Daniel McKinnon, a product manager at Meta who also had experience at Google, recently discussed the differences between the two tech giants based on his six years of experience. McKinnon worked as a product manager at Meta from 2018 to 2022 before spending two years at Google. He then returned to Meta in February to contribute his expertise to the Ray-Ban AI glasses project.
In a recent blog post, McKinnon outlined key distinctions that future employees should consider, ranging from work-life balance to promotion opportunities. He noted that while both companies offer excellent growth opportunities, individuals seeking rapid advancement may find Meta more suitable. On the other hand, those who prioritise work-life balance, stability and job security may prefer Google as their ideal choice.
McKinnon wrote, “Meta leadership does not hesitate to bet the farm on new ideas, let them cook, and aggressively cut if they don’t pan out. I experienced this myself with social audio. Clubhouse was blowing up, and I had the right experience. Less than a year later when it was clear we weren’t meeting expectations, our team was blown up. It was fun. It was exciting. But it was not stress-free. Google is different. Projects can span decades without being subject to evolutionary pressure. Reorgs seemed to be designed around fostering the long-term career growth of key people rather than aggressively pursuing a new trend in the market.”
Daniel McKinnon further compared the transparency at Google and Meta, claiming that it has declined in both. At Meta, there’s an expectation for product managers to take frequent reviews from the seniors and be responsible for outcomes. Mark Zuckerberg conducts Q&A sessions where he addresses candid questions and engages directly with teams. However, this transparency at Meta comes with a downside as there’s no room to hide, as your work is visible to leaders and colleagues, making it challenging to face away from the problem.
On the other hand, at Google, transparency is less as they rely on emails and chats for communication. Decision-making processes and executive expectations regarding PM teams are often unclear. Despite attempting to take feedback through with a VP, McKinnon claimed that he received minimal guidance during his 18-month tenure at Google.
The product manager elaborated that at Meta, leadership roles are frequently occupied by young VPs who have rapidly achieved success. In contrast, Google’s promotion process tends to be more time-based. While exceptional performance can enhance promotional prospects at Google, such occurrences are less frequent. Additionally, Meta recently streamlined its workforce and created new opportunities, whereas Google is currently dealing with overstaffing resulting from extensive hiring during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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