‘Trust me, you don’t get paid for work-life balance’: Google engineer’s viral tweet sparks mixed reactions

A software engineer working at Google, a FAANG company — the acronym referring to Facebook (now Meta), Amazon, Apple, Netflix, and Google (now under Alphabet) — has triggered widespread discussion after posting about her experience dealing with a production issue on a Sunday.

In her post on X, the engineer said that she spent four hours on a production issue on Sunday. Being on call in a FAANG company is much tougher than startups, and the impact is bigger, she said. “Trust me, you don't get paid for your work-life balance.”

Her post quickly went viral, receiving lots of likes and comments. Some users empathised, acknowledging the heavy responsibility and stress that often come with on-call roles at major tech companies. However, many criticised her remarks, accusing her of exaggerating the situation and making unfair comparisons to startup environments.

One user mocked her, posting, “People just can't stop crying …”

Another user argued, “Needless comparison with startups and prod issues. And no, not all big companies want you to solve prod issues on off days,” pointing out that production emergencies vary widely across companies and teams.

Some users also questioned her boundaries around work, with one writing: “Why you pick up the mails or calls on weekends, just switch it off, they aren't paying you per hour basis [sic.]”

Another added sarcastically: “Why always exaggerating it with FAANG, you won't be getting production issues every time. Working on a single Sunday destroys your Work-Life. That is a new thing I came to know [sic.]”

The post reignited debate around work-life balance in the tech industry, particularly in high-profile firms like those under the FAANG umbrella. While these companies are known for offering lucrative compensation and global prestige, critics argue that the intense work culture, including expectations to be available outside standard work hours, can lead to employee burnout.

Many commentators noted that on-call duties, common for roles related to infrastructure, cloud services, and critical product systems, often blur the lines between professional and personal time. However, the frequency and intensity of such incidents vary depending on company policies, team practices, and the criticality of the systems managed.

The discussion reflects broader tensions in the tech world: the prestige of working at globally recognized companies versus the real costs to work-life balance that sometimes accompany it.