Apple

Apple is a great place to learn and grow. There are definitely lots of opportunities to do challenging work. This definitely depends on the group you join, but my experience has been great. Yes, it is very secretive, but if you don't need to know something, you don't need to know. Simple. Depending on the group, things can feel a bit isolated, as engineers may not talk to you if you're in your office crunching away, but again, this depends on the group.

Surprisingly, Apple can feel like a startup at times, with certain processes feeling incomplete or certain projects feeling a bit rushed. However, this leaves a lot of room for innovation and growth. Engineers have the freedom to enhance projects and processes at will, which is great. See something you don't like? Make it better. With deadlines, though, this is definitely encouraged to be done on your own time.

Work/Life balance? Depends on the group. Mine is perfect. I am in at 8 and out by 5. I am on call, though, and I do tend to work at home a lot, especially when I'm working on enhancements or critical fixes.

Food isn't free...not even at Apple or Tea. Considering food is free at pretty much all the other companies in the Bay Area, this is kind of ridiculous (particularly at Apple).

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