Arab Press

بالشعب و للشعب
Monday, Apr 06, 2026

Ex-Facebook engineer posts YouTube videos mocking the culture and joking about how he was fired

Patrick Shyu, a former tech lead at Google, has posted a series of videos making fun of Facebook, where he worked as a software engineer until last month. Shyu criticizes the company’s culture, calling it a “popularity contest,” where ideas and projects are driven by likes and comments rather than logic. Shyu’s YouTube channel has more than 500,000 subscribers and he says in a video that he makes more money from it than he made at Google or Facebook.

A former Facebook software engineer named Patrick Shyu took to his YouTube channel this week to post a video called “Day in the Life of a Facebook Software Engineer.”

It’s not about any ordinary day, but rather the day Facebook fired him just over a month ago. In the clip, he pretends to walk into a meeting with a human resources representative, who fires him, in part because she didn’t like his YouTube channel. Shyu then proceeds to make fun of Facebook and criticize its culture, calling it a “popularity contest,” where ideas and projects are driven by likes and comments instead of logic.

“Imagine receiving multiple notifications every day where people are just telling me what they’ve accomplished, how great they are,” Shyu said in the video.

Shyu, whose “TechLead” YouTube channel has over 500,000 subscribers, has been routinely poking Facebook, publishing six videos about getting fired since the day he says he was dismissed, Aug. 26. On that day, he posted a video titled “I got fired from Facebook (for having a YouTube channel),” which he shot from his car after apparently leaving the office. He also tweeted out the announcement with a link to the video.

“I know that everybody is shocked,” he said. “And at a dire time like this, I feel like what we really need to do is just take a pause, and thank our sponsor.” He then launches into an advertisement.

Shyu joined Facebook in May 2018 and previously spent almost four years at Google, according to his LinkedIn profile. While at Google, he worked in the office in San Bruno, California, where YouTube is based.

Many of his videos give insights into the life of software developers. They typically get between a few hundred thousand and over 1 million views. In a Sept. 9 video titled, “How much I make on 1,000,000 YouTube views (after getting fired from Facebook),” he says that he’s probably making well over $500,000 on the site.

“It’s funny that I’m generating more on YouTube than what I made as a tech lead at Google or as a staff software engineer at Facebook,” he said.

In the latest video this week, Shyu said Facebook employees have to constantly boast about their mundane accomplishments on Workplace, the company’s internal social network, in order to get ahead.

“It’s kind of this game for people to get as many likes and comments on their posts,” he said. “If you’re into popularity contests, if you thrive in that type of environment then you’ll probably do really well.”

Facebook’s culture was described as “cult-like” by former employees who spoke with CNBC in January for a report about the company’s performance review system.

Shyu and Facebook did not respond to requests for comment.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Arab Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Iranian Drone Strike on US Embassy in Saudi Arabia Reportedly Targeted Intelligence Facility
Saudi Deputy Foreign Minister Meets French Embassy Official to Strengthen Bilateral Engagement
Saudi Arabia Calls on United States to Seize Strategic Opportunity to Reshape Middle East
Dating Apps Surge in Saudi Arabia as Social Norms Rapidly Evolve Among Youth
Saudi Arabia Detains Over Fourteen Thousand Illegal Residents in Week-Long Enforcement Drive
Saudi Foreign Minister Engages in Diplomatic Talks with Pakistan, Kuwait and Latvia on Regional Developments
Saudi Arabia Intercepts Cruise Missile as Regional Tensions Intensify
Saudi Stock Market Edges Higher as Tadawul Index Records Modest Gain
Underlying Rivalry Between Saudi Arabia and UAE Persists Despite Temporary Calm
Saudi Arabia’s Non-Oil Sector Contracts in March as Regional Tensions Weigh on Business Activity
Saudi Arabia Unveils Ambition to Establish Prestigious Global Prize Rivaling the Nobel
Saudi Crown Prince to Engage Wall Street in Push for Investment and Economic Expansion
Iran Accuses Saudi Arabia and UAE After Downing of Chinese-Made Drone
Saudi Arabia Condemns Attack on Hospital in Sudan, Calls for Protection of Civilians
Coordinated Drone Strike Targets CIA Facility Within US Embassy in Saudi Arabia
Italy’s Meloni Prioritises Energy Security and Strait of Hormuz Stability During Gulf Tour
Uncertainty Emerges Over Timeline and Direction of Saudi Arabia’s Ambitious Ski Resort Project
UAE and Saudi Arabia Escalate Strategy with Drone Operations Targeting Iran
Trump Delivers Characteristic Remarks on Saudi Crown Prince Amid Intensifying Iran Conflict
Drone Strike on US Embassy in Riyadh Caused Greater Damage Than First Reported
Saudi Arabia Introduces Flexible Solutions for Expired Visas Amid Regional Disruptions
Saudi Arabia’s Online Car Market Accelerates with AI Pricing and Fully Digital Buying Experience
Saudi Arabia Reassesses Defence Strategy as Iranian Drone Threat Drives Shift in Military Partnerships
Drone Strikes Target Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Bahrain as Regional Conflict Intensifies
Japan and Saudi Arabia Align Efforts to Ease Rising Tensions with Iran
Saudi Crown Prince and Italy’s Meloni Strengthen Strategic Ties in High-Level Talks
SpaceX Explores Potential Five Billion Dollar Investment from Saudi Sovereign Wealth Fund Ahead of IPO
Saudi Arabia Lifts Key Import Barriers to Expand Access for U.S. Beef Exports
Saudi Arabia Enforces Strict Travel Penalties for Visits to Restricted Countries
Italy’s Meloni Embarks on Strategic Gulf Tour to Address Energy Security and Regional Stability
Saudi Film Festival Rescheduled to Summer as Regional Tensions Continue
Saudi Arabia Reports Forty Two Point Six Billion Dollars in Foreign Tourist Spending in 2025
Saudi Crown Prince and Russian President Hold Strategic Call on Escalating Regional Crisis
Saudi Arabia Advances Rail Network as Strategic Alternative to Strait of Hormuz Shipping Route
Ruanyun Edai Launches Saudi Arabia Hub With Forecast of Ten Percent Revenue Growth
Greek Defence Minister Visits Troops in Saudi Arabia Following Successful Missile Interception
Saudi Arabia Expands Global Strategy With Focus on African Critical Minerals
SpaceX Explores Potential Five Billion Dollar Investment From Saudi Fund Ahead of Possible IPO
US Central Command Dismisses Iranian Claim of Mass Casualties Among American Personnel in Saudi Arabia
Co-Diagnostics to Establish Molecular Diagnostics Facility in Saudi Arabia Through Joint Venture
Trump Engages Saudi Crown Prince in Talks on Potential Iran Ceasefire
Saudi Arabia’s Sadara Suspends Operations as Supply Chain Disruptions Intensify
Saudi Arabia Accelerates Energy Shift by Trading Oil Revenues for Battery Investments
Saudi Arabia Introduces Flexible Options for Expired Visas Amid Regional Disruptions
Online Narratives Surge as Iran–US Tensions Spill Into Digital Arena Following Trump Remarks
Saudi Arabia Urges Trump to Seize Strategic Moment as UAE Weighs Ground Deployment
Saudi Arabia Redirects Nearly One Million Barrels of Oil Daily Away from Strait of Hormuz
Saudi Arabia Carries Out Execution of Businessman Linked to 2011 Qatif Unrest
Ukraine–Saudi Defense Pact Signals Rising Demand for Battlefield Expertise
Saudi Arabia Balances Diplomacy and Defense Preparedness Amid Iran Conflict
×