Google Reviews

Cons

i can not find any yet.

Cons

Politics, politics, politics. Like 30% of the engineering leadership is now comprised of people with no technical merit to stand on. Most places are still worse than this, but Google used to be a lot better.

Cons

1) Work/life balance. What balance? All those perks and benefits are an illusion. They keep you at work and they help you to be more productive. I've never met anybody at Google who actually time off on weekends or on vacations. You may not hear management say, "You have to work on weekends/vacations" but, they set the culture by doing so - and it inevitably trickles down. I don't know if Google inadvertently hires the work-a-holics or if they create work-a-holics in us. Regardless, I have seen way too many of the following: marriages fall apart, colleagues choosing work and projects over family, colleagues getting physically sick and ill because of stress, colleagues crying while at work because of the stress, colleagues shooting out emails at midnight, 1am, 2am, 3am. It is absolutely ridiculous and something needs to change. 2) Poor management. I think the issue is that, a majority of people love Google because they get to work on interesting technical problems - and these are the people that see little value in learning how to develop emotional intelligence. Perhaps they enjoy technical problems because people are too "difficult." People are promoted into management positions - not because they actually know how to lead/manage, but because they happen to be smart or because there is no other path to grow into. So there is a layer of intelligent individuals who are horrible managers and leaders. Yet, there is no value system to actually do anything about that because "emotional intelligence" or "adaptive leadership" are not taken seriously. 3) Jerks. Sure, there are a lot of brilliant people - but, sadly, there are also a lot of jerks (and, many times, they are one and the same). Years ago, that wasn't the case. I don't know if the pool of candidates is getting smaller, or maybe all the folks with great personalities cashed out and left, or maybe people are getting burned out and it's wearing on their personality and patience. I've heard stories of managers straight-up cussing out their employees and intimidating/scaring their employees into compliance. 4) It's a giant company now and, inevitably, it has become slower moving and is now layered with process and bureaucracy. So many political battles, empire building, territory grabbing. Google says, "Don't be evil." But, that practice doesn't seem to be put into place when it comes to internal practices. :(

Cons

* It *is* becoming larger, and with it comes growing pains: bureaucracy, slow to respond to market threats, bloated teams, cross-divisional tension (though nothing remotely approaching that of Microsoft's internal tension). * The quality of the engineers is possibly dropping, but possibly not. It's hard to get real metrics, because as the absolute number of people grows, naturally the number of bad apples grows; as a percentage it's supposedly the same as it ever was, but with larger numbers of poorer quality engineers it just _feels_ like things might be changing for the worse. * Also with growth means more internal-confidential data leaks (again, because of the raw numbers of people) -- product announcements being ruined, etc. That means the company has to be tighter-lipped internally to avoid leaks, which makes things less open. It's still an amazingly open place, but less so than it was even a couple years ago. The good thing is they recognize it and actively look to improve things because they know how important it is to keep the good culture.

Cons

I live in SF so the commute can take between 1.5 hours to 1.75 hours each way on the shuttle - sometimes 2 hours each way on a busy day or rainy day. That means being on the bus for 3-4 hours PER DAY. It's a wired bus though which means you can work on the way to Mountain View. But it can feel brutal. Your first year or two are really important in terms of your career at Google and they affect how you're viewed, and your ability to be promoted. You should always ask to work on high profile projects. If you don't get them, don't expect to get high ratings or get promoted. Always volunteer for cross functional group work for maximum exposure, and then work hard at those things. You'll likely work on something that no one will explain to you and it will take you at least a year to be comfortable doing what you're working on, even if you're super quick at learning. No one has time to train you or teach you what you're doing - which is kind of hard. After two or three years, people you started out with at Google start to get promoted. If you're not one of them, you'll wonder why and how it happened, and that process is somewhat political and not always clear. It's a big company now. And super political. So don't be naive. Expect some people to be catty, some people to be territorial, and be prepared to be mentally tough. Don't let people see your vulnerableness. It's a Darwinistic culture with a huge dose of 30-something idealism on top which can fool you into thinking that people are easygoing - they're not. They're driven. If you're not driven, you're not going to fit in. When you start at Google, it seems like peer reviews are super important - they are, but they are the sprinkles on the fro yo. The important thing is that your direct manager knows your work, likes your work and likes you, and then you can get promoted. If your boss doesn't like you, all the positive peer reviews in the world won't help you. Make sure you know what your boss wants, and give it to them. You will have weekly one on ones, and make sure you are addressing your performance at each one, asking if they have questions, how you can improve, can you work on cross functional projects, etc. It's really hard to find work life balance at Google. The workload is huge. I hardly have time to work out. The commute is brutal. My family sometimes needs more from me and I can't give it. I'm still trying to find the balance. I think I need more down time than most people so I have a hard time being structured every day to fit all the things I want into my day, so a lot of things slip, like working out.

