* 2019 Graduate from a tier 2 institute (NIT/BITS)
* I am an active problem solver and I keep doing questions on Leetcode to be specific.
* Working as an SDE at a reputed MNC

* I was reached out by a Google recruiter much before I actually started preparing. 
 It is a long story, will skip that.
* There is a screening round, if you wish to take if you are not in preparation. It is highly recommended to go through it. 
 I did not go through it because by the time Google process started, I was already carrying a good offer and was prepared.
* I went through 3 Technical rounds and 1 Googleyness round in my L4 process. The Technical rounds were decent, but not as like Google as I expected. Maybe it is because of the hiring spree they are in ? or maybe I was much prepared for it!?
* My first interview went a little inefficient as I was not able to fully code the second question. Remember, you need to focus on a lot of things in a Google interview, efficacy being one of them, specially if you are applying for more than a grad level. 
My next interviews went smooth and I was relatively much more happy with my performance in them.
* After all the rounds, I went into a team match phase, where we connect with one of the managers who is hiring for the team, and if everything works out well, the team is selected for you. The packet went to Hiring Committee and was approved.
* The entire process took more than a month. I was not very happy with the recruiting process to be honest and that tells a lot about a company.

* Uber starts with 1 Online assessment, which is relatively easy on your part. You are expected to code 2 questions within 90 minutes. Post that, you will undergo at least 4 rounds.
* Problem Solving - This round focuses on your problem solving skills and how well you are versed with Data Structures and Algorithms. You can expect some twisted LC questions or even a Dynamic programming problem.
* Machine Coding - This round is probably the toughest of all. It needs you to be versed with Java concepts like Multithreading, Concurrency etc.
 You will be given a problem to build a working solution for some kind of service that needs to be concurrent. You will be doing all this on an IDE within an hour while the interviewer stays on the call.
* Design - This is a 1.5 hour round that focuses completely on High level design and your understanding of design concepts. There will be a lot of follow up questions so you need to be very sure of connecting the dots within your conversation, because as I said, in a design round, your confidence of choosing the tradeoffs also matter.
* Efficiency Round - This is a kind of leadership round where you're matched with the hiring manager who doesn't just focus on leadership questions, but also on the projects that you have done so far and various discussions and designs you have been part of.
* After all the rounds, if everything is in your favor, you won't be called for another round.

It was a really tough decision to make and it came down to Google and Uber in the end among all other offers that I had. Now, Let us focus on the factors contributing to the decision. 
* Work Life is very team dependent, irrespective of the company. However, on an average, Google is considered to be better here.
* Compensation wise, both of them offered great package, but Uber had a considerable margin here, even without front loaded stocks, which means it is only going to go upwards.
* Brand is with Google, and I'd definitely choose Google if only brand was the concern.
* Work - The kind of work I'd be doing at Uber would align to my skills and would create much more impact than working at the Google team.
* Growth - Chances of me up-levelling at Uber is faster than at Google. Google has been known to be slow in promotions.

Although, Google is a great opportunity in itself, Uber showed their trust in me throughout the process and that they really wanted me there. I just could not get any reasons not to join Uber at this point of time. Focusing on my career goals and the challenges that I want, I saw that Uber ticked all those boxes and so, have joined in the capacity of SDE 2.