francisco. He plans to start work at Facebook headquarters in Silicon Valley next month, after a “thorough rest” somewhere on the beach.
“I received the following dispatch:“ Come hang out with us a little and see what happens ”“ Well, that sounded pretty exciting, ”says Lars.
A Facebook spokesperson confirmed the appointment of Lars, saying that Facebook “is delighted that [Rasmussen will be] part of the team of world-class engineers working on Facebook to help create new flexible technologies.” Alan Noble, Google Australia’s engineering director, said: “Lars has made a huge contribution to the development of innovative Google products, such as Google Maps and Google Wave. He also played an important role in creating the engineering department at Google's Sydney office. We wish him all the best. ”
Google Wave
The decision to switch to Facebook was made less than two months after Google announced its intention to close the Google Wave project cherished by Rasmussen, which was an innovative attempt to redistribute the tools of online communication and interaction.
“We did not achieve the success that Google had hoped for, and attempts to convince the company’s management not to close the project and the final failure of these negotiations, of course, caused tension,” says the Dane engineer.
Wave received the support of Google co-founder Sergey Brin, who personally approved the project when it was presented to the public last May. But despite some astounding qualities, Wave did not receive due recognition. As soon as the service lost its novelty, it began to melt and its popularity among users.
“This is not something for which I was ready to give my life, but the enthusiasm that we aroused when presenting the project for the first time had a real basis,” said Rasmussen. “It takes time for something new to gain a position and find its niche. I think that Google simply did not show due patience. ”
Leaving "paradise"
Rasmussen, his brother Jens, and the Australians Noel Gordon and Stephen Ma created and later sold the product to Google, which became known as Google Maps. This agreement was concluded in 2004, but the amount of the contract has not yet been disclosed. The same four stood at the origins of Google Wave. The remaining members of the Wave team are still working at Google.
Rasmussen says that the hardest thing was to make a decision to leave "very very smart people" from the Google Wave team and his house in the harbor of Sydney. "I love this country, and it was not easy for my wife and I to get used to the idea that we would leave paradise."
Lars says he will not sell the house and will find any reason to return to Australia.
Big company vs. small company
Lars Rasmussen says that another reason for his transition is the state of Google, which has become too large. He stressed several times that a smaller company, such as Facebook, made it easier to make significant changes. While Google has 25,000 employees, only about 2,000 are on Facebook.
“There is incredible energy raging there, whereas in a company as large as Google it can be very difficult to work,” said Rasmussen.
Last year, designer Douglas Bowman quit Google. In his blog, he then stated that the company became obsessed with data and trifles. “Recently, I was asked to justify my point of view on how wide the frame should be: 3, 4 or 5 points. I can't work in such an environment, ”Bouman complained.
Go to facebook
The positive, as Rasmussen says, is that he will again work with two former Googlers: Facebook technical director Bret Taylor and Facebook platform manager Karl Siegréin.
Taylor worked with Rasmussen on the Google Maps service when work on the project was just beginning, and Sjogrein lived for a while in Sydney, working with Rasmussen on both Google Maps and Wave. Siegreen crossed to Facebook last month when Facebook acquired his geolocation service Nextstop.com.
“To a large extent, the reason for switching to Facebook is that many former Google employees went there, whom I really enjoyed working with. Now they are in FB and it makes me happy, ”said Lars.
And now, three long-time comrades are becoming part of a growing community of ex-Googlers (sometimes called Exoglers [Xooglers] on Facebook). (There is an even more cool version of the pronunciation: "Zuglers")
Glen Kelman, CEO of online real estate resource Redfin, claims that 20 percent of Facebook employees worked at Google at one or another stage in their career development.
Other former Googlers include executive director Cheryl Sandberg, former Google Chrome developer Matthew Papakipos and former senior Android product manager Eric Tseng. Even Google’s former chef Joseph Desimon has moved eight kilometers to the east to take up his duties at Facebook headquarters in Palo Alto.
Another reason that caused Rasmussen to change jobs was that the invitation from Facebook was too tempting to refuse it. Lars said Facebook’s proposal was “extremely attractive and convincing, both financially and in terms of working conditions.” Although Rasmussen didn’t go into details, companies like Facebook, who are only six years old, tend to offer their employees new stock or other options.
According to experts' current estimates, Facebook assets are already worth more than $ 30 billion, and when the company starts to be quoted on the stock exchange, these shares and options can turn many Facebook employees into multimillionaires.
Lars Rasmussen about ...
About Mark Zuckerberg : “I've met Mark several times. That he is a very smart guy is very obvious. In addition, he is enthusiastic about the implementation of new ideas. And this is very appealing to me. ”
About the film “Social Network”: “This film was released literally at the moment when I was talking to Mark and several other people who worked there. I decided that Hollywood should not have a significant impact on my professional choice, and therefore I decided not to watch the movie. ”
Social vs. Search Engine : “I don’t think that social networks are a much less explored area than search engines. Yes, to a certain extent, social networks do determine the limits of technology. But this does not mean that the search engines are outdated, or at least approaching it. We will all use search engines for many years to come, every day of our lives, always. ”
Lars among the participants of GDDru, Moscow, November 2009
The future of Google Wave: “I hope that sooner or later, but at least some of the ideas of the Wave will be implemented in various products. There is still a small group of people working on those parts of it that are in open source, and therefore I hope that a lot will be done by the end of the year, and more new people will join the work on this open source. ”
Will Wave's idea go to Facebook ?: “Neither I nor Facebook want to focus my work on something similar. I will give the idea to rest for at least a few more years. I hope that other people will pick it up and be able to create something better than what we could achieve. ”
(for assistance in the Ukrainian translation, thank @ MsCentaurea)
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/109792/
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