I quit Google to work for myself (2018)

Perception of Google’s Engineering Status

• Some see the “smartest engineers in the world” narrative as outdated or self-congratulatory; others argue it was more true around 2008 than now.
• Commenters suggest current “world‑class” engineering may be more visible in crypto/DeFi (e.g., Ethereum) and LLM companies, with Google’s transformer work acknowledged but seen as older.

Promotion System and Internal Incentives

• Much discussion centers on Google’s promotion mechanics: promo committees, manager-written packets, quotas, and level expectations (e.g., reach L4/L5 within a certain time).
• Conflicting accounts: earlier eras had more independent committees and weaker manager influence; more recent reports say promotions are decided “in org” with managers playing a central role.
• Some argue the system enforces consistency and next-level readiness; others say it over-rewards politics, managers’ skill at “working the system,” and big, visible launches.
• There is debate over whether Google culture nudges everyone to optimize for promotion vs. just do good engineering.

Author’s Perspective and Clarifications

• The author agrees early work was not promotion-worthy but felt misled: he did what was asked, was told it was good, then learned it was nearly worthless for advancement.
• He highlights a structural tension: essential “grunge work” (tests, bug fixing, process improvements) is needed but often ignored in promotion decisions.
• He notes other employers promoted him for visible day‑to‑day impact rather than a single “cornerstone” project.
• He left partly because his strengths didn’t align with Google’s advancement criteria; he later built and sold a bootstrapped hardware product and is now focused on family and a book.

Big Tech Pay vs. Bootstrapping

• Several comments compute that staying at Google (and riding stock gains) likely would have made him richer than his bootstrapped profits.
• Some frame this as emblematic of skewed incentives: financially, the optimal move may be to stay in big tech, play politics, and collect stock, not build a small business.
• Others stress autonomy, interesting work, and mental health as valid reasons to leave despite lower expected ROI.

Startups, Lifestyle Businesses, and Risk

• Debate over how “hard” it is to build a successful business: some emphasize high failure rates; others argue founding is easy but scaling to a durable, profitable operation is hard.
• Distinction is made between VC-backed hypergrowth startups (many external dependencies) and bootstrapped “lifestyle” businesses where product–market fit is the main bottleneck.

Broader Reflections on Work, Class, and Motivation

• Long subthreads compare earnings at big tech vs. average workers, cost of living, and what “set for life” means.
• Many argue that promotion-centric systems distort behavior, undervalue quiet excellence, and can feel unfair or dehumanizing.
• Others say understanding “your real customer is whoever controls your comp” is essential career literacy, while critics call this perspective cynical or “hellish.”