[OneMoreGoogler]

During my one year at Google, the problem with the most complaints by far on memegen is Android L's "safety lock," requiring an extra swipe up before entering the unlock code.

This is an edict from the design team, which engineering brainstorming cannot overcome. Furthermore, the majority of engineers cannot implement a solution even if they cared to try: they lack permission to access the development Android source repository.

Maybe it's different in other product areas, but from where I sit, the atmosphere you describe feels like a myth that Googlers tell each other, and not part of its culture today.

[zaphar]

I can't speak to your particular experience but it's a single datapoint from one year for one person.

I no longer work at Google but for the nearly 7 years I was there while not every complaint got handled by a group of engineers like described in the article, a startling number of them were. It was still very much a part of the culture when I left and I would not be surprised to discover that it still was.