Pros: Great startup perks like a gym, phone, and commute reimbursement, lots of beer flowing, trips to conferences, and games to go all around. They give you anything you want for the workplace like a standing desk, MacBook Airs with Thunderbolt displays, and more. There is also the annual company trip to Mexico that is always unforgettable.

Cons: There is a bias and favoritism felt towards the Colorado office. There are many people who work in engineering that do nothing and are lazy. And the others who work hard are not appreciated at all. It takes HR and management a few resignations to see that they need to give mass promotions and raises so it's unorganized and not based on actual merit. They've gone through a few VPs of Engineering in only 2 years, so the engineering department is always unstable.

Pros: The people are 4H: humble, hungry, honest, and happy. I enjoy working with these intelligent and motivated people. You are hard-pressed to find similar technical challenges and career growth opportunities in SoCal, because the systems are highly concurrent and operate at scale with a large existing customer base.

Cons: We are still struggling to develop solid development environments. Our stack is varied and complex, and while we make progress in making development easier for ourselves, there is room for a lot of growth in this area.

Pros: Every company you consider joining has a web page that highlights why they have a great culture. At SendGrid, they actually mean it. The culture is built into and ingrained in the fabric of getting work done and respecting those you work with. The work is interesting and fast paced. Engineering teams are focused on the latest technologies and there are clear business priorities against which to work on that move the company forward. Executive leadership focuses on the long picture and making appropriate strategic plans that provide a long-term vision for growth for the company.

Cons: The company IPO-d last year and is going through the growing pains of shifting from startup to small private company, and to public company. The company is poised to continue to grow and there will naturally be growing pains as part of that process. Someone who likes stability and no change would not thrive in the environment. That said, it's not chaotic, but you have to be comfortable with a growth mindset.