Pros
If you're going to spend your days working away from your family anyway, it should be in an environment that's fun, relaxing and friendly. And the only way to achieve such an environment is through the people who inhabit it. I think Houzz has mastered this formula. While the hiring can be slow here, it's worth it because anyone who joins the team feels like a familiar face. That creates a unique energy that, coupled with the excitement that surrounds this fast-growing company, makes it an exciting place to show up to every morning. In addition, the fact that everyone is a part of developing something original and beneficial to real people fosters enthusiasm in the office. We're all working on something that millions of people are using every day to create their dream home. For that, I've never seen anything but smiles here. We all sit in one big open space. There's dinner every night and lunch every Friday from some of Palo Alto's best restaurants. We celebrate every employee's birthday with a treat of their choice. There's a fully stocked kitchen with every kind of organic fruit and snack (both healthy and junky) that you can imagine. The office is located in downtown Palo Alto on the bustling University Avenue just a few short blocks from the CalTrain station. All this makes it a wonderful place to be. It's truly the best company I've worked for, in terms of everything from the environment, attitude and the actual work that I'm producing.
Cons
Palo Alto is incredibly expensive to live in, so it's difficult to get a place really close to the office. But it's walking distance to the train station, so commuting is pretty easy.