[VLM]

I'm not sure if this is insightful, sarcastic, crazy, or most likely a mixture, but I have occasionally thought that the mighty GOOG is trolling us with their traditional hiring process and if you actually want to work there its infinitely easier to found or join a startup they'd find tasty and get yourself bought. Which is an interesting way to finance and report hiring bonuses, and the ultimate form of portfolio building as an interview technique.

Personally I am not willing to jump the hoops to get in conventionally and I don't actually want to work there, I know I can't tolerate what I'd have to do to get hired there, but I am pretty sure I could stomach what I'd have to do to get acquired, if I made it my full time goal.

This also fits into the financial offer. I don't live in SV and some years ago a Google recruiter tracked me down and unfortunately the general terms of the job position meant a staggering hit to the standard of living of my entire family.... I just can't abuse my wife and kids like they wanted me to. What they proposed was pretty brutal compared to our current standard of living and budget. However... if they bought my startup, and I dumped the money into Mountain View real estate, essentially giving me a free house, well, that's different... with no multimillion dollar mortgage I could afford to work there for the original offer...

Its an interesting solution to hiring when you're located in housing bubble central.