Working for FAANG is a terrible goal
Elite companies != fulfilling, balanced careers
I’m surprised.
There’s still so much content on the internet, written every day, about how to get a job at the tech giants.
For most developers, working at one of the giants — Facebook, Apple, Amazon, Netflix, Google (FAANG) — will not make them happy, fulfilled, or even satisfied. More likely, you’ll end up stressed, undervalued, and feeling like a cog in the machine.
Ethics of Big Tech
It’s sad because these companies are ethically questionable, at best.
They take profits from capturing attention, exploiting workers, and selling our personal data.
Some examples:
- Facebook is in large part responsible for polarization of society, echoing news stories that radicalize the population. Their own internal research shows that products like Instagram are causing mental health issues for young girls.
- Amazon is known worldwide for its anti-competitive practices, first killing independent bookstores and eventually compromising small businesses worldwide. It’s also known for union busting and treating its workers terrible. Even within software development, Amazon has a bad reputation as a grinding place to work.
- Google controls how we search the web, and they manipulate search results to make more money for advertisers, using our personal data and browsing history. They also don’t pay their fair share of taxes, steal intellectual property from smaller competitors, and take questionable military AI contracts.
What is it like working for Big Tech?
Maybe you’re not bothered by the ethical concerns at these companies. After all, they’re giant organizations. All big companies have questionable ethics.
Unfortunately, the quality of life at the job itself is also a major concern.
Most of these companies expect you to work more than 40 hours a week to keep your position. Certainly you’ll need to work more if you want to advance up the career ladder. When you divide your higher FAANG salary by the number of hours you actually work, it often comes out to a similar per-hour pay.
Competition between teammates can be cutthroat and there’s a culture that you should be grateful to work at such an elite company. The pressure builds. Many developers report that big tech is the most stressful place to work. Every day, the threat of a talk with management and being put on a performance improvement plan (PIP) lingers.
The work at big tech companies is also less creative. Most of the interesting problems have already been solved. The creative thinking about new solutions has already happened at the senior/architect level, along with business execs. As a developer in big tech, you’re expected to implement the plan you’ve been given. To me, that takes the life and curiosity out of coding.
Don’t take my word for it, though. Here are some resources:
- Hacker News: What are the downsides of working at FAANG?
- Why a FAANG company may not be right for you
Finding fulfillment
The truth is if you want to have more of an impact in your career, a smaller company is better.
My advice:
Don’t pick fancy job titles or companies. Pick interesting problems you want to solve.
As a developer, I want to be solving interesting problems. I want to feel like I’m supporting a company that’s doing good things in the world.
I firmly believe that software can be a force for good in the world. If you build a career around solving interesting problems, you’ll find much more happiness and fulfillment.
You’ll also progress further in your career. Maybe you’re interested in architecting solutions, managing teams, or interacting with designers. That’s all possible in small, collaborative companies. At big tech, the job can be a boring grind.
The paycheck might be bigger at big tech, but it’s not worth trading your life.
More resources
DeveloperPurpose.com — resources to get the most out of your tech career
Technical interviews are insulting —Why you should say “no”
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