Related Posts
Bonus for EY S&O?
What’s your least favorite thing about your job?
Additional Posts in Tech
How do companies now view candidates from Meta?
New to Fishbowl?
Download the Fishbowl app to
unlock all discussions on Fishbowl.
unlock all discussions on Fishbowl.



That's just it. It is still Google. We whine about how things have changed at Google, but it is slightly entitled whining. We're comparing us to ourselves, while still being ahead of those outside (in many aspects).
But YMMV based on what team/PA you're at
Google being the dream and the shine wearing off are not mutually exclusive.
This isn't 2015, and Google is no longer flying everyone to Hawaii or Vegas or Macau just for fun. Google is bigger, and more corporate than ever before. The shine has worn off somewhat, but that is basically industry-wide as big tech has become more corporate and more stock price driven. A receding tide lowers all boats. Google has fallen, but is still up there because others have fallen too.
Still a great place by and large, but as G2 mentioned it can be extremely dependent on your immediate team, and internal mobility is far less common than it once was. I know people working on interesting initiatives and easily keeping workload under 35-40 hours weekly, and I know others who struggle to leave the office before 7 pm most days.
Culturally leadership is a bit disconnected and you can definitely feel the slow but deliberate transition from the Google of old to an organization trying to save $$$ wherever possible, but often it’s still better than the majority of alternatives.
Nobody is trying to go to Google anymore.
Nobody? 🤔
And let's get more specific: where else is better across culture, wlb, compensation and branding? I mean overall, not just a few people getting lucky with a good team or offer. Amazon? No. Meta? Comp is a little better, but lose out on culture, and there is a big wlb drop. Nvidia? Only hot because of recent stock increase, not other factors applicable to new hires. OpenAI? Culture and wlb are question marks, with comp depending heavily on IPO or acquisition. I could go on, but I don't see a clear winner elsewhere.
Msft is not there yet. Culture is returning from a low, but not quite Google good due to greater corporatism, hierarchy and emphasis on politics, and less fun in general. Wlb on par. Branding is a slight Google advantage; msft has equal name recognition among general public, but in tech msft is viewed as less elite. Comp is a big gap, with Google generally paying noticeably more for a given role/candidate/yoe.
I worked at msft a few years ago, so maybe things have changed more than I think, but I doubt that.
Shipping big stuff is extremely team dependent, so I'll leave that to your personal preference and offer situation.