Pros: The only two things that come to mind are: 1. We have a union! 2. The [unearned] prestige that comes with the “name”

Cons: 1. Horrible comp. Every engineer here could make 2x as much at a small tech company easily. (But we’re stuck here out of fear of getting laid off elsewhere) 2. While we have a union, we’re not able to take advantage of that as much yet because leadership keeps stalling. They are not acting in good faith and have actually committed blatant status quo violations (changing our working conditions by mandating return to office, removing COVID vaccination requirements for entering the building, surveilling our badge data and using it for performance reviews, removing conference budgets). Even the NLRB has warned them of their behavior, and no change has been seen in response. 3. The insidious racism, sexism, homophobia, etc. is disgusting, especially for a place that thinks so highly of itself. 4. Engineering culture - NYT has been around for 170+ years, and the state of its technology reflects that. It’s impossible to get anything done here in a way that’s sustainable. 5. No career growth once you get to the senior title.

Pros: There are honestly some very warm, competent teams at the Times which care about their craft and teammates. The Web Development group is a great group of people who care about what they do and are able to help others learn as well. Nobody ever gets fired. The Women In Tech organization strives to create a group that allows you to always find a place to feel included (note that this does not mean a culture of inclusivity, just the presence of a separate group). You'll generally be able to find some group to accept you provided you don't come from a lower socio-economic bracket.

Cons: The culture is extremely political, with people generally trying to take everyone down to rep their own brand. Management will not care about your concerns because no one wants to deal with drama. They'll instead focus on more straightforward initiatives that lead to quick successes so they can improve their visibility. The technology organization plans many greenfield initiatives that go nowhere, mostly because of a lack of cohesive cross-team collaboration and a very political culture that results in no forward movement. Professional growth is hard to find, considering turnover is so high and underachievers end up being promoted to leadership positions. When you find someone to grow and learn from, stick to them like glue.

Pros: Extremely talented and driven co-workers.

Cons: Too many projects that go nowhere or aren't pointless. Throw resources at problems that are insignificant or a diversion.