Pros: WLB, good pay, modern tech stack.

Cons: Unclear leadership; questionable product direction.

Pros: I could go on and on about so many aspects of Zillow that I loved. To begin, everyone I met at Zillow was so friendly, welcoming, energetic, and fun. In addition, they are some of the most intelligent and charismatic people you will ever meet. I had such a great time talking and working with all of them that I had an extremely hard time leaving them at the end of my summer internship. From that, the CEO, Spencer Rascoff, is a fantastic example of the bright minds and personalities found at Zillow. He is inspirational through his talks and the exceptional amount of work he puts into the company. On top of that, he is so approachable, friendly, and open with employees about everything that is going on in the company, and also always open to feedback to improve the company further. Next, an aspect about Zillow that really stuck out to me was the great work/life balance they had there. People worked so hard at Zillow, but overall, everyone at the company understood that life outside of work can be just as important. They also encouraged physical health through things like company-wide physical fitness competitions and having different sports groups formed by different employees. Zillow also has such a unique place in the industry too. It is an innovative, unique, and growing company and continues to find new ways to help its users constantly. It is also a great size in terms of establishing itself quite well in the industry but also keeping that more personal and fun startup feel and energy. Plus, the experience and knowledge I gained from the internship was fantastic. I never found myself short of cool new things to work on. Also, the kinds of tasks I worked on varied so much and touched many aspects of the site. Overall, I learned so much and loved the way the internship was set up for me by my manager. Then, with perks like free food, the Candy Wall, company trips, ZSpeakers, the location, and the gorgeous Seattle view, my experience at Zillow really was outstanding.

Cons: I have no complaints. I really loved my experience. The only thing I can think of is that in the first couple of days I had a bit of a tough time ramping up to the kind of work I needed to do. But that will probably always happen at any large company that's been around for a long time, and it was my first internship too, so overall I wouldn't really consider that a con of the company.

Pros: Fun. Beyond the team "morale" activities, sponsored ski days, ping pong, Guitar Hero, and other activities, the people at Zillow are friendly and warm. Laughter is a sound heard almost daily. People enjoy working at Zillow. Honest, approachable leadership. The executive team is absolutely forthright about their decisions (and mistakes), the status of the company, and the direction moving forward. Furthermore, these honchos are down-to-earth and easy to talk with. For example, the CEO sits on the floor during all-hands meetings and has even been known to kowtow in thanks for hard work. The company feels like one big team.

Cons: Hard economic times have especially affected start-ups like Zillow. Layoffs, the struggles to make a profit in a down market, and the relentless pace of under-staffed development slowly sap the energy of a small company. Because the company is still young, there are limited resources for salary increases or other incentives. Stock options can only entice so much effort.