[dreamweapon]

Is it possible that Google liked your product and subsequently thought you might be a good hire, but didn't like your product as a potential acquisition? That is where I think the difference lies. Were you contacted as "I'm from Google and we are interested in you", or "I'm from Google and we are interested in your product"? That is a big difference.

If you look at the opening emails from the two Googlers (X and Y) then it's abundantly clear that the emphasis was on, in X's case, the company, and in Y's case, the product.

And more to the point: at no point did they say what a recruiter should say at the opening of any (honest and professionally delivered) cold call. Which is of course: "Hi, I'm Z and I'd like to talk with you about joining the engineering team here at FooBar."

Finally, it's extremely difficult to interpret the fact that they chose to identify themselves as comping from Corporate Development (rather than Recruiting, or even Engineering) as anything other than a (rather clumsy) attempt at misdirection.

[justizin]

I think what's troubling people about the e-mails, and I'm not sure it's 100% clear cut, is that while it is plausible that this was a clumsy interaction, it seems more likely that this was classic bait-and-switch, and that these two individuals have a playbook they execute on the regular.

Anyone distracting someone who could be spending time on their own business, or billing hourly, with a business offer, should be incredibly concerned about a Lost Opportunity suit. Come up with a way to value the time that you spent, attach it to an opportunity cost, and bam, your dishonest business partner has caused your other business dealings to fail.

I don't want to encourage further abuse of the legal system, but IMO it is an abuse of the legal system to engage in an act you know to be unlawful or harmful, but difficult or costly to enforce.

[fecak]

Again, if you read my comment and the parent comment, I am specifically addressing the parent comment (written by MCRed, just so we're all clear here), and I am responding to his/her anecdote about Google recruiters.

The emails you are referring to pertain to the linked article, and have nothing to do with my comment here.

[dreamweapon]

I see. Thanks for the clarification.