5 truly bizarre things: A Group PM at Google for 4 years

No standardized processes or project management tools, and it was very difficult to get approval for new ideas or products.

Development cycles were tied to quarterly goals, resulting in long lead times.

There was surprisingly little automation and a lot of manual work.

Rather than innovating themselves, most attention was paid to copying competitors once they demonstrated successful new features.

While working at a large tech company can be valuable for career growth and working on impactful products, you may need to adjust your expectations, as the reality will likely differ from your idealized views.