The funny part is that for all the work Google has done building a hiring process that searches for talented generalists, the actual work they have to offer is

The funny part is that for all the work Google has done building a hiring process that searches for talented generalists, the actual work they have to offer is really boringly specialized. Most of what's going on in there is just stacks upon stacks of web-service middleware, endlessly slinging RPCs back and forth at each other. If that's your bag, then yay, Google is a great place to work! - but for me it was really discouraging to realize, four months in, that no more than ten per cent of Google was doing anything I was ever likely to care about. I didn't last long, and wouldn't go back (not that they'd be likely to want me).