Google is a relatively young company that up until recently was a startup. As a result they don't have as much of an established track record as an industrial research lab. To put things in perspective, Microsoft had about twice as many employees in 1996 as Google had in 2005, and they didn't have much of a reputation as a corporate research lab at the time. You should expect great things from Google in the future, because that's what we expect of ourselves.
One nice thing about working at Google is the feeling of excitement in working around people whose modus operandi is "just get it done". We also have a great selection of technical talks to attend, and I'm very impressed by the intellectual capabilities of my colleagues. I've always been blessed to work with smart people, but these people are really creative. Another great thing about Google is the food - which is both gourmet class and free! I've quickly grown used to having halibut or duck or scallops for lunch.
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