Switching jobs is a significant decision, especially in the competitive tech industry. For one software engineer, the move from a well-known FAANG company to Oracle (NYSE: ORCL) in 2024 wasn’t just a career change, but a cultural reset. Dissatisfied with micromanagement and a perceived lack of trust at their FAANG role, despite demanding work hours, this engineer sought a different environment. Oracle presented itself as a contrasting landscape, offering a structured onboarding process and a collaborative atmosphere. This is their firsthand account comparing the experiences and cultures at these two distinct tech giants.
Interview Processes: Personality Fit vs. Technical Depth
When interviewing with the FAANG company in March 2022, the process felt heavily weighted towards personality. Following initial HR and technical screenings, the final round consisted of four consecutive 45-minute interviews. These sessions, conducted by senior engineers and a hiring manager, delved deeply into behavioral questions. The focus seemed to be less on pure technical prowess and more on alignment with the company’s leadership principles. Questions like “Describe a time you drove change within a company” and “Share an instance where you exceeded customer expectations” were common, probing for specific personality traits and soft skills.
The technical aspect wasn’t neglected, covering standard LeetCode-style coding challenges and system design. One memorable question involved whiteboarding and designing a service akin to Instagram, detailing how to architect it for a billion users. However, even these technical questions felt secondary to the emphasis on personality and cultural fit.
Oracle’s interview process, in contrast, which this engineer experienced in February 2024, adopted a more technically focused approach. While the steps were similar – HR screen, tech screen, and final rounds – the emphasis shifted. The final round at Oracle included interviews with two senior engineers, the hiring manager, and a product manager. Like the FAANG interview, LeetCode and system design questions were part of the technical evaluation. However, the Oracle hiring manager also inquired about data center experience, and the product manager focused on in-depth discussions of the candidate’s past technical projects. The overarching impression was a greater emphasis on demonstrable technical skills and experience rather than personality alignment alone.
Work Hours and Company Culture: Fast-Paced vs. Collaborative
Subtle indicators during the FAANG interview process hinted at a demanding work culture. While not directly asked about willingness to work long hours, questions like, “Tell me about a time you had to meet an aggressive deadline,” suggested expectations around intense work periods. The hiring manager explicitly mentioned the team’s newness and ambition to rapidly deploy their technology. Further red flags included the recent tenure of interviewers, all having joined within the last 18 months, contrasting with Oracle, where interviewers often boasted four to six years of company experience.
One senior engineer at the FAANG company openly described a “fast-paced” and “work-hard culture” characterized by high turnover. The allure, however, was the promise of significant learning and impactful work affecting millions of users, a prospect that initially appealed to the engineer.
Oracle presented a stark contrast. The engineer described a sense of “teamwork and collaboration” conspicuously absent at the FAANG company. Micromanagement, reportedly rampant in the FAANG environment, was “virtually nonexistent” at Oracle. Instead, Oracle’s management and executives fostered an atmosphere of trust, allowing engineers to set their own deadlines and manage their work with greater autonomy.
The FAANG company’s culture was described as “intense,” with regular late work nights and pervasive micromanagement, ultimately contributing to the engineer’s decision to leave. This environment fostered a “lack of trust in lower-level employees,” impacting both mental and physical well-being, leading to disrupted sleep patterns and missed meals due to stress and anxiety.
Onboarding and Team Dynamics: Structured vs. Sink-or-Swim
The initial weeks at both companies involved standard onboarding activities: gaining code base access, team familiarization, and introductory meetings. However, the structure and support differed significantly. Oracle’s onboarding was described as “much more structured,” with a dedicated onboarding document outlining expectations and a team-wide effort to explain the organization’s mission. This proactive approach fostered a sense of clarity and direction from the outset.
In contrast, the FAANG company lacked structured onboarding. “No structure or clear expectations” characterized the initial weeks, and management was perceived as less focused on facilitating the onboarding process. This sink-or-swim approach contributed to a less supportive initial experience.
Team dynamics further highlighted cultural differences. At the FAANG company, an apparent focus on seniority and promotion pervaded interactions. Many engineers, in the first week alone, seemed preoccupied with career advancement, either soliciting advice on promotions or being uncommunicative and closed-off. One mid-level engineer even proposed a mentorship arrangement primarily to bolster his own promotion prospects. Another engineer deflected a question about career goals with “That is between me and my manager.” Even a skip-level manager redirected a team-related question to a lower-level manager, reinforcing a hierarchical and potentially less collaborative environment.
Oracle presented a more welcoming and supportive team dynamic. Colleagues were described as “friendly,” readily offering information and guidance for success. This collaborative spirit extended beyond onboarding, permeating the day-to-day work environment.
Compensation and Negotiation: Similar Outcomes, Different Vesting
Interestingly, offer negotiation processes were “pretty similar” at both companies. Having competing offers, the engineer requested compensation matching from both. Both companies complied by increasing vested stock amounts, resulting in a 10% total compensation increase in each case.
However, stock vesting schedules differed. Oracle’s RSU vesting was evenly distributed over four years. The FAANG company’s vesting schedule was back-loaded: 5% year one, 15% year two, 40% year three, and 40% year four. After the first year, the FAANG company provided a 3% base pay raise, whereas Oracle had not yet offered a raise at the time of writing.
Leaving FAANG for Oracle: A Decision for Well-being
The catalyst for leaving the FAANG company was a request to relocate to a different state with a mere three-month notice. While agreeing to relocate, the engineer immediately began searching for external opportunities, soon receiving the Oracle offer. Upon resigning from the FAANG role, a “huge weight lifted off my chest.”
The transition to Oracle significantly improved mental health and dramatically reduced stress levels. The engineer concluded, “Since I left the FAANG company for Oracle, I haven’t looked back,” expressing long-term commitment to their role at Oracle. This experience underscores the profound impact of company culture on employee well-being and job satisfaction, highlighting that sometimes, a move away from the perceived prestige of FAANG can lead to a more fulfilling and sustainable career path, even when comparing NYSE ORCL to other tech giants in terms of work environment.
