When I joined (2007 or 2008) there was actually a huge amount of literature on previous cultures, as well as people who had been there a long time.
I watched enough of the recorded Bedtime Stories (or whatever they called them, it was basically a bunch of nooglers in jammies listening to a distinguished engineer talk about the old days) and talked to enough old timers to learn that the period after the early search engine problems and ad revenue problems were solved, so about 2002-2004, was definitely a highlight that was better than my time.
For example: the microkitchens were all loaded to the gills with tons of amazing snacks. By the time I arrived they were downsized for cost and health reasons and when I left in 2021 they were only a shadow of their previous self.
My point is that some of us did research and saw that the earlier days before our tenure were even better.
Charlie was still present in his cafe (or its predecessor) and often cooked a whole cow for lunch every day. By the time I joined, Charlie's was just a long line for crappy food.
I've heard mixed results about the very early days- absolutely thrilling, but totally terrifying and stressful.
I watched enough of the recorded Bedtime Stories (or whatever they called them, it was basically a bunch of nooglers in jammies listening to a distinguished engineer talk about the old days) and talked to enough old timers to learn that the period after the early search engine problems and ad revenue problems were solved, so about 2002-2004, was definitely a highlight that was better than my time.
For example: the microkitchens were all loaded to the gills with tons of amazing snacks. By the time I arrived they were downsized for cost and health reasons and when I left in 2021 they were only a shadow of their previous self.
My point is that some of us did research and saw that the earlier days before our tenure were even better.
Charlie was still present in his cafe (or its predecessor) and often cooked a whole cow for lunch every day. By the time I joined, Charlie's was just a long line for crappy food.
I've heard mixed results about the very early days- absolutely thrilling, but totally terrifying and stressful.