I can join either of these teams: - Google Constellation (they create internal user testing tools and Figma plugins for UX designers, researchers, engineers etc). Cons: only internal folks know about it. Pro: moving fast, not a lot of red tape - Gmail Hub team (work on Gmail). Cons: lots of red tape, resistant to change. Pro: cool brand factor Which is better? Only vote if you work at G please
I find more mature teams like Gmail kinda boring, but that's just personal preference. Depends on what you value more I guess.
QQ: if I work for Gmail and choose to live in SF, I have to commute to Sunnyvale 2 days of the week. How long would that take? Thoughts?
45 mins if you drive. 1 hour by train
Internal projects are prime rest and vest jobs
Constellation sounds like eng prod
Neither
Why
Depends on what you value I guess. Like Apple said, working on internal tools means very low visibility and low appreciation for your work. Your better off working in another company where you get to work on consumer facing products. I’ve worked at google for 3 years and never used any of the Constellation products. Gmail has amazing reach on the other hand but you’ll be making small moves since it’s a very mature product. I’d vote for Gmail over Constellation if you really want to join Google. Or choose based on the manager/teammates that you liked more.
Both options are poor. Hub is riddled with tech debt and slow moving. Constellation has limited scope for growth.
I recently joined Gmail. There are a lot of exciting new plans for hub. We are transforming Gmail into an all in one work collaboration platform. Lots of interesting work to be done and we're hiring a ton.
QQ: if I work for Gmail and choose to live in SF, I have to commute to Sunnyvale 2 days of the week. How long would that take? Thoughts?
What did you end up going with? If constellation, what do you think about the team?
TC and YOE ?