[ThrowawayR2]

FAANGs are not homogeneous monoliths nor do they have a Borg-like hivemind. Your experience at a FAANG company will vary greatly from team to team, let alone between FAANGs.

I will say that the FAANGs are much like the transition many of us experienced from high school to college: the bottom two-thirds of the talent spectrum are not there and where we might have been top of the class in HS, we may find that we are merely average or even, sadly, significantly below average. Also, since the financial rewards are much, much greater, competition between individuals is correspondingly greater, along with all the negatives that implies. Depending on your level of technical ability and political / social skills, you may indeed find yourself working harder or fighting harder for promotions than you would at a non-FAANG company.