Uber

I've worked for a number of great companies over the years: Google, the games industry, research labs.

I can say with confidence that Uber is the best place I've ever worked.

The challenges are fascinating. We're not just building a website or driving ad clicks. We're attempting to fundamentally change the way people and things are transported around the globe.

The impact is tangible. At a place like Google, it's easy for an engineer to feel lost in the weeds. Uber has become a big company, but every project still feels vital. Every engineer has the chance to affect millions of riders and driver partners.

The opportunities are abundant. Uber has grown faster than any startup in history, but that growth meant there wasn't always time to build to scale. That's both a positive and a negative at times, but on the plus side, it means there are many parts of our tech stack that can be optimized and improved by a motivated engineer. If you want to take ownership of a project you feel passionate about, no one is going to get in your way.

Change is happening. 2017 was a real wake-up call for Uber. Thankfully, the company took note and listened. We're now refocusing on the long-term sustainability of growth and talent. I've seen so much positive change happen in just over a year. It's been a roller coaster of emotions at times, but it always trends upwards.

On the con side of the tech debt problem I alluded to before, there are parts of the engineering process that are painful at times. We've been committing resources to fix it, but there's still a lot of room to improve.

Different parts of the organization still feel oceans apart. Maps reminds me a lot of Google; other parts of the company feel like other organizations entirely. We still have a ways to go towards homogenizing our values and standards, but things are improving. Just be mindful of which team you end up on if you decide to join. That said, transferring is easy and encouraged.

The media attention can be draining. The world can't seem to stop talking about Uber. In some ways, it feels motivating to be working when all eyes are pointed your way, but it can also be painful to be put under such intense scrutiny.

Keep focusing on the long term. Uber, as a platform, is the future of the company. Growth at all costs was not the right approach.

We need to focus on bringing the best tech to the market, with the right investments in the right industries (Eats and Freight are two great bets). Once we have world-class tech built by world-class talent, the growth will naturally follow from there.