[jlees]

The culture is slightly different, and they feel less 'big company' for the most part. They also take on a local flavour :) I've heard good things (in fact, better things than are said about HQ) about teams in remote offices, around camaraderie and ability to get stuff done. I think there are probably downsides too, and most people recommend you spend some time working out of Mountain View during your Google career, but I also got advised that spending a stint internationally is one of the best things to do for one's career there.

I didn't work out of any remote office full-time, but I visited seven satellite offices during my time there (nine if you count YouTube/SF). They were all unique and awesome.