Pros
There are a lot of good memories I have from my earlier time at the company. The leadership did work to provide nice office perks and the benefits were outstanding. I was given a lot of opportunity to learn on the job, and given tasks that went above and beyond my job title, which was great for career development. I was generally left alone to solve problems, focus on my work, and make an impact. There were some outstanding people employed there who truly exemplified the company culture promoted to us. I walked away with an incredible amount of knowledge. This knowledge carried me into an incredible opportunity. The original culture promoted by this company actually gave me a model to bring to my current company, and was something I truly believed in.
Cons
Over time, the culture basically disintegrated. The leadership seemed to go from supportive to blame-oriented. I started to realize I was being put down in an indirect way, and told things that indicated I was never going to get any of the promotions I was promised, under the guise that I somehow had to earn them, but no information on how to accomplish that. The worst part of that was overperforming, catching major issues causing systemic issues, and being completely ignored, even when I was told to present examples and proof, and did so. The company strategy seemed completely in conflict with itself, and no one seemed to realize how problematic it was for long-term sustainability of the business model. The ability to generate money with mediocre product was good enough to keep people from really rethinking how things should be presented in the marketplace. There was a lot of replication of other companies' models. I was told to solve problems, but the departments and leadership were so siloed off, they began competing against each other, vying for better position instead of truly collaborating. I was effectively forced to do the work of others, or work harder to sustain things because other employees took full advantage of their unlimited PTO and left their work to those too scared to take actual time off. When I did take time off, I'd still get messages from the CEO that made me feel obligated to work as many as 10-14 hours a day. I was overworked, underappreciated, and given a lot of false promises. I resigned shortly after a really degrading meeting where I was basically told I wouldn't get the things I was asking for. Over time, the atmosphere in the office went from close connected friendships to a really negative culture of cliques and gossip. Nasty gossip. The kind that could get people fired or ruin reputations in the professional community. When it finally affected me, I realized it was time to go. They say work hard and play hard, but it translates to a party culture that is incredibly destructive.