FB PM -> GCP PM

May 1, 2021 7 Comments

Been @ FB for a few years, feel like GCP might be a better fit for my technical background. Currently doing team matching at GCP. I am curious about the following:

- Tips on negotiating offer / teams?
- Impact potential -- How often does GCP ship new products compared to AWS?
- Career growth -- GCP is a huge organization and I am worried I would be buried deep in the org chart with limited career growth
- Work-life balance -- Compared to FB?
- Co-workers -- Generally are they friendly? Is the bar for SWEs / PMs the same in GCP vs. the rest of Google?
- Freedom to pursue new projects / initiatives -- How easy / difficult is it to kick-off a new project in a new area? I have taken multiple products from 0 -> 1 and I am not sure if this is fostered
- Typical PM Eng relationship -- The team @ FB had a heavy eng voice, wondering if it is the same @ GCP

Any other tips welcome!

TC@FB (L6): ~500K

54 PARTICIPANTS SELECT ONLY ONE ANSWER
VOTE VIEW RESULT

comments

Want to comment? LOG IN or SIGN UP
TOP 7 Comments
  • Google / Product
    prodpeep

    Go to company page Google Product

    prodpeep
    I haven’t worked at FB, but am L6 PM in GCP. My thoughts FWIW:
    - impact: not governed that much by launch frequency, it’s going to depend much more on the specific team/role you land. But L6 PM often is a lead pm for a major initiative so there is usually a lot of impact possible.
    - career growth: L6 is a senior pm role, promos at Google have a deserved reputation of being hard, especially at upper levels and L6->L7 is tough but people do it (requires skill + right place at right time)
    - WLB is supposed to be better than FB from what I hear, but I’m sure it depends a lot on the team. WLB is unlikely to be good if you’re very promo-focused but can be very good if you’re content to get CME/EE ratings in your current level
    - Co-workers, pretty uniformly great in my experience at least. The bar is the same for GCP and rest of Google except there are also domain interviews for GCP that you have to pass. In my experience experienced PM candidates tend to do well in domain but then fail analytical or other generalist interviews. As an L6 PM you will have direct relationships with eng directors, VPs, TLs and Uber-TLs, etc. Those upper level SWEs and managers tend to be pretty amazing.
    - Freedom to innovate: definitely possible. You’ll be involved in setting the strategy for your product. Like anywhere, building influence first is helpful. But as an L6 you’ll be expected to find and advocate for major initiatives that affect your product and/or across GCP.
    - PMs at GCP tend to be technical because that’s extremely helpful to be successful. Google is also eng-heavy. But at least in my service, eng trusts pm with important product decisions and we have a mutually respectful and productive relationship.

    Hope this helps!
    TC@GCP (L6): ~500k plus stock appreciation = ~780k
    May 1, 2021 5
    • Thanks again @prodpeep, super useful and insightful responses.
      Within the larger GCP umbrella, where would you peg Looker?
      - Is it an important / core investment for GCP or a good-to-have?
      - As a PM career option, how would you rate a Looker role?
      - Is it easy to move from Looker to other teams?

      I have a team match for a role with a Looker team, hence the questions.
      Jul 7, 2021
    • Google / Product
      prodpeep

      Go to company page Google Product

      prodpeep
      I can’t speak to the specific pm team but in general analytics in general (including Looker) is a core strength for GCP and is being heavily invested in. So likely a good opportunity. Transfers inside Google are easy as long as the hiring manager is interested in your background. So in reality, it depends.
      Jul 7, 2021
  • ByteDance / R&D
    nrgcq

    Go to company page ByteDance R&D

    nrgcq
    Wondering if you have accepted the offer from GCP, if so, how did you feel working there? Thanks!
    Jul 8, 2021 0