When Danny Greg first moved to San Francisco to work at Github in 2012, he used to get high-fives in the street from strangers when he wore his company hoodie.
These days, unless he’s at an investor event, he’s cautious about wearing branded clothing that might indicate he’s a techie. He’s worried about the message it sends.
Greg is one of many people working in tech who are increasingly self-conscious about how the industry – represented by consumer-facing tech titans like Google, Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Twitter and Uber – is perceived: as underregulated, overly powerful companies filled with wealthy tech bros and “brilliant assholes” with little regard for the local communities they occupy. Silicon Valley has taken over from Wall Street as the political bogeyman of choice, turning tech workers – like it or not – into public ambassadors for the 1%.
“I would never say I worked at Facebook,” said one 30-year-old software engineer who left the company last year to pursue an alternative career. Instead, at dinner parties he would give purposefully vague responses and change the subject. “There’s this song and dance you learn to play because people are quick to judge.”
Most techies do not stay long at any public company. Avg seniority is 2.5 years. T-shirts, hoodies, even internet postings, photos can be judged by HR as personal profile. Any offensive remarks or silly photos can be judged as offensive. This gov’t contractor was fired posting her pointed her middle finger at our president. She countered she did not specify her employer’s name. Too late, damage is already being done. May be a democrat will hire her.
I was employed at a fortune 500 company where someone on the street asked me to tuck my badge inside. My manager said it was against company SOP to display anything affiliated with the employer in public place. Why? Some stores would gave discount to the employees, spies will want to offer to buy sensitive info. from you. He went in so far showing FBI arrest of industrial spy leaving US with photos of unannounced product on the SJ Hg News 1st page. Spy’s source was someone who displayed his affiliation in public place.
Well, besides some of them (foreigners) not knowing if they are going to go back home, or stay in this country, most high techies I’ve interviewed during their life insurance policy applications are savvy and know what they get into. But some? My goodness! That’s all I can say.
Oh, by the way, here, you can basically apply that famous political meme, you can put a…something about a lipstick and a piggy.
