Meta

Despite having several thousand employees, you can still have an impact.

It doesn't have to be "wrote the messaging system"; it can be as simple as "made something more efficient, saving hundreds of thousands of dollars over a year," or "enabling someone else to be a rock star."

There are great challenges in the infrastructure, and it's a first-hand experience of simple systems interacting in complex ways (at the heart).

There's lovely food from the on-campus cafe – I'd really and truly call it a restaurant, the food is that good – break-out areas for peace and quiet, and generally excellent and smart co-workers.

Long days mostly, and the communication lag with HQ. It's possible to get sucked down a rabbit hole for days on end, sinking in far too many hours. However, in the end, it's a personal choice to do hours and hours of work beyond what you're salaried for.

The 8-hour lag with California is also a pain in the rear – you either live with 24-hour turnaround on question/answer threads, or you stay late to try and catch someone in real time.