Booking.com

You can coast if you want to, and the results will be the same as if you work hard.

Overtime is not common in the NL.

There are nice people from all over the world.

This place has been running with an obsolete technology stack since forever (mid 2000s, since the company started in 1996?). But at least when the former CTO and CEO were there, there was a coherent strategy.

Now the place has been taken over by several "mafias" that promote amongst themselves. It's a highly toxic environment where tech skills don't matter at all, only who you know, which egos you stroke, and how good you are at personal marketing.

All the processes devised to reduce political biases are now reinforcing them, while mid and senior management hold "Ask Me Anything" sessions just to shrug it off and reassure everyone that everything is fine.

It's impossible to learn any new skills which are transferable nor to build anything which is relevant. Spend too much time here and you'll get rusty and lose your employability. The only thing you'll learn or get good at is their own internal game.

You might get a good run if you play it well, but forget doing it anywhere else unless you want to become a politician.

It's a classic giant that became obsessed with itself and forgot about the outside world: customers, partners, or similar companies.

Failures pile one after another across new initiatives, but there is no accountability. If you are part of the in-group, everything is considered learning. If you are out, though, don't even think about trying to speak some sense. The better you can do is try to get in.

Graduate developers who join right after college are the best fit, as they don't know much about the broader market and quickly adapt to the ongoing craziness. If you had experience developing anything before at any average-to-good company, best to avoid.

Enjoy before the stocks dip and the board kicks you out.