Pros: Free food, people are nice, most managers are not toxic.

Cons: Some managers have poor backgrounds, so they micromanage you.

Pros: It was a native C++ client. The bar is low for being a domain expert. Knowledge that the average Silicon Valley engineer should have is somehow in short supply there, so it's easier to stand out. The pay was OK while it lasted.

Cons: Repeated rounds of layoffs, with departed colleagues' work being heaped on those remaining, left everyone miserable and stressed and just waiting for when our turn is next. My boss actually announced development was shifting to "startup mode". When I asked if that means more upside or flexibility or equity or any of the other reasons you may choose a startup over a large established company, the answer was, "no, just more work" (!?!) There is a serious culture and power divide between overseas and California-based development teams. There was zero career growth investment in employees, with no training or conferences except those offered by Zoom. The company fired the entire DEI team. The CEO attended Melania's movie premiere.

Pros: The US team is trying hard and has a good attitude, despite the bad work and petty antics of the China team.

Cons: Toxic culture. Managers and employees from China, where "saving face" is extremely important, are constantly trying to shame and embarrass US engineers. We in the US don't consider an obsession over "losing face" to be anything but primitive, but the China team considers it deadly serious and they thrill in trying to make us lose face with a constant stream of contrived complaints.