They apparently knew when they hired him that he'd be working on Google+ instead of Chrome, but didn't bother telling him until he showed up for orientation. That's a huge red flag to me.
I think it depends on how much leverage you have, doesn't it?
If your skillset is in huge demand, and a company needs you badly enough, they might just be willing to guarantee in writing what project you'd be working on - and maybe even give you a window seat, too.
Though if you're in demand, and want project guarantees, you'd probably be happier as a consultant - that way you're sort of always guaranteed to be working on the project you want, because completing that project is the entire reason the company hired you.
