Answered from Atoms CTO: What He Learned Working At Amazon and Google | Brian Attwell · Ryan Peterman · 2026-10-30
Brian Attwell said several Google managers and a VP told him that around a decade ago Google had a policy of keeping as many smart people on staff as possible, even if they were no longer working, in case they worked hard again and so competitors could not have them. Attwell stressed he never saw it in writing and cannot prove it existed, and said he knows of no other company that has done the same.
Source: our own transcription of the episode. The full conversation is on Ryan Peterman (2026-10-30). Read the whole episode summary →