Tim Bray left Google

Web guru Tim Bray, one of the authors of XML specifications and the author of HTTP status 451 for web pages that are banned by censorship, will no longer work with Google from March 17th.

The reason is unique and very simple: Tim worked remotely for four years from his native Vancouver. And before hiring, and after that he was offered to move to Silicon Valley to work at the Google office. Tim Bray always politely refused. However, at some point, the management of his unit informed the remote employee that it was impossible to continue in this mode.

Tim Bray understands Google’s position because working with remote employees “isn’t the model Google decided to create.” He understands that he would really be more effective and would get more pleasure in full-time work in the office, but, unfortunately, he simply can not move.

The web guru had no choice but to quit.

Tim Bray explained that he could not move because his "heart belongs to Canada and the green-gray Vancouver, its insignificant and diverse people." In addition, he considers the Bay Area to be “overpopulated, racist, incestuous, and overly expensive.” So he was never drawn to California.

Tim is grateful to Google for four years of "super-interesting" work and a fair severance pay. He will miss Google and involvement in the great power that Google represents and which, when used smartly, can affect the entire Web.

Recall that Tim Bray joined the Google Android development team in March 2010, which was announced on his blog under the heading “Into Territory Without Evil”. Explaining the decision, Bray said that in a philosophical sense his position coincides with the concept of Google’s business, including “he likes the openness of Android for developers, a large set of interfaces, the spirit of open source, strong support for Android by Google and the open application market.”

Tim Bray Blog Entry Cache