> And sure, moving to another FAANG isn't necessarily going to help, they all have those skeletons. But there is a ton of tech that isn't done by Fortune 50 companies. There's a ton of tech that is for the good of humanity or on new and innovative upstarts. The only alternative to Google isn't Facebook or Twitter.
I would be happy to hear of tech companies falling under that bucket which meaningfully employ PhD's, and are either located in a low cost of living location or pay comparably to FAANG in a high cost of living location.
The question shouldn't be "can I make as much working for non-evil[1] companies" but rather how much of a premium are you willing to give up for doing what is good for society. For me, I'll happily earn less if it means that my conscience[2] is clear.
[1] I mean, I'm using "evil" loosely here. Its just an illustration, I'm not going to argue about how evil or not evil FAANG are.
[2] Of course, everyone has a different definition of what they consider questionable and will therefore draw the line in different places. Its a personal decision, but you should hopefully understand why someone who doesn't agree with your definition might judge you for it, rightly or wrongly.
I would be happy to hear of tech companies falling under that bucket which meaningfully employ PhD's, and are either located in a low cost of living location or pay comparably to FAANG in a high cost of living location.