A Bengaluru-based software engineer recently took to social media to share his reflections on working at Google for three years. Raj Vikramaditya, known by his online handle 'Striver', took to X (formerly Twitter) to highlight both the advantages and challenges he experienced at the tech giant.
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Highlights of a Google career: Work-life balance and incredible perks
Vikramaditya's post, which has since garnered over 97,000 views, quickly captured attention as he detailed the perks of his role. Among the top positives, he emphasised Google’s exceptional work-life balance (WLB). "They take care of almost everything you can think of—food, gym, spa, trips, parties," he wrote, showcasing the company's focus on employee well-being.
The engineer also praised the quality of Google's codebase, saying, "Once you dive into it, you're in awe of the quality, design, and overall architecture." For Vikramaditya, working at Google meant being constantly surrounded by top-tier talent. He described it as an environment that pushed him to stay sharp and improve continually. “Being around such talent is inspiring,” he noted.
Moreover, the perks didn’t stop at work-life balance. Vikramaditya highlighted other advantages like additional pay for on-call shifts, peer bonuses, and spot bonuses, as well as access to excellent internal tools. According to him, Google’s internal tools were so advanced that similar ones in the outside world were often standalone startups, run by different companies. The company’s well-maintained documentation also made team transitions smoother.
Facing the challenges: Slow approvals and limited scope
{{/usCountry}}Moreover, the perks didn’t stop at work-life balance. Vikramaditya highlighted other advantages like additional pay for on-call shifts, peer bonuses, and spot bonuses, as well as access to excellent internal tools. According to him, Google’s internal tools were so advanced that similar ones in the outside world were often standalone startups, run by different companies. The company’s well-maintained documentation also made team transitions smoother.
Facing the challenges: Slow approvals and limited scope
{{/usCountry}}Despite the many perks, the Bengaluru techie also shared some challenges that came with working at Google. One of the primary concerns he mentioned was the slow approval process. However, he recognised that with such a large company, multiple layers of approval are essential to mitigate risks, such as potential lawsuits.
Another issue he pointed out was the "limited scope" for many employees. Vikramaditya explained that most teams don’t work on end-to-end features, and much of the infrastructure is pre-built. This can make the learning curve less steep unless you're on a core team. Additionally, he highlighted the challenge of team-switching and promotions. Work done in one team often doesn't count towards promotions after switching, which leads some employees to switch teams right after a promotion, making the promotion process slower in some teams.
Check out the post here:
Social media reactions
The post has sparked a lively conversation on social media, with users sharing their thoughts in the comments section. One user congratulated Vikramaditya, noting, "We both started working around the same time but it's two different companies and that makes a lot of difference in our lives. I don't think it's changing anytime soon."
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Another user expressed gratitude, saying, "Congrats and thank you for sharing your journey and insights." However, some users focused on the positives, with one comment reading, "All I read was Pro's."