"I get the impression from outsiders that they hear a lot about how great Google is and then assume that they can't work at Google, so they then decide that what Google does is actually bad."
That certainly wasn't my motivation for expressing my concerns. I guess I've just been bitten by having worked at too many dysfunctional corporations, and aren't as ready to believe the constant startup/corporate cheerleading that tends to go on at these places.
I've worked with too many people who work themselves to death for more money, or because they can't stand being with their family, or because they really just have no life outside of work -- their job has become their life.
It would be one thing if they were doing something really fulfilling and worthwhile, such as working for a charity or NGO that tries to help people, but it's quite another when their entire function in life comes down to helping the corporation make more widgets or sell more ads so it can make more money.
If you are fulfilled working your ass off in such an environment, you'd better be working on some terribly fascinating problems every day, or there is something wrong.
That certainly wasn't my motivation for expressing my concerns. I guess I've just been bitten by having worked at too many dysfunctional corporations, and aren't as ready to believe the constant startup/corporate cheerleading that tends to go on at these places.
I've worked with too many people who work themselves to death for more money, or because they can't stand being with their family, or because they really just have no life outside of work -- their job has become their life.
It would be one thing if they were doing something really fulfilling and worthwhile, such as working for a charity or NGO that tries to help people, but it's quite another when their entire function in life comes down to helping the corporation make more widgets or sell more ads so it can make more money.
If you are fulfilled working your ass off in such an environment, you'd better be working on some terribly fascinating problems every day, or there is something wrong.