It's probably a low-stress way to burnish your resume with a couple year Google stint. If you didn't go to a top CS program, working as an engineer at Google (o

It's probably a low-stress way to burnish your resume with a couple year Google stint. If you didn't go to a top CS program, working as an engineer at Google (or similar companies) can get you a lot more professional respect. For example, you can get better positions down the line at other companies. Or if you start your own company, investors will be much more willing to invest in you than in someone without any brand names on their resume. If you apply to YC, they'll probably give you the benefit of the doubt.