Pros
I really enjoyed working with all my colleagues in the studio. Everyone is passionate and believes in the product. I didn't have any issue with my salary, although many consider it low. Benefits were fine, not as good as government of course, but it could have been way worse. We got Christmas breaks every year, although they are not guaranteed. The project is funded directly by Steven Sharif, so there's no worry about the studio running out of money.
Cons
Top leadership cannot stick to their plans for more than a week, and often forgets things recently decided. Leadership continuously adds scope, often specifically for the purpose of a livestream. Leadership responded poorly to logical critiques, arguments, and any form of "no", which often causes additional scope to be piled on. Leadership responds poorly to direct public criticism. See Narc's last (as of writing) video on Ashes of Creation and the resulting responses. Leadership lied during recruitment about bonuses, preference of in-office, crunch, and other things. We were promised a revenue share and various launch bonuses (for example Alpha 2 launch) but they never happened and we were never updated on any of it. In-office employees received no extra compensation or acknowledgement despite living in one of the most expensive locations in the US. In-office was required when I was hired, however that requirement was silently removed and it seems like more than half the studio is remote now. Culture has devolved since i was hired due to overwork, difficulty of working with leadership, and uncertain deadlines. Leadership randomly discharged 10 people because "They didnt align with studio goals", and nobody knows the actual reason. They are still hiring. At time of writing, there is a draconian policy for build breakers. Within a time period, a person gets one "Free" breaker, the second breaker is a warning, and the third puts you on a PIP. Leadership refuses to take responsibility for anything. Apparently trying to take responsibility for your own work gets you discharged. Leadership does not respect employees for what they offer in terms of skills and experience. Alpha 2 launch date was chosen randomly by Leadership and we were forced to jam all the desired scope in to the product by that date. Tech debt and shaky foundations has been piling up over the course of all the livestreams and forced a2 launch, and Leadership did not allow time to fix these foundational defects. When voicing concerns about things, the response is "Heard." and nothing ever happens.