This is not my experience whatsoever and someone who works 50+ weeks for big tech. Especially with decreased value for the human element in favor of AI there are now more demands than ever. Engineers have become much more expendable.
I've been in big tech for 12+ years now. The first handful of years are definitely a grind to earn your spot, get a couple promos. After that though, it can become quite a bit easier to coast if that's what you're looking for. People know you, know you're probably valuable cause you're "senior" or "staff" and still here, and likely leave you alone. But yeah, as a newer engineer these days, it still requires the initial commitment to earn the privilege of coasting in a big tech company.
This. In my tenure I’ve worked on projects that ended up being blocked by absolutely everything, then there is a reorg and when you need to do something technical debt keeps you at a leisurely pace.
If you want to do absolutely the least go to an office (RTO for the win!!!) but make sure your team is on the other side of the pond. You get some annoying early/late meetings and get the rest of the day to rest.
As long as you have something you to say at standup (it doesn’t matter if it’s meaningful) you’re golden
This is what I kept thinking as well. In my experience big companies can't get things done and people fly under the radar all the time not doing anything.
