All of the Googlers you've met who work for USDS are already well funded from their previous companies. Who in their right mind would go to work for the government, for minimum wage, unless they were already independently wealthy?
Just wanted to chime in on "Who in their right mind would go to work for the government, for minimum wage, unless they were already independently wealthy?" GS-15 pay is nowhere near minimum wage. If you actually think so, I'm sorry to say that you are out of touch with society. And while some USDS employees may be independently wealthy, the majority certainly aren't.
There are also the nice perks of USDS, like working on things that critically matter to the lives of millions of the neediest demographic (both domestically and internationally), and collaborating with a bunch of A+ human beings who, despite the personal sacrifices, passionately want to do what they can to improve the welfare of others.
They probably are making less than they could in the private sector, but calling it "minimum wage" is just ludicrously out of touch.