I respectfully disagree. There is a "What it's like to work at Google." Google has a culture. Large companies have a way of operating. I don't think any of OP'

I respectfully disagree. There is a "What it's like to work at Google." Google has a culture. Large companies have a way of operating. I don't think any of OP's comments are at all off-base for Google. A lot of what OP wrote is fundamental to any organization with tens of thousands of people. And you know something? That's fine. I know people who are very happy there, and I know people who are miserable there. There are times in my life when /I/ would have been very happy in that sort of place, and there are times in my life when /I/ would have been completely miserable there. A lot of that comes down to personality, and a lot of that is situational. For example, I want a very different employer if I don't have kids and can throw my life into work than when I'm dealing with a difficult family situation. I've been in both situations. I would be completely miserable at Google _right now_. It might have been a dream job out-of-college, and it might be a great job again in just a few years.