Pros
As part of an acquired company: Was mostly left alone to do what needed to be done: our work continued relatively unhindered, and we were working in the same teams of people. If your work is good before, it could go well after, too. Also, big company benefits. The acquisition bump was generous, and the severance package is, too.
Cons
Less "cons" than warning signs you may not be used to looking for. (Note also that these may also partially apply to management in the company acquired.) - Mushroom treatment: are you getting the whole truth in response to legitimate worries? - Lack of agility: is parent company oversight vetoing new ideas and enforcing a status-quo? - Your company is now just a business unit: goes with the other two: without knowing what the expectations are and without having the ability to make moves with other units or your marketplace, you may find your *whole unit* exposed when the company needs to make cuts. - "Not currently planning to...": the expiration date on "currently" is shorter than you think. Without a follow up that gives parameters on what market or economic changes will affect those "current" plans, assume the disavowed action is on the table. There were upheavals that we could see just above us—e.g., entire product team leaving 2-3 months after acquisition, mainly because their ideas for integration were consistently tabled. We only learned this later: at the time we were told that the problems were well in hand. A year into the relationship the new product leadership was integrated, but the goals were still insular and not related to the parent company or other (related) acquisitions. Economic headwinds led to layoffs of all but a skeleton crew. Sad to see this happen.