Pros
Darktrace as a company is one of the hidden gems for both personal and professional growth. The company and it's global teams embody the highest of standards for integrity, grit, efficiency, and loyalty. I started working with Darktrace in 2016 and even in a company that was then just three years old, I was floored by the well-oiled machine that was both the San Francisco office and the UK counterparts. There is no floundering or casual air that hangs around most start ups - often detrimentally hindering company growth and professionalism of employees. Instead, I was excited to find a company filled with resources - in the absolutely incomparable executives I got to interact with and learn from on a daily basis - both from afar (UK execs) and in the office, in the energy and drive that every employee has, and in the sophisticated and impressive technology the company is built around. On a more personal note - I have gained some of my best friends through working with Darktrace, which I had not experienced at other companies. Working with so many talented, kind, supportive, and driven young people (in addition to the top-notch executives) was an honor and I remain close friends with many of my former coworkers. It's an impressive feat when you get to work at not only an impressive company, but with people who are true friends in and out of the workplace.
There is no other company I know of that will allow you the space to excel in every project, report, trip, event, and account you work on or who will value new ways of streamlining and highlighting success the way Darktrace does. There is also no other company in the world that you can learn more from - Darktrace not only grew (and continues to grow) at an unprecedented pace (we were experiencing 600% YOY growth when I joined) but it grew in perfect measure to its abilities - with every new office opened, client gained, marketing campaign launched, the production was always carefully thought-out, planned, and executed so that the company was built on the strongest, most credible, and technically correct foundation. You'll never need to worry about haphazard expansion with over-zealous, under-experienced executives - each of the directors, VPs, and C-suite members are the best of the best and prove a tremendous example to every young employee wanting to grow immensely in their first real job.
Because of that mentorship by some of the most exemplary business leaders, I was able to advance my career rapidly and with the confidence and poise to lead me into other incredible ventures. There is no other company where I would have had the opportunities I had at Darktrace or where I would have had the chance to learn what normally would take over 10 years at any other company to learn/have access to. If you want to get the best industry experience and challenge yourself to gain abilities and knowledge in business/the real world - work at Darktrace. At most other companies, you'll work in one role for a few years, possibly move laterally or vertically after that (but not much), and after 10 years have maybe gained the confidence of your CEO. At Darkrace, that timeline will be condensed so that you learn all of those 10 years within the first one year and are poised to have a powerful and exciting career.
It is worth noting that many reviews express a frustration with the company culture, which may have been, for some, too intense or perhaps lacked the attention to their individual needs. It is very important to me that it be known that Darktrace was both responsive and intensely care-driven when I ever had frustrations, and issues were always solved with the utmost respect and privacy. I did not experience or view any dysfunction in the company culture and know that some people who left chose to do so after either learning that they enjoyed other parts of business/other career paths more or after not performing with professionalism or performing well, and it was best for those who left to do so in order to gain more experience and find their passion elsewhere. For those who stayed with Darktrace, it continues to be an exciting, supportive, and well-connected environment.
It was an absolute pleasure to work with the team members, executives, and leaders at Darktrace, and I was consistently impressed with the dedication and care even the younger sales directors and mentors put into their growing sales, marketing, and technical teams - focusing on building up employees to do their absolute best and supporting them in ways befitting your favorite professor or sports coach. I would recommend working with the Darktrace team to any young graduate - it's one of the best opportunities out there.
Cons
I think one of the biggest cons is that because the industry is so fast-paced, as is the company, many younger team members wanted to move on too quickly, and will miss being a part of more growth down the line. It was also frustrating at times having most of the executives based in the UK (simply because of time differences which cause email/phone call lag) but the executives were very cognizant of this and made sure to have different executives - either technical leaders, legal reps, or other C-suite executives visit the US quite frequently for increased knowledge share and mentoring.
