* The days when AKQA was focused on innovative design and quality service are gone. Now, it's all about one thing - serving their shareholders. AKQA haven't dished out pay reviews or bonuses in a long time but the perks to the senior execs are very, very visible.
* Poor work/life balance and it's getting worse. High profile clients come at a price and that price is you, especially if you work on these accounts. The more high profile the account you work on, the more pressure there is for you to deliver. If you end up on one of the more bread and butter accounts, you'll be ignored or often treated as a second class citizen.
* Shoddy and often chaotic project and account management. I do feel sorry for the account services teams as they are in the front lines of serving multiple masters, but as overwhelmed as they are - they won't rock the boat and that effect is felt all throughout their teams.
* Lots of attitude and ego and not much substance on the creative side, especially the higher up the food chain you go. If you're coming to AKQA to build really innovative products or to work with people who are genuinely passionate about design, you're in the wrong place. You have been warned.
* Very young teams overall. Great if you're in your early to mid-20's but otherwise, you'll feel out of place unless you're in the management team.
* Technical teams are hit and miss. A growing reliance on freelancers and outsourcing means lots of variable quality. Good people are snapped up and not allowed to leave their teams, leaving the rest just come and go.
