I don't know but I think it could be a SV thing as it's probably a supply/demand issue. If FAANG corps in SV tolerate such behavior then it's because they can't find better people due to strong competition for talent. Google in Europe pretty much has no competition at its level and there are way more devs looking for quality work so it can afford to be way more selective with who they hire or keep. Supply and demand. Just my $0.02.

I think it depends on where you are in Google as in what team/org. I haven't seen much of what this original poster describes on the teams I have worked on. My limited anecdotal experience, however, is that people work less at the European offices than in the US.

Interesting. Ime, euro Googlers tend to be somewhat more productive. They may put in fewer hours but they seem to be more focused.

I would probably agree on that. My limited experience is that the European teams and engineers are very productive.

Maybe Europe gets better engineers there because of less options.