Google Speaks: Secrets of the World's Greatest Billionaire Entrepreneurs, Sergey Brin and Larry Page

8.7. AN ALTERNATIVE POINT OF VIEW

After Fortune named Google as the "Number One Best Place to Work" in 2008, a former employee who called herself "Lisa" said this about working for Google:

Google should not be on this list. I see you guys put performance of the company before anything else.

The perks are just a smoke screen. Seriously. I used to work there and it was like propaganda... they used to tell us to spread the word constantly to our friends, etc. about the free food, massages! etc.

First, if you want to do well at the company you can't take a long lunch. Taking more than half an hour is looked down upon. And you just end up eating at your desk. It's there, but not really there. As for massages, there's a six-month wait list to even schedule one and by the time it rolls around there's a 90 percent chance that you won't be able to make it because of a scheduled meeting, etc.

Lastly, the managers are horrendous. There is no internal system of reviewing them. I've heard horror stories.^[]

Another employee, who wished to remain anonymous, did not echo Lisa's complaint. He felt that his work was exciting and important and that management was accessible. However, he was more than an hour late for a dinner meeting with the author because even at 6:30 p.m. he couldn't get out of Googleplex. He is the first to admit that working long hours is the norm for him.

A Google spokesman offered this insight: "It is a workplace, after all."