Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by catlikesshrimp 131 days ago
The guy says there are workers abroad, not exclusively in Phillipines. Phillipine call centers work when it is night in the US. There almost certainly is /are other centers in another location which work when it is daytime in the US.

Because Night shifts are always more expensive. Nothing to do with any A, B or C Team.

Edir: "Markey then asked about where the operators are located, to which Peña says they have "some in the U.S. and some abroad,” however he did not know an exact percentage of those located elsewhere. "
2 comments
WillPostForFood 131 days ago
The way the Waymo rep answered strongly implied they only have workers on this task in the The Philippines.

--

Markey: In what countries are these employees located?

Waymo guy: The Philippines.

Markey: Excuse me?

Waymo guy: the Philippines.

Markey: So they are in the Philippines.

----

If they aren't in the Philippines, they need to fire Waymo guy..

link
catlikesshrimp 131 days ago
He gave a non answer, quite surely on purpose. Since the interviewer didn't explicitly ask "Only in the Phillipines?", I can see the guy retorting "I never said there weren't operators in other places" (again, without saying which other places, or even if there is any other place)
link
WillPostForFood 130 days ago
Definitely possible, but the more likely answer is that the Phillipines is the only foreign country with operators.
link
TurdF3rguson 131 days ago
It probably has more to do with the fact that Filipinos speak english. There's no other countries like that in Asia. I mean, Singapore I guess, but they're busy with their own things.
link
jcranmer 131 days ago
I think it is more specifically that Filipinos tend to speak English with a more American accent, unlike English-speakers in (say) India.
link
BobbyTables2 131 days ago
Well people in India drive on the left side of the road… That’s not going to work out well when controlling a car in the US…

(Their societal norms regarding driving habits also aren’t going to be an asset)

link
seanmcdirmid 131 days ago
They are only doing top down way point direction, so it wouldn't really matter since they aren't driving the car.
link
seanmcdirmid 131 days ago
Thailand has good enough English, but is probably too expensive with wages on par with China.
link
TurdF3rguson 130 days ago
Thailand doesn't have good enough English to make call centers there viable.
link