Pros: Very good comp and perks compared to other local employers. Google really does have some of the smartest employees in the world.

Cons: Working at Google is a positive feedback loop. If you start off well, you are given more opportunities and can continue to do well. If you don’t, you are given insignificant and uninspiring work, which makes it difficult or impossible to get a good performance review, and you will have trouble transferring to a team where you could do better. Sydney is very much a minor branch office; the range and ambition of local projects are minimal compared to headquarters. Layoffs are stressful for everybody, regardless of the ultimate outcome, and a reminder that despite all the PR, you’re only there to make the shareholders rich.

Pros: Smart people. Great compensation. Opportunities are boundless. Benefits are unparalleled. You can accomplish great things here. I trust the company way more working for them and knowing their official privacy and security policies than I ever would as an outsider.

Cons: They think C++ is a good language, smh. Even here, developers still don't know what OOD is. Constant barrage of faux "woke" SJW smarmy corporate narrative. I've yet to see a post-mortem that actually got business and engineering management to change their broken ways.

Pros: Great pay, cool campuses, and cool free food and coffee.

Cons: The open office plan gives me anxiety. It expects a massive amount of self-advocacy for every little thing. My peers' stats and ML backgrounds were lacking, and the work was not very stimulating. While DEI company benefits are quite good, some of the company's public actions caused some dissonance about their values, especially regarding LGBTQ and women's issues.