Despite the allure of big tech’s big-ticket jobs, many top-tier talents from Ivy League schools, award-winning researchers, and prolific authors are shunning giants like Google, Microsoft, Amazon, and Meta to work for smaller or mid-sized companies.
A Reddit discussion highlighted that this prevailing sentiment stems from a desire to escape the corporate politics often inherent in large organisations. As one ML engineer puts it, “Why deal with the politics of a big company when you can get funding for your projects?”
The freedom and autonomy that smaller companies promise can often be more appealing than the bureaucratic hurdles of the big tech.
Burnout is another critical factor. Many skilled professionals are now prioritising work-life balance over the prestige associated with working for a tech giant. This sentiment echoes a broader cultural shift where mental health and personal well-being are becoming increasingly important.
For Indian tech professionals, one of the main attractions of big-tech jobs is the higher salary package, coupled with their long-standing desire to work at one of these prestigious companies.
Less Inspiring Work
Financial motivations, while important, are not always the driving force. The nature of the work itself also plays a role. Some ML experts find the projects at big-tech companies less inspiring.
“Most of the projects at MAANG [Meta, Amazon, Apple, Netflix, and Google] companies are boring,” one contributor mentioned. There’s a preference for roles where they can have a more significant impact on the AI roadmap, which smaller firms often provide.
Moreover, the elaborate hiring processes at big-tech companies can be off-putting. As an ML engineer pointed out, “Getting into MAANG is an entirely separate field that requires you to study and practise an entire hobby/career path unrelated to your ML expertise.” Busy ML leaders might not have the time or inclination to master the intricate and often lengthy recruitment processes of these giants.
Additionally, the work environment and corporate culture in these tech giants can be stifling. One ex-employee described their experience: “Google was a fun, exciting, and innovative place to work in 2004. Twenty years later, it’s decayed into the same bland, vapid, beige-coloured evil as Microsoft.”
The transformation of these workplaces over time often leads to disillusionment among those who seek dynamic and innovative environments.
Another compelling reason is the opportunity for a more significant research agency and visibility at smaller firms. “I prefer smaller! Much cosier, less politics, and most importantly: waaaaay more research agency,” said an ML professional.
In smaller companies, top talents often have more freedom to pursue their research interests without the constraints of a rigid corporate structure. As one ML researcher summarised, “It’s a trade-off for sure, but you get more autonomy. R&D changes so fast, so not having that autonomy can feel a little scary.”
At the same time, it is undeniable that big tech produces some of the top research. People who cite autonomy as the reason, though correct, miss out on the part of producing SOTA research at big tech.
So, while big-tech companies can offer substantial salaries, many skilled professionals find that the trade-offs in terms of autonomy, work-life balance, and ethical considerations make smaller firms more attractive.
The Same Goes for IT
The situation is only a little different for Indian IT. Though the research and development at these companies need good talent, Indian researchers do not want to join them.
According to several predictions, the number of CS graduates by 2025 is going to be three or four times more than 2020. This just shows the huge supply of graduates in the field. But the same amount of jobs are not available in the Indian sector. Forget big-tech, Indian IT too is not attractive to the graduates from the country.
Though India is seeing an increase in talent retention, there seems to be a surplus of underskilled STEM graduates.
In India, the situation is complex. It is extremely difficult to find good, or even decent, software engineers with coding skills for such small compensation. Meanwhile, the ones who have the skills are either already working for startups at a higher package, or have moved abroad for better opportunities.
The reluctance of recent graduates to pursue careers in Indian IT can be attributed to the prolonged stagnation of entry-level salaries, which have remained at INR 3.5-4 LPA for over a decade. High-paying product companies with compensation packages ranging from Rs 10-20 LPA have become more attractive.
