What happens when a Silicon Valley technologist works for the government | Matt Cutts

譯者: 牆 穿 審譯者: Bruce Sung

Hi everybody.

大家好

My name is Matt Cutts,

我是麥特．克茲

and I worked at Google for almost 17 years.

我在 Google 服務將近十七年了

As a distinguished engineer there,

身為一個傑出的工程師

I was pretty close to the top of the Silicon Valley ecosystem.

我非常接近矽谷生態系統的頂端

Then I decided to follow some inspiring folks

然後我決定追隨那些勵志的人們

and do a short tour at the US Digital Service.

在美國數位服務處 展開短暫的工作

That's the group of geeks that helped rescue HealthCare.gov

那是參與了救援美國健保局網站的 一群技術宅所組成的團體

when that website went down hard in 2013.

2013 年時這個網站 推出時幾乎不能用

Yeah.

對

So I signed up for a three-to-six-month tour,

我簽了三個月到半年的約

and almost three years later,

但將近三年之後

I'm still in Washington DC,

現在我仍待在華盛頓特區

working for the federal government,

為聯邦政府工作

because the government really needs technologists right now.

因為政府現在真的很需要技術專家

At my old job,

我過去的工作中

every room had videoconferencing

每一間房間都設有

integrated with calendars,

整合行事曆的視訊會議設備

power cables were built right into the furniture.

設在家具裡的電源線

When I moved to a government agency,

但我在政府部門工作後

I had to call a person to set up a phone conference.

我卻必須要請人幫我設定電話會議

And when we moved to a new office,

換到新的辦公室後

we didn't have furniture for a while,

有一陣子我們沒有任何家具

so we set up the phone on a trash can.

所以我們將電話設置在垃圾桶上

One of the things that surprised me, whenever I moved to DC,

搬到華盛頓特區後 還有一件令我驚訝的事

is how much the government still has to deal with paper.

那就是政府仍大量使用紙張

This is a facility in Winston-Salem,

這是一個位於北卡羅來納州 溫斯頓賽勒姆的機構

North Carolina,

where people were worried

人們總擔心

that the building might be structurally unsound

有一天這個建築物

可能會被紙張的重量壓垮

from the weight of all that paper.

Yeah.

對

Paper has some downsides.

紙張有些缺點

Here's a pop quiz:

請問在座的各位

If your last name starts with H or higher,

如果你的姓氏第一個 字母是 H 或在 H 之後

H or higher, would you raise your hand?

能不能麻煩舉個手

Wow.

哇

I have some bad news:

有一些壞消息要通知你們

Your veteran records might have been destroyed

你們過去從軍的紀錄 可能在 1973 年的一場大火中

in a fire in 1973.

付之一炬了

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

Yeah.

沒錯

Paper processes are also slower and more prone to errors.

紙本作業也更沒效率、更容易出錯

If you're a veteran

如果你是退伍軍人

and you're applying for your health benefits

而你正打算以紙本文件

using a paper form,

申請健保福利

you might have to wait months for that form to be processed.

你可能需要等上幾個月才有人處理

We replaced that with a web form,

我們以網頁取代了紙本流程

and now most veterans find out

現在大部分退伍軍人在十分鐘內

if they can get access to their health benefits

就能知道

他們能不能獲得他們的健保福利

in 10 minutes.

(Applause)

（掌聲）

Here's another launch that I'm proud of.

另外有件值得一提的事

We worked with the Small Business Administration

我們和小型企業管理局合作

to move one of their systems from paper to digital.

將他們其中一個系統數位化

So this is a picture from before,

這是一張數位化前的照片

and this is afterwards.

這是數位化後

Same cubicles, same people,

一樣的隔間，一樣的人

just a better system for everyone.

配上更好的系統

At one point, we wanted to celebrate modernizing a different system,

當時我們為了慶祝系統的現代化

and so we went to a local grocery store

跑到一家當地的商店

and we said, "Can you make a cake

並問他們

「你們能做出數位化 表格樣式的蛋糕嗎？」

and decorate it with the form that we've digitized?"

And the grocery store got really weirded out by that request.

店家不知該如何是好

They wanted a letter on official government letterhead.

他們希望得到政府正式的許可

Well, we work for the government, so we wrote a letter that said,

當然，我們就是為政府工作 所以就給了他們一封信上面寫著

"You can use this public-domain form

「您可以利用這個公用格式

on a cake for celebratory purposes."

