A Google engineer has accidentally posted a rant criticising the company on its own social platform, Google+.

The criticism, which includes descriptions of Google+ as ‘a pathetic afterthought', a ‘knee-jerk reaction' and ‘a study in short-term thinking', was intended to be visible to everyone at Google, but instead went completely public.

The post was taken down shortly after, but copies have quickly spread around the internet.

The author, Steve Yegge, has worked for Google for six years, and spent the same time at Amazon before that. He says Google doesn't ‘get' platforms, and refers to Google+ as ‘a prime example'.

"The Golden Rule of platforms is that you Eat Your Own Dogfood,” Yegge says.

"Microsoft has known about the Dogfood rule for at least twenty years. It's been part of their culture for a whole generation now. You don't eat People Food and give your developers Dog Food.

Yegge has since issued a disclaimer stating that he works ‘off in a little corner of the company' and has ‘very little insight' into the business as a whole.