Throwaway since I'm going to say some negative things. Overall I agree with almost all the positive things people say in other comments - the national labs hav

Throwaway since I'm going to say some negative things. Overall I agree with almost all the positive things people say in other comments - the national labs have a lot of very smart and kind people, there are interesting things (or at least interesting ideas), and if you're at home at a university, you'll find a lot of kindred spirits. But I made the opposite move you're considering and quit my national lab job and moved to FAANG. Why? Because I wasn't a scientific superstar with a clear vision, and IMO my field (applied math, computational science, etc.) seemed to asking (by which I mean funding) people to do software engineering without many engineers and at the same time still be academics: scientists and mathematicians who spend a lot of time writing grants and trying to publish papers, etc. This made me feel like a liar, writing the grants, and a hack, writing the code. Not to mention that like all academic-type and "interesting" jobs, you are supposed to be happy with the idea that you're going to expend a lot of your free time and energy, and perhaps not be paid quite as much as you would if you weren't pursuing your (supposed) passion. Industry is for sure a whole other pile of bullshit, but don't assume that the performance review and promotion stuff is any more draining than the things you will have to do to get funding (you'll likely either be spending a lot of time writing proposals, or you'll be funded by weapons money). Don't make trying to get away from money and politics your reason for moving, though there are plenty of good reasons. Good luck!