[quantumofalpha]

Last time I job hunted right before covid, this was a thing back then too. All the usual suspects (faangs & hot pre-ipos) said no and could only offer me Canada/UK and a transfer on L1 after a year (meaning I get stuck and underpaid with the companies for years). Today's H1B process is too much for most companies: 1-1.5 year wait time with <30% chance you'd get picked up in the lottery. So for now most are only open to sponsoring people already in the US and able to work somehow. Things might change when/if wage levels rules get implemented for H1B.

A couple firms hinted they could pull me through O1/EB2/3 but it seems like i didn't clear the interviews and in the meantime landed a US-sized offer in UK - London's finance can pay competitively if they want you.

For Google specifically you may want to consider their Zurich office - they pay on par with US and no visa needed for EU citizens. In a year you can transfer to US.