The news of Devon’s unconventional work schedule was initially reported by Fortune. He expressed his perspective, explaining that he couldn’t justify putting in long hours when he witnessed his colleagues burning the midnight oil but not necessarily advancing in their careers.
Devon shared his approach to work, emphasizing that he starts his workweek by coding a substantial portion of a task before submitting it to his manager. This method, according to him, “basically guarantees” a smooth week ahead.
Interestingly, a report highlights that about 97 percent of Google employees consider the company an excellent place to work, in contrast to only 57 percent of employees in a typical U.S. company. Google is renowned for offering various benefits, including a unique campus environment, complimentary meals, and competitive compensation packages.
Devon’s perspective on his work ethic stems from his internship experience at Google. During his internship, he completed all his coding tasks well ahead of schedule, enabling him to enjoy a week-long trip to Hawaii. He clarified his approach, stating, “If I wanted to work long hours, I’d be at a startup. Most people choose Google because of the work-life balance and benefits. You could work at Apple, but Apple has such fan appeal to software engineers. They work long hours… but at Google, most people know what they’re doing is a job.”
Devon’s story sheds light on the unique work culture at Google, where some software engineers, like himself, seem to excel while working minimal hours. It appears that for him and thousands of others in similar positions, their job description includes what some might perceive as “doing nothing,” yet they are handsomely compensated for their contributions.
