The REAL Reasons Why Software Engineers are Leaving Big Tech

Are Big Tech jobs overhyped? From Google and Amazon to Microsoft and Meta, FAANG roles used to be the holy grail for software engineers but things are changing. In this video, we’ll talk about why more engineers (including me) are walking away from Big Tech, what’s driving that shift, and where they’re going next.

We’ll cover:
the golden handcuffs: comp, perks, and prestige
what Big Tech is lacking in 2025 (hint: it’s not just money)
startups, academia, remote life, and the rise of flexibility
the truth about impact, innovation, and politics inside FAANG

👋 about me
I’m Maddy, a senior software engineer (prev. at Google), with prior internships at Microsoft, Morgan Stanley, IBM, and Amazon. Sharing my journey here - thanks for watching 🤍

🔗find me on other socials
Instagram www.instagram.com/madeline.m.zhang/
LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/in/madelinemzhang/
Tiktok www.tiktok.com/@madeline.m.zhang

📖 timestamps
0:00 intro
1:48 big tech upsides - compensation
3:03 big tech upsides - prestige
3:49 big tech upsides - resources
4:14 big tech upsides - perks
5:28 big tech downsides - money
6:31 big tech downsides - impact
7:19 big tech downsides - bureaucracy & politics
8:15 big tech downsides - (lack of) innovation
9:20 leaving for startups
10:07 leaving for remote work
10:45 leaving for academia



👀 Watch Next:
   • Why I Left Google  

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*disclaimer: views are all my own and do not represent any current / past employer(s)

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