Of all the people I know at FAANG companies and that I interacted with while at Google, only one of them has a degree from one of those schools (a MS from Stanford done while they were already at Google). The idea that they mostly recruit from top-tier programs is false. Certainly being at those programs is a huge help, but by no means even remotely close to a requirement.
I have been recruited by a few FAANG companies (recruited in the sense that a recruiter reached out for an interview) and have only gone to public schools, nothing impressive.
I have been recruited by a few FAANG companies (recruited in the sense that a recruiter reached out for an interview) and have only gone to public schools, nothing impressive.