Just because more Googlers post here doesn't mean Googlers waste more time than employees at other big companies. There are lots of ways to waste time other than HN.
I think a better explanation is that Google (and Facebook, and YC startups) tend to draw from the population of developers that is most likely to read social news sites about science, technology, and programming. They hire from people who try to learn more about the field; those same developers are not likely to stop learning once they've gotten a job at a big company.
FWIW, I'm a Googler and satisfied with the amount of personal time I get. I also don't watch TV, play video games, or spend much time on Facebook, which are the big time sinks for most Americans. The bulk of my non-work time is spent either hanging out in person with friends or commenting on a handful of Internet sites (HN, Reddit, Facebook, G+, OKCupid, and an Amherst-only social network).
When I look at my social networks like Facebook or the Amherst-only one, the most active people tend to be employees of Yahoo, Intuit, Boeing, etc. From this, I can conclude that people at those companies have far more personal time to burn than I do. After all, if they're posting all during the work day, when do they get any work done?
I think a better explanation is that Google (and Facebook, and YC startups) tend to draw from the population of developers that is most likely to read social news sites about science, technology, and programming. They hire from people who try to learn more about the field; those same developers are not likely to stop learning once they've gotten a job at a big company.
FWIW, I'm a Googler and satisfied with the amount of personal time I get. I also don't watch TV, play video games, or spend much time on Facebook, which are the big time sinks for most Americans. The bulk of my non-work time is spent either hanging out in person with friends or commenting on a handful of Internet sites (HN, Reddit, Facebook, G+, OKCupid, and an Amherst-only social network).
When I look at my social networks like Facebook or the Amherst-only one, the most active people tend to be employees of Yahoo, Intuit, Boeing, etc. From this, I can conclude that people at those companies have far more personal time to burn than I do. After all, if they're posting all during the work day, when do they get any work done?