Netflix

You're given independence and the ability to do your job how you see fit - some of the time.

Most of the time, management runs around like a chicken with their collective head cut off, and priorities constantly change.

• The salaries are competitive, but not particularly high, despite what their so-called slide deck proclaims. Keep in mind that your stock purchase and "bonus" are included, so $160k at Google is the same as $210k at Netflix.

• Constant threats of firing, a culture of fear, and employees throwing each other under the bus to save their own skin. The threats of firing lead to crunch and absurd stress levels.

• Employees aren't as intelligent as those at other high-tech firms; they're hired more for their ability to play corporate politics than for technical skill.

• To follow on the above, the average stay here seems to be about a year. Understand that Netflix isn't an engineering company, it's an entertainment company, and a fragile streaming infrastructure and clunky front end are built to consume that entertainment. But content is king, not the technology, and it never will be.

I'd recommend working on technology a bit more. With the continual turnover and exodus of engineers, the technology and products are a house of cards.