Pros
Even though it's 9 years old, there's still a lot of a "startup" feel to Proofpoint because of the company's continued fast growth -- with all of the attendant pluses and minuses. I came to work at Proofpoint and continue to enjoy it for the following reasons: * Awesome CEO who leads by example and works very hard to create a culture of respect, cameraderie, integrity and commitment to customer satisfaction. * Some extraoridarily smart and committed people -- both old-timers and new hires -- work here. * Some very interesting technologies underlying the products, ongoing development involves many of the most buzzworthy tech trends (machine learning, big data, virtualization, cloud computing, etc.) * Challenging work across all departments. Fast-growth and an ever-changing market keeps things varied. Great for self-starters, not good for folks who prefer to simply stay in their comfort zones * For those that are willing, there's a lot of "choose your own adventure" at Proofpoint. There's a lot of opportunity to innovate, do something a new way, try a new approach. * Pre-IPO, venture-funded company that has established itself as a leader - and the last "independent" company - in its category. * Great "blue chip" list of customers, many of whom are rabid fans.
Cons
On the flip side, Proofpoint's not a big enough company to offer "something for everyone". Proofpoint is probably not a good fit for employees who don't have at least a little bit of "self-starter" or "entrepreneurial" bent. Like many companies its size with similar growth trajectories, one might feel more resource constrained at Proofpoint than one would feel at a much bigger (or much smaller) company. The tension between what one would like to accomplish and what one has the resources to get done is often magnified in an organization like this. Other (to me, minor) downsides: * Enterprise security & compliance isn't exactly the sexiest marketspace. * As with any company, one's experience is highly dependent on one's immediate manager. I've had both excellent and not-so-excellent managers in my time here, just as I've had excellent and not-so-excellent employees. YMMV. * Benefits are probably just "average", but I'm more of the startup type and don't pay attention to this sort of thing. * Very customer-driven and sales-oriented organization might not be to everyone's liking.
