Pros
Culture actually means something in Google; it's something management depend on, and everyone believes in. It ensures most of the time we are all going in roughly the same direction, even if no one seems to have the time to verify it's the right direction If a mistake is made, large or small, it's acknowledged, fixed, and people move on. There is an honest believe that if there is a right way to do something, it will be done that way, even if it's a huge amount of effort initially. You can depend on the fact that when you work with someone, they aren't an idiot; so any disagreement can be resolved sensibly. Every company gets the odd manager who is not suited for their position occasionally. In Google, anyone can report a problem, so a manager gets help or a more suitable role.
Cons
The rate of change can upset people; nothing is constant. If you think you are making progress on your project, it's time to receive an email about deprecating an old database API or requiring every product to integrate the latest greatest security technology. Because the company has shown it can completely change direction very quickly, many people desire such changes, even when they may not be needed. Hiring relies on strongly on non-biased interviewing (the worst predictor of future performance). A desire to keep things 'fair' means people hoping to work in Google can often get a poor experience. I don't like referring people to work here - even though I know they'll kick ass at the job, my opinion is deemed too subjective to be useful.
