Google has no aesthetic sensibility whatsoever. Google's rigorous focus on metrics means that anything that can be easily measured is optimized for, and anything that is difficult to measure is systematically neglected. Many important aspects of product design and software engineering exist in this subjective realm, and are impossible to turn our focus upon without being punished by the performance review process.
Many of Google's important internal tools, including such essentials as source control and front-end frameworks, are hilariously antiquated. Google is systemically allergic to third-party dependencies and essentially out of conversation with the open source community. Internally, many open source best practices are regarded with open hostility.
Turnover is very high, and org charts are very deep. Conversations with decision-makers are filtered through many layers of management, resulting in game-of-telephone miscommunication and planning processes which move slower than market conditions. Short-term thinking is systemically encouraged by itinerant managers and ICs eager to achieve promotion quickly and move on to their next team.
Nevertheless, meaningful work is possible for ICs who are steel-nerved and internally motivated.
