Pros
There are not many pros to working for AKQA. You will get to work on big brands, but mostly as creating banners or short lived, shallow campaign microsites. There are some very nice people there, none of which are in management roles.
Cons
Long hours. I know it's advertising and long hours are a standard in the business, but this is ridiculous. One month we worked 100 hour weeks back to back. During this time one person was sent home, but only after they started vomiting. Another was given the chance to have a night off, but only after they broke down crying. During this time people worked up to 36 hours straight. Aside from the abnormally long hours, the common workweek is between 50-70 hours. Not great. The 'Leadership'. The people at the top lack empathy and passion. Most are so removed from the creative process that they don't have the ability to comprehend just how unsatisfying the work is for the "creatives." Most seem to have been promoted quickly due to their ability to rub shoulders with the right people. These people are aloof and completely delusional. Their self-aggrandizing knows no bounds. While in most cases they work removed from the creative process to develop top-notch strategies, there are times when they do participate in the creative process by giving subjective and destructive feedback that at times goes against what is considered best practices. The culture. It's hard to have much of a culture when people are worked to the point for sickness and/or tears. While there seems to be some interest in improving culture by having a "Health and Wellness Director," the current state is dismal. One person making smoothies and giving out plants to 400 over worked and under appreciated people isn't the answer. The work. Coming to AKQA I was excited by the work I had seen on the site. What I did not take into consideration was that this accounted for a very small portion of the work. Also, while some of the brands might be pretty impressive, much of the art direction and branding work is done by other (better) agencies/studios. This leaves creatives at AKQA working as banner, microsite, and social specialist. If you think designing the 300x250 banner and a Facebook cover image sounds exciting, then maybe this is the place for you. The career opportunities. Do you think the above-mentioned work sounds good? Then you will be fine. Do you enjoy sucking up to people? Yes? Then you with thrive. Moving up within the company is really based on whom you're friendly with and what account/project you are assigned to. Coincidentally the people that get to work on the projects/accounts that let their talents/egos shine are the same people that continually suck up to the management. The hierarchy. Opposite of flat. Compensation and Benefits. It's good, but keep in mind, you're not getting paid for 40 hours per week. You're getting paid for 70 hours a week, plus weekend work, plus back breaking sprints for releases or pitches, so plan accordingly during the negotiation process.
