IIT grad working for Google says company not giving promotion

An IIT graduate working at Google is unhappy for not getting a promotion despite being there for two years. Now, the techie asks if it is worth leaving the company even if they have to take a salary cut.An IIT grad working at Google is unhappy about not getting a promotion. (Credits: Reuters)When it comes to building a career, there are two things you may always want to get. Study from one of the top institutes and get placed at a top company. But sometimes, even achieving these may not match your expectations. That seems to be what an IIT graduate has discovered while working at Google.An Indian techie, who goes by the handle CityPsychological190, shared a post on the subreddit DevelopersIndia. The techie explained that they studied at a Tier 1 IIT and joined Google as an L3 developer. Unfortunately, they say, even after 2 years at Google there was little chance of a promotion.“I'm not being considered for the September promo cycle and there's a probability that I might not be even for the next cycle,” the IIT graduate wrote. “By that time it'd have been 3 years of me as an L3 here.” A screenshot of the Reddit post. For those unaware, L3 is Google’s entry-level software engineering role – internally known as SWE II. Those who join the company with less than 2 years of experience are usually given this label, but many may stay at L3 level for longer. L4, on the other hand, is for more experienced developers. The developer believes that the problem lied within Google, as the company was not doing many promotions. “Last time, there were 0 promotions in my org from L3 to L4. This time, it'll barely be 5. So I'm not optimistic,” they added.Techie asks if a switch may be worth itThe developer insisted that they had performed well but they were not enjoying working at Google. “This is the worst I've felt in a long time,” they wrote. The techie then asked Redditor for advice on their next move, including the possibility to move to Amazon or Microsoft even if they had to take a pay cut. Though in the long term, the techie wanted to get a higher package. Several users responded with advice. One person reminded the techie that things were not so simple with many senior staff likely above them. “2 years of exp in google and being sad so much for L4 is not tallying. Please consider the point that there will (be) many other senior folks who were working hard for L4 too,” they said. “You can wait. There is time. Give it a year.” Users suggested that the techie should try to be patient. Another user asked the techie if they were getting a good package at Google. They added, “If YES, keep your head down and build on your skills." One person insisted that the techie should focus on their skills if they were earning well at Google. On the other hand, one user reminded the techie that the market situation was quite tough today. “Maybe next year. The job market is shit right now I would advise you to keep patience,” the comment read. One user pointed out that the job market was in a tough state. Speaking of the market situation, as you may already know, companies have conducted mass layoffs in recent months. As per reports, Google cut jobs in its cloud division in June this year. On the other hand, Amazon and Microsoft have fired thousands. Tech companies, in particular, are making job cuts in an effort to save costs while they pour millions into AI.Those who are laid off are having problems finding new jobs too. Previously, a Reddit user claimed that they failed to land a new role despite sending over 700 applications. In another case, a techie left a company to join a startup and got laid off within a month.- EndsPublished By: Armaan AgarwalPublished On: Aug 20, 2026 13:53 IST