Zoox

• Fast-paced work environment where you can work really cross-domain.
• Learn a lot very quickly; high learning value for your time, especially compared to FAANG.
• Design-focused company; some Apple vibes, but also a strong Google-inspired engineering culture, down to the tools used. Ultimately, they care about doing things the right way, engineering and design-wise, rather than getting something clunky out the door. This ends up ringing true all over the company. TKK is gone, but his lessons remain.
• Cohesive strategy from management; product offering is very clear.
• Small teams with lots of autonomy have been able to build tech rivaling the other big giants in the space. Very little fluff gets in the way of just doing your job.
• Work/life seems fine so far. Nobody is pressured outside 9 to 5, though some do choose to work more.
• Objectively cool what you get to work on. It's AVs!

• Lots of work to do, and there are clear areas that are underinvested in compared to competitors.
• Behind in funding and resources compared to competitors. You get more autonomy, but there's also less support & structure compared to the other giants.
• The goal is ambitious, and while there's a path forward, you can easily feel overwhelmed and underconfident in the promised result when you see the problems all day.
• Pay/perks aren't as good as FAANG.
• Management can feel overly optimistic sometimes. While having a confident leader is good, glossing over the reality of the project isn't.

Get something out the door, even if it's a minor MVP.