Palo Alto Networks

For those who joined before or in 2014, they are winners financially (look at the stock price over time, you will figure this out; we can't say the company keeps growing from that point on from a market view).

And even for those getting on board a little later, the compensation is good overall. Especially, this company is generous in stock-based compensation.

The company is really excellent in execution, which makes many things look decent and predictable, if that's a part of job security from an employee's perspective.

The kitchen on every floor always brings a good experience. The headquarter is going to move to a new building soon.

If this company ever had a culture, then the "winners" defined the culture in a relatively hierarchical and cliquey environment.

Those "winners" enjoy their financial return very much, and many of them don't want to leave. Their seniority is even helping them gain more and more from this company. Their appetite gets boosted year by year, because the company probably thinks they deserve it too.

However, think about those who joined later: they see a lack of opportunities for stepping up, and the dynamics don't look like they are going for them. See how many employees of 2015 are fleeing... And 2016 will come next if nothing changes.

Is there a healthy culture that keeps all employees energetic and motivated? It is a tricky question. To make something really happen, culture, like many other things in this company, should come in a top-down manner. So, if the winners need to keep feeling good (to win, there must be losers), another group of people would always be ignored.

To keep a tech company growing for many years, a "playbook" alone is far from enough, especially in a field where there is fierce competition.

So, upper management should carefully check what momentum the company still has, which people can maintain the momentum, and which people can even add fuel to it. Then, it is time to invest in them, if not all. Do something more than a "playbook" for the long run.

Also, find out, through multiple levels of management, those who just want to feel good as winners and are eating more and more from here and there.