[willifred]

>200 engineers and 50 in 'overhead' (designers, marketing etc.)

Is this a deliberate attempt to troll or are designers nothing but overhead? Poor design, particularly poor interface design, is considered a major factor in many of Google's product failures (Wave, Google TV, Buzz, et al). User interface design and consistency are frequently cited as the largest remaining gap between the Android and iOS experiences.

[TillE]

I assume the quotes implied sarcasm.

And in fairness, Wave and Android are hardly perfect examples of engineering. Wave was buggy and never added significant features, Android is still sluggish compared to iOS on similar hardware.

Google tends to lack clear direction/leadership/vision at a product level, not just UI design.

[jamesaguilar]

Anyway, it will never be like a startup again until moves are made from necessity, not whim.

[ytkliu]

I'd have to heartily agree with this sentiment. While oftentimes I think we do see engineers get marginalized in favor of "business" employees or designers to disastrous effect, it's important to recognize the importance of UI/UX, especially on consumer-facing products. While Apple and its extreme focus on UX is the most prominent example, many web startups have seen success due to a combination of good marketing and design (Tumblr, Facebook (vs. Myspace), Instagram, and Flipboard come immediately to mind).

[pdaviesa]

Where's the marketing love?

[alnayyir]

To be fair, a lot of Wave's problems could've been nipped long before it got to the designers. The app was just plain slow. Speed is a quality all of its own.