First, let me get this point out of the way ☕️

Benefits to joining FAANG

#1 - the money.

Engineers at FAANG get paid a lot. Like way more than literally the rest of tech across any sector. Look at the data on Levels and you'll see why everyone on blind talks about their tc and throw it around for clout. If your career is about chasing $$$, then go ahead and join FAANG.

#2 - the name.

Goes without saying but if you work at FAANG, even for a year, you probably will have no problem finding an engineering role at any other company. Your career is set barring anything egregious you've done like get a felony charge or something.

Now, why you shouldn't join FAANG

#1- you're disposable.

This goes without saying. With thousands and thousands of employees grinding ad tech for Zuck leaves you feeling like a factory worker from the 1920's who can be swapped out for another desperate dev chasing this mirage.

#2- bad ethics.

There's a reason why blind is so toxic. tech bros make working on teams unbearable if you're a woman or international or a person of color or differently abled. The lawsuits, the legal battles, the social discourse around the technology being developed calls into question the goal of it all at the end of the day. Profit > planet

#3- Hero culture & long hours will destroy your mental and physical health.

So many people are getting sick and are mentally drained. The hustle and grind culture isn't sustainable but it's masked at a meritocracy. So many horror stories out there where people will even undermine your success to cover their own 🍑.

I left my FAANG job after 3 years. The money was great. But my quality of life was just really poor. Not saying it's terrible EVERYWHERE, but I think MORE people need to consider OTHER goals for their career besides smashing their faces into leetcode problems just to crack the interview process. Keep your options open people. There are a lot of amazing problems software can solve that can make the world more bearable to live in. Peace 🕊