Shalini, an SDE at Google, shared her observations after recently visiting some of the most talked-about amenities inside a Google office.
Social media is full of “day in the life” videos from employees working at major tech companies, often highlighting colourful office spaces, PlayStation rooms, gyms and lavish perks. However, a Google employee has now challenged the picture these viral reels paint, saying that they rarely show the demanding work that happens behind the scenes.
Taking to X, Shalini, a Software Development Engineer at Google, shared her observations after recently visiting some of the most talked-about amenities inside a Google office. According to her, the PlayStation room and gym were both largely empty, despite their popularity in social media reels.
“Recently went to the PlayStation room and gym at the Google office. Both were almost empty. What I actually saw? People working like crazy. Some even looked stressed,” she wrote.
Shalini added that many of the viral “day in the life” videos fail to reflect the reality of working at a tech giant. “Those reels where it looks like everyone is just playing games and chilling all day? Most are either from the first few days after joining or just shot for the content. The perks are real, but so is the workload,” she said.
The techie also admitted that such content had shaped her own experience before joining the tech giant. “So yeah… stop believing every ‘day in the life’ reel you see. Those reel during my internship make me believe that work will be less but it’s mostly team dependent,” she wrote.
Concluding her post with a disclaimer, she clarified, “All thoughts are my personal, I am not speaking on behalf of Google.”
-Recently went to the PlayStation room and gym at the Google office.
Both were almost empty. 😭-What I actually saw? People working like crazy. Some even looked stressed.
-Those reels where it looks like everyone is just playing games and chilling all day? Most are either from… pic.twitter.com/gIXME2GjLR
— Shalini (@Shalini70856041) June 28, 2026
Social media reactions
The post quickly caught the internet’s attention, with many saying that viral workplace videos often leave out the long hours and pressure employees face.
One user wrote, “Well if they spent time playing and all it is compensated by working in night. So yeah that part get skipped in reels.”
“Social media also highlights the good parts and forgets to show the parts where people actually work up to that point,” commented another.