Pros
*NOTE: these are generalizations. Crappy managers and co-workers do exist* -Smart and skilled people -Highly motivated people -During any type of "political debate," asking what is best for the customer usually gets people on the same page -Easy to move around the company. In fact, it's encouraged. -Things are done for a reason -Managers seem to be s**t umbrellas rather than s**t funnels. -Due to the ridiculous scale of our systems, the one in a billion edge case keeps us up at night -The promotions thing is done on a strict merit basis. If everyone in a department deserves a promotion, they all get it. There is no quota. But each promotion / review is heavily vetted with a bunch of management folks. -I can drink on the job. We have weekly beer bashes and occasional nerf wars. It's a pretty good balance of youth and older, more experienced folks. -Management is in tune with you, and what you want to do / are doing. Most teams have weekly one-on-ones with their manager to just chat. -Management is responsive and receptive
Cons
-Your career growth is dictated by the opportunities made available to you at the team you're on. -People switch teams about every 2 years. Which is great, since it enables you to move around easily, but it also causes some turnover pains. -Depending on the team, the pager thing can be annoying. But it's not that terrible, and many teams don't have a rotation. But you do have folks in Ireland / India to take them during the night.