Sharon Yang, a Chromium developer, presented her experiences working at Google and Igalia during the final day of FOSSY 2026. Her talk, titled "From Corporate to Co-op," highlighted the operational differences between Google, a large corporation, and Igalia, an employee-owned cooperative. Yang, who is from Vancouver and studied at the University of British Columbia, worked at Google for six years on the Chrome browser before joining Igalia less than a year prior to her presentation.
In her talk, Yang compared the two companies, noting that Google employs around 180,000 people and generated over $400 billion in revenue last year, while Igalia has about 180 employees and operates with revenue under a billion dollars. She emphasized that Google is owned by institutional investors, whereas Igalia is employee-owned, which was met with applause from the audience. Yang shared her positive experiences at both companies, stating, "I had a good time working on Chrome, the people were nice, I enjoyed it, it was cool, there was lunch, it was good stuff."
Yang discussed the differences in work culture, noting that while both companies contribute to the Chromium code base, the types of projects differ. At Google, projects often focus on new features and metrics that may lead to promotions, while at Igalia, projects are more centered on code health and technical debt. She mentioned that at Google, she had to navigate a more hierarchical structure, whereas Igalia operates with a flat organizational structure, allowing employees to participate in decision-making processes.
She also addressed the challenges of accessing information and tools at Google, which can create friction for external contributors. Yang highlighted the importance of maintaining relationships with former coworkers and the collaborative environment at Igalia. The flat pay structure at Igalia was another point of discussion, as it eliminates pay discrepancies and fosters trust among employees. Yang concluded her talk by encouraging others to consider joining or starting a cooperative, emphasizing the benefits of such an organizational structure.
The presentation ended with a Q&A session, where Yang answered questions about project direction and decision-making processes in a flat organization.