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I've had a hard time getting on board with Google using the "Yes, and..." approach in design sprints. IMHO, it's tough to apply a stream-of-consciousness from improvisational theater to building software. Two completely different arenas.

Personally, I've always applied the "No, because..." approach, designing pessimistically/programming defensively, while still being innovative, creative & empathetic. I get the psychology of public criticism making teammates butthurt & stymieing future contributions...but that's maturity.

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  • 3
    Move to Amazon. You will definitely be told your baby is butt ugly on the reg.
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    @SortOfTested Gonna disagree with you there...one of my best friends is SUPER high-up at the company, and she runs a tight ship. But not offensive.
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    @jasonsalas
    That's cool. I'm a former AWS L6 engineer. I saw it all the time, in CRs, in design reviews, from SDMs sweating story points, etc.

    Her org may be cleaner, but I've seen plenty of teams refuse to "agree for the sake of social convenience." Mostly for personal gain, to chase someone to another team and open up slots for their allies, etc. The politics are real.
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    @jasonsalas
    Oh, and don't forget the SDM that felt a competent female engineer should probably move to TPM because she was "so polite and good with people."
    I will definitely add casual sexism to my list of "things that were rampant at Amazon"
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    @SortOfTested Ouch. Sorry you had to go through that. Hopefully you're in a better situation. Crossing fingers!
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    @jasonsalas
    Oh I definitely am.

    Sharing those sorts of things anonymously is why this app exists. It's blind without all the bay area seasoning.
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    @SortOfTested Agreed. (Well, except for the fact that I post as my IRL identity, since I'ma public figure and I work in front of the camera.) Do you remember that mobile app circa 2013 that let users anonymously leave messages about the tech industry? There was LOTS of Google snark there back in the day.
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    @SortOfTested And to be fair, I only became aware of the "Yes, and..." approach as they were promoting Google Glass, which I wrote a book about. That's certainly not a sprint methodology that they use company-wide.

    I've heard that tactic works for some teams...just not for me. I'm a pessimist by nature, so that's my mindset.
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    @FrodoSwaggins Good thoughts...the Netflix pragmatism, even if harsh, works for me: https://vox.com/recode/2020/...
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    @jasonsalas
    Its however you want to exercise your right to self determination. I don't want to say this community is dying, but it's boiled down to what it is. It's an old sweater for people who are persistently frustrated with the state of the industry and need an outlet that won't result in summary termination. It's roughly the same level of toxicity as Thanksgiving dinner.
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