VC Says Half of Google Staff Do 'No Real Work'
A venture capitalist’s claim that “half” of Google’s white‑collar staff probably do “no real work” triggers broader debate over bloat, “bullshit jobs,” and whether large tech firms are overstaffed. Commenters question the evidence behind the claim and point out the difficulty of distinguishing waste from necessary slack, risk management, and long‑horizon R&D, noting that deep cuts can erode resilience and future innovation. The exchange also surfaces tensions between maximizing shareholder returns (often framed as protecting retirees’ investments) and sustaining humane, functional organizations where non-obvious roles still provide value.
Scope and Framing of the Claim
- Several commenters note the article title omits the qualifier “probably,” turning an opinion into an implied fact.
- Many see the comment as intentionally provocative “ragebait” rather than serious analysis.
- Some point out the irony of someone in venture capital criticizing “BS jobs,” given perceptions that VC/PE themselves add limited tangible value.
What Counts as “No Real Work”?
- Distinction drawn between:
- People literally doing nothing.
- People working hard on projects that don’t ship or don’t move the needle.
- Some argue large orgs inevitably have redundancy and slack; that’s not always waste but a buffer for resilience, churn, and crises.
- Others reference research and anecdotes suggesting sizable numbers of workers self‑describe their jobs as useless, but note self‑assessment can be wrong.
R&D, Moonshots, and Waste
- Critics of the VC’s view say “billions on projects that go nowhere” is how high‑risk innovation works; failure is expected.
- Others argue Google’s issue isn’t doing speculative R&D, but poor execution, red tape, and mismanagement (e.g., moonshots killed, repeated fumbling of chat products).
Shareholders, Retirement Accounts, and Moral Duty
- The repeated focus on “retirement accounts” is mocked as framing investor gains as altruism.
- Some insist a company’s duty is to all shareholders equally, regardless of life stage; others feel retirees’ vulnerability makes losses hit harder.
- Several see the retirement framing as rhetorical cover for enriching already‑wealthy investors.
Layoffs, Slack, and Long‑Term Health
- Some say many big tech firms clearly over‑hired and later had more staff than work.
- Counterpoint: Twitter/X is a bad “proof” that 80% of staff were unnecessary; its resilience may reflect earlier engineering and hidden degradation (bugs, moderation, sales collapse).
- Multiple comments stress that cutting “fat” often increases manager/overhead ratios, reduces resilience, and harms innovation over time.
Management, Middle Layers, and Hidden Value
- View 1: If engineers are doing “fake work,” it’s because managers are doing “fake managing” and green‑lighting bad projects.
- View 2: Many seemingly idle roles (middle managers, SREs, PMs, risk functions) resemble firefighters or executive assistants: low visible utilization until crises or inflection points, when they’re crucial.