Pros
I have been an employee for almost 2 years. I have been working in tech for 20+ years and I have worked at successful startups before so I have a good sense of what works culturally. DataRobot has a very good culture and they understand how important it is. The principle that resonates the most with me is being responsible for the happiness and productivity of your coworkers. There is no competition here and no hierarchy. Everyone wants you to succeed and will do whatever it takes to help you. People that say there is no opportunity for advancement are missing the point. You don’t need a title to have influence here. You will gain invaluable experience working here and whether you want to improve your technical or people management skills there are plenty of opportunities to lead. As other commenters have said, this is a place where people work hard. I have never subscribed to the “work smarter, not harder” mentality. Here we work smart AND work hard. There is no busy work or doing work for it’s own sake. We develop features that customers use and what you build will have a material impact on our bottom line.
Cons
Some people are early in their career and when they say that they want a “work-life” balance they really mean they want to work in a role that doesn’t require much effort or sacrifice. Others are later in their careers and expect their experience will guide the uninitiated and serve as their main contribution to the company. This is not the place for either of those types of people. This company is a true startup and is defining a new category. We value people that thrive in uncertainty and want to learn new things, not repeat what they have done somewhere else.