Comment by refulgentis

Sometimes I joke it was me - ex. my first year was the first year with no holiday gift. I'm really grateful I got there when I did, it was just enough to give me a year or two of enough of old Google that I can look back on it fondly.

I did peer counselling for a year or two, before leaving, and still follow along on Blind, and it was utterly depressing to hear from someone who joined the last couple years/post-COVID. 100% just another job now, besides the comp., and given the 1.5 years of constant firings and attendant self-interested behavior, you're forced to recognize this very quickly.