The right balance between tech giant and high-growth startup
Pros
You feel like you’re playing a role in building something The Apples and Googles of this world are great, everyone knows they’re great, they’re probably still going to be great in 10 years. For me working at companies at the top of the tree feels a little more like being a cog in the machine than someone who can grow the company and make it better and I find that very disengaging. Related to this is company size, HomeAway is big but not so big that it’s tough to feel like you’re contributing or be recognised for doing so. An established and profitable company HomeAway is developed and successful enough to compete on comp with larger tech players which most startups can’t. HomeAway is a well capitalised and profitable so you avoid the uncertainty that accompanies many startups reliant on external funding. Work/Life balance is great I find people are committed and focused on their jobs but equally to their lives outside of work. This means working time tends to be more flexible, working from home (at least part of the week) seems to be an option in most roles. I work hard but I love the control I have over when this is, I feel I can leave as early or late as I feel is appropriate given my workload without anyone thinking better/worse about me for doing so
Cons
As per the title HomeAway strikes a great balance between a tech giant and startup but that doesn’t make it perfect Brand A company with a great brand is instantly recognisable and can (rightly or wrongly) give you instant credibility as an employee. You won’t get this with HomeAway. Most people (even in the tech industry) don’t know of the company and certainly don’t recognise its scale. Speed HomeAway can feel slow relative to a smaller company at times with can frustrate some people. I tend to see this as an inevitability as a company gets to a certain size but am sometimes disappointed by what feels like a constrained ability to iterate and improve our product offering Responsibility Although HomeAway is not so big that it’s difficult to be recognised you’re still not going to get the roles and responsibilities you would in a smaller company as quickly
