Make an impact, we have a long way to go
Pros
Talent - I came from working in tech in Boston and this is a standard deviation increase in talent. Projects are run by PMs who really know what they are doing with a strong skill set in strategy, engineering, data driven decision making and user experience. Strategic direction - Money truly is a means by which we can achieve the mission to connect the world. There are tons of bold bets and we seem to have a good balance of reacting to the marketplace and maintaining focus on executing with blinders when necessary. Opportunity - There is so much work for really anyone to come in and make. With such rapid growth, there are bound to be mega bugs or missed opportunities ripe for fresh eyes to come in and recognize immediately. Culture - The company values are genuine and you really do get the feel that you are working on something bigger than yourself. Getting to hear from and ask questions of Mark each week really helps makes sure everyone is in the loop and feels heard if they disagree. You are never "out of line" for thinking big picture or questioning strategic direction and it is in fact encouraged. There's also a ton of young people so it is great to meet friends, especially if you live in SF.
Cons
Time - There are amazing perks like really quality free food all the time, a gym on campus with a basketball court and large playing field, shuttles to SF and surrounding areas but I often find my coworkers and I spend less time on that fun stuff that you might expect. There's just so much work opportunity because you are expected to be driving on projects rather than just doing what you are told so you could theoretically work all the time and its up to you to stop that. Company maturity - Like all fast growing companies, there is a natural curiosity around "how much better would things be for me if I had joined earlier?" because there would have been ever more responsibility and financial potential. Both of those things are still really high but it does raise the natural question of it would make sense to gain the skill sets to understand what makes Facebook work and then consider working somewhere smaller with more financial upside.
