I work in a FAANG and I can tell you than nobody in my team is slacking. Quite the opposite. Everybody is smart and working hard, there's no way you can cruise. I think all new members work even on weekends. A colleague of mine got fired because he didn't meet expectations for his level. He would have been totally fine in other companies. Turnover is high despite the high compensation.
I'm sure it depends on the company/team, but 70% of retirees, I think it's a myth.
Oh I have lots of friends at FAANGs. I also have lots of friends no longer there. The one thing I’ve learned is that people still at the company always assume that their team is fairly typical.
So all the hard workers describe the place as hard working. All the slackers describe it as relaxing.
Among the ex-FAANG, the hard workers describe their team as slacking. I don’t have any ex-FAANG slacker friends. They just stayed.
I’ve got 10 years of friends here and I’m fairly social so I think I’ve gotten a somewhat large sample, at least (if not unbiased).
Yes, there are way less slackers in FAANG. In the regular marketplace, a slacker who gets on the wrong side of management or just stale can usually find a comparable gig. FAANG, given recent stock market gains, pays at least twice the US average and matching that can be a serious stretch, particularly outside Bay Area.
I'm sure it depends on the company/team, but 70% of retirees, I think it's a myth.