製作這個慶祝用的蛋糕。」

(Laughter)

（大笑）

Which led to bad jokes about filling forms out in triplicake.

隨後就出現填寫三層蛋糕的爛笑話 （ triplecake 音似 triplicate 三聯表格）

Yes, dad jokes in government.

對，政府機構裡的爛笑話

Now I've talked a lot about paper,

我談到很多關於紙張的部分

but we also bring up computer systems that go down.

我們也將當掉的電腦系統恢復上線

We bring in modern technology practices,

我們使用現代化的科技

like user-centered design and the cloud,

像是以使用者為中心的設計以及雲端

and we also help improve procurement.

也改善了採購流程

It turns out government buys software

但政府仍舊使用古老的方式購買軟體

the same way that it buys chairs and brownies and tanks:

就像他們採購椅子、 布朗尼、坦克一樣

from government regulations that are over 1,000 pages long.

只為了遵守政府冗長的繁文縟節

So yes, there's some stuff that's messed up in government right now.

沒錯，政府內部有些地方正一團混亂

But if you think Silicon Valley is the savior in this story,

但你以為矽谷能夠拯救一切的話

(Laughs)

（笑聲）

you've got another thing coming.

其他的問題就會衍生

Some of the best and brightest minds in technology

有些科技領域中最優秀、 最聰明的人才

are working on meal-delivery start-ups

服務於新創的外送公司

and scooters

摩托車租賃公司

and how to deliver weed to people better.

或是研究更好的方法運送大麻

Is that really the most important thing to work on right now?

現在他們做的真的是最重要的事嗎？

Silicon Valley likes to talk about making the world a better place.

在矽谷人們總喜歡討論 如何將世界變得更好

But you feel your impact in a much more visceral way

但在政府工作

你對你的影響感受更深

in government.

This is somebody whose dad passed away.

這個人的爸爸剛過世

He hunted me down on Twitter

他在推特上找到我

to say that a system that we had improved

跟我說我們改善後的系統

worked well for him during a tough time.

在他最困難的時候給了他許多幫助

Those tough times are when government needs to work well

人民面對困境時正是政府 必須妥善運作的時候

and why we need innovation in government.

也是政府為什麼需要創新

Now I have a confession to make.

現在我必須坦承

When I came to DC,

當我剛到華盛頓特區

I sometimes used words like bureaucrat.

有時候我會使用「官僚」等字眼

These days,

這些日子

I'm much more likely to use words like civil servant.

我更常使用像「人民公僕」這樣的說法

Like Francine, who can make you cry.

就像佛朗辛，她總能讓人落淚

Or at least, she made me cry,

至少，我被她感動得哭了

because she's so inspiring.

因為她是那麼激勵人心

I am also deeply, fiercely proud of my colleagues.

我也以我的同事們為傲

They will work through illogical situations

他們在沒有邏輯的環境下工作

and put in late nights to get to the right result.

熬夜趕工達成目標

The government can't pay huge salary bonuses,

政府沒辦法給我們驚人的薪酬

so we ended up making our own awards.

所以我們創立了屬於自己的獎項

Our mascot is a crab named Molly.

我們的吉祥物是一隻叫茉莉的螃蟹

And so that award is actually a crab-shaped purse,

理所當然獎品是螃蟹形狀的錢包

screwed into sheet metal.

釘在鐵板上

These days, I believe less in silver bullets

在這段時間我發現與其仰賴

萬能神器來解決所有問題

that are going to fix everything.

I believe more

我更信賴

in the people who show up to help.

那些前來幫忙的人們

If you're looking for something deeply meaningful --

如果你正找尋有深層意義的事 --

and full disclosure, sometimes incredibly frustrating --

老實說，有時候 你會感到無比的挫折 --

here's what you need to know.

但你必須要知道

There is something difficult

當人民公僕和技術人員

and messy and vital and magical happening

在各級政府中聯手

困難、混亂

when civil servants partner with technologists

at the city and state and national level.

活力以及奇蹟總會發生

You don't have to do it forever.

你不必永遠在這邊服務

But you can make a difference in public service

但是你能馬上為公共服務帶來改變

right now.

Thank you.

謝謝

(Applause)

（掌聲）