I worked at a FAANG as a new grad because I thought it was the logical next step in the career of a software developer (money). I really don't understand the appeal. Was it once actually worth it? Even with the money and "prestige" it felt like a huge step back career-wise.
It was obvious once I got there that the sheer scale meant that more energy had to go into menial tasks than into actual creative work. It seemed like a trap where people who had gotten a Masters or PhD in something actually hard ended up working on things that wouldn't even be challenging to someone with a Bachelors.
As for the "culture", well, you're surrounded by people who have been grinding to get up the ladder. I think my FAANG coworkers were the least interesting people I have worked with. I don't mean that to be rude I think it's just selection bias (I consider myself to be boring). Conversely, the people in the boring industries like Government and Aerospace have been some of the most interesting people. They're also tackling much more intellectually stimulating problems than most people are going to at FAANG, without advanced degrees.
It felt like a misallocation of human potential. I think the contraction of FAANG and "big tech" in general is probably better for the progress of technology and also maybe the personal growth of developers, or at least it is for me. Or not, maybe I am just biased. My $0.02
It was obvious once I got there that the sheer scale meant that more energy had to go into menial tasks than into actual creative work. It seemed like a trap where people who had gotten a Masters or PhD in something actually hard ended up working on things that wouldn't even be challenging to someone with a Bachelors.
As for the "culture", well, you're surrounded by people who have been grinding to get up the ladder. I think my FAANG coworkers were the least interesting people I have worked with. I don't mean that to be rude I think it's just selection bias (I consider myself to be boring). Conversely, the people in the boring industries like Government and Aerospace have been some of the most interesting people. They're also tackling much more intellectually stimulating problems than most people are going to at FAANG, without advanced degrees.
It felt like a misallocation of human potential. I think the contraction of FAANG and "big tech" in general is probably better for the progress of technology and also maybe the personal growth of developers, or at least it is for me. Or not, maybe I am just biased. My $0.02