I doubt, seriously, that anyone at google told you not to work there.

They didn't tell him not to work at Google, just not on the project they were on. (My interpretation of GP's comment).

No, they tended to like the project, it seemed, but most were exasperated with where Google was located and how it limited chances for decent quality of life (i.e., California) and another clearly explained frustration with lack of real assignment for his first many months. No joke. (Typed from a lab at Apple, by the way, where I, as a result, went instead. And that's after being told the interviews went extraordinarily well and that they wanted to pursue next steps.)

I have no idea why somebody who doesn't like working at a place would participate in the interview process - it's entirely voluntary.

So keep in mind that maybe, just maybe, you met a person with an ax to grind instead :)

That's possible, but it was 3 or 4 or the 7 interviewers on the day I mentioned who advised similarly...I really thought, at the time, they were just not ok with California crappiness and cost of living. I don't remember why.

Yes, it seemed surreal; it was my impression that the frustration was more about constraints on where to live, in California, than with Google. One interviewer (at least) expressed disappointment with having no real assignment for his first many months, and feeling no way to prove his use during that time.