I don't work at Google, so I'm not personally aware of the work culture (my colleagues who work there say it ranges from intense to mundane.) I also have not taken Mr. Tan's course or read his book. That said, this article rubs me the wrong way. I'm not faulting Mr. Tan or Google, in fact I think therapy is a good thing.

The article comes off as making stress at Google unique: the intensity, the level of superiority of the workforce, dealing with possible imperfections in one's self, etc. There are elements of judgment in the article, and my reaction is simply "get over yourself".

As if stress at Google has different effects from stress at any other employer. While the sources may be different, how people respond is what's most important. Whether you're a world-famous technical engineer at Google or simply a nameless cog in the machine of XYZ Corp., stress is stress. If anything, I take away that there are more than a few people at Google who could use the opportunity for therapy. (And for good measure; I think many people in the world could use the chance as well.)

If this helps people at Google get over the "ferocious intensity" of the workplace, so be it. But for those who aren't living in that bubble, it's just called stress and therapy to deal with it.