Cons

After 25 years of the company only hiring and never having to rapidly reduce its workforce, the lay offs over the last year have certainly shifted baseline trust around job security. The company is navigating uncertainty of the economy and the evolution of the technological landscape as gracefully as it can, and on the positive note, employees have a way to ask leadership difficult questions about ongoing challenges in a public setting across multiple forums. This promotes a culture of openness and establishes some psychological safety. Further, while the pay is really good for the industry, Google is beginning to take a more cautious and deliberate approach to raises and promotions.

Cons

However, it's worth noting that Google's fast-paced environment may not be suitable for everyone. The pace of work can be demanding at times, requiring adaptability and resilience to thrive in such an environment. Nonetheless, for those who are passionate about technology and eager to make a meaningful impact, Google provides an unparalleled platform to unleash your full potential.

Cons

The culture has changed significantly. Good leaders empower brilliance and excellence, they don't discourage or inhibit them. It seems like all the good, empowering leaders have left Google, and were replaced by people who are actively preventing people from being their best. For example, the old self-assessment / peer-assessment / leadership-assessment "Perf" system was brilliant and was a model that other companies followed. It was turned down and replaced by an atrocious "expectations / anonymous adhoc feedback / check-in" system that makes everyone feel like they're on a PIP. The highest performers are discouraged from setting ambitious goals, and "doing the right thing for the company", and are instead encouraged to define modest goals that strictly match the role profile description of their role. The highest priority is "meeting the expectations". It feels like whoever is leading People Operations is actively trying to sabotage morale, burn people out, and cause the highest performers to look for the door.

Cons

- Run by ex-McKinsey and 2008 financial crisis big-bank veterans - The worst treatment of employees I have ever seen during their layoffs. Cutting off corp access abruptly, not disclosing to teams and employees who was let go from their teams. In many cases, blatantly lying to employees when justifying these actions - Employees on visas were severely mistreated and disadvantaged on their ability to collect severance during "extended notice layoffs" - Perks are being constantly removed and teams/projects cut - Management seemingly has 0 control of their organizations - Management of entire product areas are upward-failing and seemingly have no passion for their organizations. They lead organizations the size of normal companies and treat it like just a line item on a resume - Once a leader in diversity/inclusion they have proven that they do not care about these efforts at all since they were the first thing on the chopping block. Even their diverse employees that are on visas were especially mistreated at the first sign of a market down turn - Severely senior-skewing engineering. You will likely have no opportunities for career advancement

Cons

While Google is undoubtedly a remarkable company to work for, like any workplace, it's essential to consider potential challenges. Here are some cons to be aware of: Intense Work Environment: Google is known for its fast-paced and dynamic work environment. For some individuals, the pressure and pace may be challenging to manage, leading to potential stress or burnout. Large Organization Challenges: Being a massive multinational corporation, Google's sheer size can sometimes result in bureaucracy and slower decision-making processes. Navigating through the organizational hierarchy may require patience and persistence. High Expectations: Google sets high expectations for its employees, aiming for innovation and excellence. While this can be motivating, it may also create a demanding atmosphere where meeting and exceeding expectations becomes the norm.