Pros
- Strong products that are still ahead of the competition - Exciting opportunities with DNA-based products - More friendly than average - Meaningful work with a positive and well-known public image - Mangers generally have good intentions - Some interesting and inspiring leaders in the mix - Often trying to make the right product and technical decisions - Easy to have hobbies and outside interests while working here
Cons
- Slightly inbred culture that is passive aggressive towards each other and especially to outsiders - Inability to solve conflict in ways that are both direct and healthy - Less of a meritocracy than you'd expect of a company of this size...lots of burned-out people from the good-old-days that appear to have "tenure" - The sale of the company (and the corresponding conversion of equity from paper equity to real equity) is the primary focus of management. It's great if that objective happens to overlap with what customers want, but it's not required from their perspective - sale value rules the day. - A lot of fat in the company (although getting better). People put in about 70% of the effort that you'd expect. Working extra or overtime is almost unheard of and I doubt most people could even do it if asked. - Many nonconstructive complainers in the company and management that sometimes enables and panders to that type of behavior - Occasionally inexperienced middle managers who try to reinvent solutions to problems that have been solved long ago...plenty of experimentation with esoteric org structures and processes, for example being treated as "innovation" - An important fraction of the technical staff openly opposes leaning new technology - the first time I've ever observed this - Somewhat boring environment, library-quiet with less collaboration than you might be used to. - You can easily feel like you are getting weaker instead of stronger. - Legal and HR departments lean towards being ineffective and possibly even vindictive