Like many others, Google has the referral bonus so several of my friends sent my resume (without asking me though) to their HR contact. So I got calls from two or three HR specialists and one of them was really insisting. That was when I was a PhD student in Australia. I was once in the Google office in Sydney, and that office is probably the most comfortable one that I have ever seen. Great place, great view, no much keyboard tapping and mouse clicking even in the dev area. Later I found out that team developed Google maps.

I can't answer the questions because I have never been a Googler. But I can share why I rejected their invitations for interviews. Google pays good, and is generous on stock options. As my Google friends say, it's like already half retired. I just did not want to do that in my late 20s. Later after graduation I went back to China and started looking for things to build. I really do not think Google would help much in entrepreneurship, except you may get a lot of talented friends. But again, they do not want to leave Google to work with you on your project because Google pays too well.