Pros
Gusto is full of kind and intelligent people who I'm learning a lot from. Senior leadership builds systems/processes that will scale. The remote-friendly work environment they've created is impressive, you have so much support & resources at your fingertips no matter where you're located. There's an anti micro-manage philosophy built in, where IC's drive more with lots of autonomy, and leaders can focus more on big picture aspects. It's a values-driven organization and I feel like they do a good job at being as transparent as possible. The best thing about working here is that they challenge individual contributors to get involved in work outside of their normal scope. If you see something that can be done better, you can get buy-in to build a better way and lead the charge with implementing & training on that. So on top of your normal expected job functions, you are encouraged (not forced) to build skills in project-management & leadership as well. Compensation and benefits are competitive compared to other companies of similar stage, size, and industry.
Cons
I'm impressed that during the initial 2020 Covid outbreak the company did whatever they could to avoid layoffs, even if having to temporarily move people around if need be. They were successful at avoiding layoffs that year, and even deferred payments for lots of their small-business customers. There was a recent layoff (2023). I believe the company took measures months in advance (due to signs of a changing economy) to slow hiring, which later meant that the number of employees laid off was significantly less than it could have been. As with 2020, for months they moved people around and gave project work in an effort to avoid layoffs. However it finally seemed that, unlike in 2020, an adjustment was inevitable. They way it was handled, not being given a heads up in advance, feels sudden and demoralizing for those affected. However, I understand that they did the best they can given we are a majority-remote workforce spread out over multiple timezones. They didn't give employees a heads up in advance of layoff, because they knew that would cause panic for the entire workforce. My heart goes out to those affected by the layoff, and frustrations are always valid, but there's really no way to go about this in a method that pleases everyone. What's good for those laid off would be detrimental to the entire org, and vice versa.