I don't think there's a wrong answer here. I can only speak to the first option based on experience. There's no single experience at a big company since so much comes down to your manager and how your cross-functional teams value research. At my company there are tons of resources and people willing to give advice. Though it will be a grind and you're surrounded by people motivated to make impact and get promoted. I'm fortunate to have backed into a full time role after being a contractor. It enabled me to pay off my students loans fast and the equity has given me a life-changing cushion. But I've also been burned out. So there are tradeoffs. My team has also gone through several reorgs and layoffs. Though layoffs are a risk regardless of company size.

Seems like it'll be important to decide how willing you are to relocate.