Choosing between Google and Microsoft is a dilemma many software engineers dream of having. While both companies are among the world's biggest technology firms, a Bengaluru-based techie who has worked at both has shared his candid comparison of the two companies' work cultures, saying the experience goes far beyond salaries, perks, and brand value.
In a LinkedIn post, Manu Agarwal, a senior software engineer at Microsoft, shared how working at Google and Microsoft shaped him differently, saying each company offers a distinct culture and learning experience. "I've worked at both Google and Microsoft. Let me tell you something nobody puts in their LinkedIn post," Agarwal wrote.
Describing his time at Google, the techie said, "At Google, I felt like I was always being watched not by managers, but by the brand itself. Every meeting, every PR, every Slack message: 'Would a Googler do this?'"
Comparing it with Microsoft, Agarwal said the experience was markedly different. "At Microsoft, I felt like I was being built. More ownership. More freedom to build. More responsibility but yes, more growth."
Summing up the difference, he added, “Google gave me polish. Microsoft gave me depth.”
{{/usCountry}}Summing up the difference, he added, “Google gave me polish. Microsoft gave me depth.”
{{/usCountry}}However, in the post, Agarwal stressed that neither company is inherently better than the other.
"They're just different tools for different stages of your career. Where you work shapes HOW you think. Choose the culture that matches where you want to go not just the brand that looks good on your profile. IMO both are very excellent companies to work," he said.
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Agarwal shares journey to a ₹1.9 crore salary
Meanwhile, in an earlier LinkedIn post, Agarwal opened up about his family's financial struggles during his college years. He had revealed that arranging even ₹15,000 per semester for his Bachelor of Computer Applications (BCA) fees was a challenge.
"My father sold my mother's jewellery to pay my BCA fees. ₹15,000 per semester. That's all it cost. But we didn't have it," he had written. Recalling the moment, he added, "She didn't cry. She just looked at me. I didn't sleep that night."
Years later, Agarwal said he was earning ₹1.9 crore a year while working at Microsoft's Seattle office.
According to his LinkedIn profile, Agarwal started his career as a Summer Intern at Microsoft Hyderabad in 2016. Before joining Microsoft full-time, he also interned at GE Healthcare in Bengaluru.
He joined Microsoft Hyderabad as a Software Development Engineer in 2017 before moving to Redmond, Washington, where he worked until 2020. He later spent more than two years at Google in Bengaluru before rejoining Microsoft in 2025 as a senior software engineer.