Should I join Google for a higher-paying job but less interested in?

Question

I’m currently working as an L4 Machine Learning Engineer at a mid-sized public company, and I’ve recently finished L5 SWE interview with Google and am now in the hiring committee stage. The recruiter told me that my interview performance was mixed, so the chances for L5 are small, but L4 is possible. According to levels.fyi, I’m expecting around a 20% salary increase (and, of course, Google’s other benefits are much better than those at my current company). However, the new position is for a SWE role working on hardware products, which involves writing C++, a completely new technology and field for me.

Reasons for wanting to stay:

I have a good relationship with my manager and teammates, and the work is more interesting and aligned with my strengths. If possible, I still want to continue working as a Machine Learning Engineer in the future.
I’m working on software side projects and writing a blog, and I’m worried that after joining Google, these external projects might be restricted.

Reasons for wanting to leave:

Better salary and benefits, and a higher salary ceiling (it’s almost impossible to reach FAANG L5-level salary in my current job).
I was previously a Googler, so I’m familiar with Google’s culture (though I was laid off in 2023).
I have a poor relationship with my current skip manager. We have many technical disagreements, I don’t adapt well to his management style, and he has a negative impression of me.

This position is not in the U.S., so the chances of being laid off again should be lower (but who knows).

How should I evaluate these two options?

And, since my skip manager has a negative impression of me, should I actively look for other jobs, even if it's not Google?

Rahul Pandey · Accepted Answer

If you hadn't worked at Google (or other Big Tech) before, I'd say it's a no-brainer to take the Google offer. But since you're a previous Googler, you don't get much marginal improvement in your resume or networking by going back to Google.

The other hesitation about Google is that they are slow to promote. Unless you get lucky or are very skilled, you should expect the L4 (mid-level) to L5 (senior) promotion to take at least 2-3 years, and perhaps longer depending on the team. So if rapid career growth is important to you, I'd lean against Google.

How long have you been at your startup?

It sounds like you're not in an immediate rush to leave (the main issue is your skip level manager). Given this, I'd recommend sticking around at your company but doing a thorough round of interviews with 5+ companies. When you're interviewing, try to avoid just a single offer. This makes it harder to do a fair comparison of your current job (which you often will have a negative bias toward) vs the new job (which will be sold based on potential).

So in the next round, I'd focus on setting up interviews so you end up with at least 2 offers. I wonder also if you could ask Google to keep the offer valid for as long as possible so you could collect another offer.

Should I join Google for a higher-paying job but less interested in?

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