Bengaluru Google techie sparks debate over reality of FAANG life videos: ‘Those are from honeymoon period’
Bengaluru Google engineer Priyansh Agarwal sparked debate with a post on X, saying most FAANG 'day in the life' videos are filmed during the 6–12 month ‘honeymoon period’ and don’t reflect reality, as real challenges start once engineers own projects and outcomes.
A Bengaluru-based Google software engineer has triggered debate online with a candid post about the reality of working in big tech. Priyansh Agarwal, who works at Google, shared his thoughts on X, challenging the glossy “day in the life” videos often seen online.
Are ‘Day in the Life’ Videos Misleading?
According to Agarwal, most such videos are filmed during the “honeymoon period” – the first six to twelve months of joining companies like Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Netflix, and Google (FAANG). He argued that they don’t represent the long-term experience.
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“Most of the day in the life videos you see on the internet by FAANG engineers are from their honeymoon periods (first 6-12 months). The real game begins after a year when you start owning projects and outcomes for your team and realise that you don’t get paid to just enjoy,” Agarwal wrote.
How Did People React Online?
Agarwal’s post struck a chord with many tech professionals, who agreed with his views and echoed similar experiences about the pressures of big tech life once the initial excitement fades.
“A thing about FAANG bhaiya didis is that they never really talk about the engineering efforts they put behind their jobs,” commented one user.
“These day in the life vids are always from the honeymoon phase when it’s all chill and perfect for luring college kids into buying 3rd rate DSA courses. Once the audience is big enough, it’s ‘Why I quit FAANG to make content full-time.’ Because selling the dream beats building it,” wrote another.
“I used to be so fascinated about these things when they posted like oh they have the coolest office and best food. Now it doesn't excite me either,” said a third user.
“So basically… day-in-the-life vlogs are the trailer, but the real movie starts after 12 months,” jokingly wrote one user.
“ye mera ek mahine hi chla sayad, now 90% of time i spend only on my desk working,” remarked another.